Kany García

The road to success has been long and difficult for singer-songwriter Encarnita "Kany" García. In 2003, the 25-year-old puertorriqueña had just performed for the first time on Puerto Rico's version of American Idol when she fell asleep while driving home and hit a light post.

The aftermath: a broken hip and collarbone, forty stitches on her face and six weeks of grueling rehab that nearly ended her hopes of ever performing again. But perform she did. And does.

Less than five years later, the classically trained García parlayed an opening gig for popular Venezuelan singer Franco de Vita into a record deal with Sony BMG. Released earlier this year, Kany's debut, Cualquier Día, is packed with earnest pop rock in the vein of La 5a Estación, Camila and La Oreja De Van Gogh. Its lead single Hoy Ya Me Voy is a mournful love song carried by García's commanding vocals while its follow-up, Que Nos Pasó, is a melancholy lament on a loveless world.

Kany, who grew up in a musical family and fell in love with Cuba's nueva trova folk style as a teen, is on the verge of becoming a pop star. She's currently promoting Cualquier Dia on the road, having toured throughout Latin America and Spain.