Mirla Josefina Castellanos Peñaloza, known as Mirla Castellanos, was born on March 31, 1941, in Valencia, Venezuela. Known as "La Primerísima", she started her career in the 1960s with Cuarteto Los Naipes and later achieved success as a solo artist. Her first album, Cante Con Mirla, was released in 1961 under Hit Parade Records, followed by Asi Es Mirla (1962) and Solamente Mirla (1963) through Velvet Records. In 1984, she received a Gold Record in Puerto Rico and became the only Venezuelan artist to win a Billboard Award for Best Ballad Singer, for the album Vuelve Pronto. The following year, she performed at the Emmy Award Music Awards ceremony in New York. Throughout her career, Castellanos sold more than 13 million copies worldwide.
