Julissa was born in Chicago, Illinois, to Puerto Rican parents. She was the oldest of four siblings. Julissa debuted as a singer when she was twelve, with the choir of her church. At age 16, she started singing professionally with a local group called Generación Escogida. With them, she recorded several albums. During recordings, she met musician, songwriter, and producer Mike Rivera. They married on November 29, 1997 and moved to Dorado, Puerto Rico. Julissa and Mike have three children: John Michael, Alyrah, and Jayden. Under her own label, Firmeza Music, Julissa releases her first solo album titled Regresará Por Mí in 1998. The album was produced, arranged, and recorded by her husband, Mike. The album received a Tu Música Award for Best Christian Album, and a Tito Lara Award for Album of the Year. It was also nominated for two Viva Awards in Guatemala for International Album of the Year and International Singer of the Year. Julissa then toured Latin America with pastor Yiye Avila as part of his crusade. Julissa's second album was a Christmas album titled Nació En Mi Corazón, which was recorded during her first pregnancy. After this, she and her husband relocated to Miami, Florida. During the following years, she worked on several projects like her first live album released in 2002, and Duetos, an album featuring duets with known Christian singers like Roberto Orellana, René González, and others. In 2006, Julissa became the first Puerto Rican to be nominated for a Dove Award for her album Mi Propósito. That same year, she released her ninth album titled Inolvidable, which features contemporary renditions of classic hymns. She also started hosting a weekly show called Espíritu Latino on Gospel Music Channel. In 2007, Julissa released the albumEl Ritmo de la Vida, which was accompanied by a book written by her. The album gave Julissa her second Dove Award nomination. Two years later, she was nominated again for the album Adorándote. In 2012, she released her album 'Metamorphosis'. In 2015, she released her most recent album Me vistio de promesas.
Discography
Regresara Por Mí
Nació En Mi Corazón
En las Alas del Amor
Admisión General
Corazón Latino
Duetos
Desde el Principio
Mi Propósito
Inolvidable
El Ritmo de la Vida
Adorándote
Metamorphosis
Me Vistio de promesas
Llueve
Llueve 1.13
Awards
Wins
1999 Tu Música Awards, Puerto Rico: Christian Album of the Year
1999 Tito Lara Awards, Puerto Rico: Revelation Artist
2001 Viva Awards, Guatemala: International Female Voice