Irene Cara should ring a bell if you were around in the 1980s. Irene Cara was a singer, songwriter, actress, dancer, voice-over artist, and model. She was also a fashion icon that appeared in many fashion magazines, and from the jump she just seemed like she was destined to be a star.
Irene Cara seemed like she was almost everywhere during the 1980s. She was best known for her disco music and popular songs, but she also acted in several popular films as well which catapulted her to superstardom during the 80s.
Irene Cara was a successful model during the 1980s which led her to opportunities in movies and music as well. She had the looks, creativity, and the talent which of course unsurprisingly led her to a successful career in entertainment during the 80s.
Irene Cara: Fame and Flashdance
Irene Cara was one of the most popular entertainers of the early 1980s. She received both public and critical recognition for her appearance in the film “Fame” (1980) as well as for her contributions to the music of the successful movie “Flashdance” (1983).
Arguably her most recognizable hit was “Flashdance…What A Feeling” that skyrocketed to the top of the charts in 1983:
Cara’s portrayal of the driven and determined Coco Hernandez in the blockbuster film Fame (1980), together with her performance of the same-titled single, helped propel Cara to the forefront of the entertainment industry and propelled her to stardom. Her rendition of the song “Fame” climbed to the very top of the charts once it was released as a single.
Cara’s album Fame, which was nominated for an Academy Award and produced one of her other best-selling singles, “Out Here On My Own,” eventually achieved the platinum certification that it deserved.
Irene Cara The Composer
Cara’s first solo album, Anyone Can See (1981), which included many of her compositions, helped elevate her status as a songwriter and paved the way for her involvement in the scoring of the film Flashdance.
She received one Grammy for her performance of the film’s iconic single “Flashdance… What a Feelin’,”. She also shared another Grammy with 15 other co-writers for her contributions to the “Flashdance” score. Both of these achievements help further cement her as an 80s music icon.
The following year, she issued another hit single titled “Breakdance,” which was also incredibly successful after its initial release.
Irene Cara: The Later Years
Cara did not re-enter the top-10 countdown after 1984, even though she had six successes in the Top 40 during the early 1980s. She had a single Girlfriends in 1987 that was cool, but unfortunately did not chart:
After the 1980s, Cara started a band called “Hot Caramel”, which is currently promoting their music on her YouTube page.
Irene Cara remains one of the superstars of the 1980s that we will always remember, and she was one of the artists that really defined the greatest decade of all time for music.
