Stefani Montiel

Stefani Melissa Sullivan (born December 23, 1972), professionally known as Stefani Montiel is a Tejano music singer. In the early 1990s, she emerged as one of the new acts in Tejano who reinvigorated the genre.[1] Montiel is known for her fusion of various genres into her Tejano sound.[2] The singer has been inducted into the Tejano Roots Hall of Fame and New Mexico Music Hall of Fame,[3] and has been nominated for a Latin Grammy Award for Best Tejano Album.[4] In 2006, as part of Las 3 Divas with Shelly Lares and Elida Reyna, Montiel received a nomination for a Grammy Award.[5] Her husband and musician, Gabriel Zavala, produces her music.[4] Montiel released her first album at the age of nine before signing with EMI Latin and then with Sony Discos.[3] She is considered to be one of the most popular Tejano singers.[6] Montiel performed at the inaugural Fiesta de la Flor in 2015.[7] She received the Tejano Music Award for Female Vocalist of the Year, Female Entertainer of the Year, while her album, La Dueña, received the Tejano Music Award for Tejano Album of the Year at the 2017 Tejano Music Awards.[8] Montiel has been nominated for the Tejano Music Award for Female Vocalist of the Year, Album of the Year for Amor Supernatural, Song of the Year for "La Comadre", while her collaboration with DJ Kane and Zavala on "Sol, Arena, Ron Y Mar", was nominated for Vocal Duo of the Year at the 2019 Tejano Music Awards.[9] Her collaboration with La Calma on "Echame La Culpa", peaked at number one on the Tejano Gold Top 20 chart.[10] In 2020, Montiel partnered with Música Ford to bring awareness to Tejano music and its culture, becoming the first Tejano woman to partner with Ford.[11] Her song, "Quedate Con El", received the nomination for Song of the Year at the 2022 Tejano Music Awards.[12]