"La India" (born "Linda Viera Caballero" on March 9, 1970 in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico) is a noted singer of salsa also known as the "Princess of Salsa".
Linda's parents decided to move to New York soon after her birth. Upon their arrival, they settled down in the South Bronx and lived with her grandmother. Linda's grandmother had an important influence on her life because she was a very strong willed lady and Linda looked up to her. Linda went to school and received her elementary education in the Bronx. During her grade school she met and became friends with Louie Vega. Vega introduced her to the urban street music scene where she learned to appreciate the Hip Hop style of the day.
Linda's fine dark features and long straight black hair earned her the nickname "India". In 1985, when Linda was 14 years old, she signed as back-up singer for the Latin Hip Hop group "TKA", who scored a number one "hit" with "I Can't Get No Sleep". She was under the tutelage of John "Jellybean" Benitez, a Puerto Rican DJ who was once involved with Madonna. Linda was also a part time model.
In 1990, when she was 19 years old, Linda married her friend from grade school, Louie Vega who then went by the name of "Little" Louie Vega. "Little" Louie was then a DJ and record producer. Before marrying "Little" Louie, Linda had a record contract with Warner Bros., who planned on making her the "Latin" Madonna. After recording "Breaking Night", Linda decided that she didn't want to take that route in her career.
Things changed one day for Linda while she was at her husbands studio singing. Salsa band leader Eddie Palmieri happened to visit the studio and was impressed with what he heard. In 1992, Palmieri produced Linda's first Spanish salsa album "Llego La India via Eddie Palmieri" (The India has Arrived via Eddie Palmieri) which was acclaimed as one of the "best" salsa albums of the year.
Linda was now known to all as "La India". In 1994, La India together with Vega recorded an album of salsa dance tunes which paid tribute to "Santeria" titled "Yemaya y Ochun". La India's involvement with Santeria, a religion which is considered by some as "satanic", bothered many people and therefore she was criticized by many. She later recorded "Dicen Que Soy" (They Say that I Am) which was a top Billboard Hit and where La India states that she doesn't care what others think of her.
In 1996, La India worked with Tito Puente in the production of "Jazzin" the English version of some swing classics with a Latin twist for "RMM Records". She sang "Voces Unidas" (United Voices) in a duet with Marc Anthony. She also released "India:Mega Mix" that same year before divorcing Vega. La India also sang a duet, "La Voz de la Experiencia" (The Voice of Experience), with Celia Cruz, "The Queen of Salsa". It was then that Celia named La India "The Princess of Salsa".
In 1997, La India recorded "Sobre el Fuego" (Over the Fire) with Puerto Rican salsa singer Kevin Ceballo as back-up, and was nominated for the "Best Latin Tropical Performance" Grammy Award and in 1998 she won an ACE Award.
On May 31, 1998 La India had two sold out concerts at the Luis A. Ferre Center of Beautiful Arts in San Juan, Puerto Rico. She returned to the United States where Cable Channel UPN aired one of her shows. La India also held concerts in New York's Madison Square Garden and in El Festival de la Calle Ocho in Miami, Florida.
On February 5, 2000, a full page ad was placed in Billboard Magazine congratulating her on her second Grammy Award nomination. On March 2000, she was featured on Vibe Magazine.