Melina León, born Yamillette Aponte Yunqué on July 12, 1973, in San Juan, Río Piedras, Puerto Rico, is a singer and actress known for her contributions to merengue music. She began performing at an early age with various groups, including The Rubi, Girls of Puerto Rico, and The Cherries, appearing in several San Juan hotels. Melina León's first recording, Mujeres Liberadas, was released in 1997 on the Tropix Music label, reaching number 9 of the Billboard tropical charts. This success led to a signing with Sony Music, resulting in her second album, 1998's Con Los Pies Sobre La Tierra, which charted on both the Billboard Latin and Billboard tropical album charts. Notable singles from this period include "Me Voy De Fiesta" and "Baño de Luna", the latter of which won Melina León the Best Female Merengue Singer award at Premios de Musica 2000. She continued to release successful albums, including Corazón de Mujer (2001), which was nominated for Best Tropical/Salsa Album in the 2002 Billboard Latin Awards, and a self-titled album in 2004. She also ventured into acting, appearing in television movies such as Yo Creo en Santa Claus in 2004. In 2010, Melina León won her first Premio Lo Nuestro Award as Best Tropical Female Artist. Her discography includes notable albums like Dos Caras (2010) and En Concierto (2022). Aprendí, her seventh studio album, arrived in 2025 and featured Eddy Herrera on the track "La Mala Costumbre."
