The pitfalls of teen stardom are legend -- sex, drugs, burnout, overexposure, the dreaded 20th birthday, or even a simple case of the incurable crazies à la Wacko Jacko. Way back in '79, Leif Garrett hit the 'ludes, crashed his car, and almost killed his friend while, more recently, we've seen Britney tumble pantyless down the wrong path too many times to bother counting. Really, it's almost inevitable: The pop machine will eat its virgins for breakfast.
Occasionally though, there emerges a teen idol who proves wily enough to escape the lethal shark jaws of stardom. Take Kendall-native Natasha Jeannette Dueñas, a.k.a. former latin pop princess JD Natasha. After a hit album Imperfecta and three Latin Grammy noms, she suddenly decamped from EMI International, dropped the JD from her stage name, and stopped singing in Spanish before launching an anglophone rock band of her very own, Fancy Me Yet.
Tomorrow night, sneak a peek at the new Natasha when she and her bandmates -- guitarist Alex and drummer Chris -- slip into White Room for a set of angular indie-pop tunes off their debut disc Skip the Previews. To keep it brief, FMY look like arty new wavers on prom night and they sorta sound like it, too. The catch: probably non-virgins. And so, the pop machine weeps.
Saturday, September 19. White Room, 1306 N. Miami Ave., Miami. Doors open at 10 p.m., and tickets cost $5. Ages 21+ with ID. [email protected]; whiteroommiami.com
