Valeria’s new single, “Girl I Told Ya” on Interscope Records is a sweet and tasty pop escapade. (now available for download on iTunes and other major digital online retailers.) Produced and co-written with Valeria by leading pop auteurs Fernando Garibay and Kasia Livingston, Valeria’s inspiration came from recently putting up a MySpace page and receiving correspondence from fans. “For the first time, I’m in direct contact with people who listen to my music or at the very least have seen me kiss Ashton Kutcher in Just Married, she laughs. “Their MySpace pages are artsy and delicious. Full of girly fun and positive energy, and that’s what inspired me to come up with the concept for “Girl I Told Ya.” So basically this new single is a tribute to all of that loveliness. Valeria has continued to make a name for herself since she got a part in the film Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit. She ended up co-writing (with Whoopi Goldberg) and performing the song “Pay Attention” for the soundtrack as well as singing it in the movie. She’s also recorded two other songs featured on film soundtracks, including “Rhythm of the Night” for Moulin Rouge and “Ooh La La” for Legally Blonde. Valeria's other acting credits include a recurring role as herself in the PBS series, “American Family”, alongside Edward James Olmos, Esai Morales, Paul Rodriguez, Rita Moreno, Raquel Welch and Ozomatli (the band Valeria worked with on her song, “Mi Casa Es Su Casa”). More recently Valeria guest starred on the ABC sitcoms, "Freddie" and "The George Lopez Show." Valeria’s real-life story is the stuff of the Hollywood legends that her Australian father, Reggie, regaled her with growing up. Her mother Margarita was a salsa music lover from Uruguay who didn’t speak a word of English, but emigrated to Australia to work in a coffee factory, where she met Reggie, a middle-aged, one-legged hairdresser (self proclaimed the “most famous in Sydney”). Her father was infatuated with all things Hollywood. Valeria began singing from the age of three, performing in talent contests and commercials before moving on to appear in “Falstaff”at the Sydney Opera House and later starring in the lead role of “Annie.” After “Annie” closed, the then 11-year-old boarded a plane to Hollywood with her father, where the two rented a single apartment up the street from Hollywood and Vine and waited for the non-existent offers to come in. Young Valeria had to hit the Venice boardwalk with a boom-box and a coffee can to literally sing for their supper. “My dad thought by moving to Hollywood, we would be right alongside all the other wannabe starlets. Instead, nobody in our building, or anyone else in the hood, seemed to be either singing or dancing--more like druggin’ and ho-in’. And the half-way house was right next door. But we kept a busy appointment book and caught the bus day and night—going from auditions to the immigration office and everywhere in between.” After a few years and a very bumpy ride, Valeria’s father became ill and went back to Australia. Valeria became a ward of the court, and eventually emancipated. She traveled to Kyoto, Japan, several times, to sing six nights a week, four shows a night, so that back in LA she could produce a demo package for the record labels. The resulting EPK made the major label rounds and found its way into the hands of Interscope Records ruler Jimmy Iovine. After several months of negotiation, Jimmy edged out the other labels and Valeria’s recording career was underway. The video for “Girl, I Told Ya,” shot on location in Hungary, is stunning, all pinks and powder blues, looking like it was filmed on the set of Marie Antoinette by noted video director Marc Webb. The video features label-mate Aria, from the buzz band The Paradiso Girls. “Not that I wouldn’t mind being really, really rich some day, but for me, it really doesn’t suck that I risk disaster on a daily basis for what I love to do. There’s nothing in this universe like singing to someone and having them break into a smile that wasn’t even close to being there before.” “My video is fun and irreverent, with a wink. I mean, who are we without our girlfriends? …at the very least to practice on from time to time, right? (she giggles…)”