Irene Cara

This was Irene Cara's debut single as a recording artist.

Irene Cara passed on November 25, 2022 at 63 years old. Oscar and Grammy winning actress and singer Irene Cara’s breakthrough came as Coco Hernandez in the 1980 musical “Fame,” about New York’s High School for the Performing Arts. She had a hit record with that movie’s title song, and another with the ballad “Out Here on My Own.” She was nominated for a Golden Globe and two Grammys that year. Three years later, Cara co-wrote the lyrics for “Flashdance… What a Feeling,” another radio smash for which she received an Oscar for Best Original Song and a Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female. She had a few other hits, including “Why Me” and “Breakdance.” She also acted in movies such as “City Heat” with Burt Reynolds and Clint Eastwood, “D.C. Cab” with Mr. T and “Certain Fury” with Tatum O’Neal.

'Anyone Can See' is Irene Cara's debut album, released in 1982. Cara was born into a working-class Puerto Rican and Cuban family in the Bronx. She worked as a child actor, including the 1970s children's show 'The Electric Company', before gaining fame in the 1980 movie 'Fame'. Cara sang on the title track for the film; it was nominated for an Academy Award for best original song.

RIP Irene Cara who we lost this weekend. Known for or her role as Coco Hernandez in the 1980 musical film Fame, and for recording the film's title song "Fame", for singing and co-writing the song "Flashdance... What a Feeling" (from the film Flashdance), and for portraying the title character Sparkle Williams in the original 1976 musical drama film Sparkle.

Born into a working-class Puerto Rican and Cuban family in the Bronx neighborhood of New York City, Cara showed an interest in the performing arts at an early age; she made her Broadway debut in "Maggie Flynn" at the age of nine. In addition to her acting, she was a prolific songwriter. She received an Oscar for best original song for "Flashdance ... What a Feeling," along with the songwriting team of "Flashdance" (1983) — music by Giorgio Moroder, lyrics by Keith Forsey and Cara. She also won two Grammys for her work on "Flashdance".

Anyone Can See is Irene Cara's debut album, released in 1982. The titular track was co-written by Cara and Bruce Roberts, whose songs have been recorded by such artists as The Pointer Sisters, Donna Summer, Barbra Streisand, Jeffrey Osborne, and Whitney Houston.

Performed by Irene Cara who played Coco Hernandez in the film 'Fame'. This was her debut single as a recording artist and she continued to sing for the film, Flashdance. She passed away at her home yesterday at the age of 63. www.npr.org

"Flashdance... What a Feeling" is a song from the 1983 film Flashdance with music by Giorgio Moroder and lyrics by Keith Forsey and the song's performer, Irene Cara. Moroder had been asked to score the film, and Cara and Forsey wrote most of the lyrics after they were shown the last scene from it in which the main character dances at an audition for a group of judges. They felt that the dancer's ambition to succeed could act as a metaphor for achieving any dream a person has and wrote lyrics that described what it feels like when music inspires someone to dance. The song wound up being used for the scene they watched as well as during the opening credits as the main character is shown working as a welder.

RIP Irene Cara www.nbcnews.com

Performed by Irene Cara who played Coco Hernandez in the film 'Fame'. This was her debut single as a recording artist. The track was written by Michael Gore, with lyrics from Dean Pitchford. Happy 1980! Thank you for powering KEXP for 50 years! - kexp.org