Yuridia Valenzuela Canseco (born 6 January 1964), known mononymously as Yuri, is a Mexican singer, actress, and television host.

During her childhood and in parallel with her training at the school in her native Veracruz, Yuri studied classical dance and won, in a competition at the age of 11, a scholarship to the Bolshoi Ballet of Russia, which she did not take advantage of because her parents prevented her.

In 1979, Yuri participated in the OTI Festival, in the Mexican eliminatory, and was disqualified because the theme "Siempre habrá un mañana" was an alleged plagiarism of the song "MacArthur Park" of the American singer Donna Summer.

In that same year, she debuted as a television actress in the popular Mexican telenovela Colorina, starring Lucía Méndez, for the Televisa network.

In 1981, she competed for the second time at the OTI Festival and won the third place in Mexico and the Award for the best female performer with the theme Deja, composed by the singer José María Napoleón.

[7] In 1985 she signed a contract with EMI music and recorded the album Yo te pido amor, with which she won a Grammy Award nomination.

The singer placed on the radio throughout Latin America with the successes songs, "Yo te pido amor", "Déjala" and "Dame un beso".

The singles "Cuando baja la marea", "Qué te pasa" and "Amores clandestinos", they manage to conquer the first places of popularity in the whole American continent.

From there came the album Isla del Sol, which included rhythms such as dance, rap, pop, rock and ballad and successfully placed singles such as "Hombres al Borde de un Ataque de Celos" (with which he returned to number one on Billboard Hot Latin Tracks ), "Imposible amarte como yo", "No puedo más" and "Hola".

After divorcing her first husband, Yuri gave a turn to her career, and recorded under the direction of producer Mariano Pérez the album Soy Libre, same that three months after going on the market had sold more than half a million copies and which are the singles: "Quién eres Tu", "Todo mi corazón" and "El apagón".

For the second time, Yuri appears in Playboy and presented a show entitled Sin límites, which receives the recognition of the public and critics for its outstanding quality, which led the press and her fans to compare it with the singer Madonna: the nickname "the Mexican Madonna", which sparked such controversy that even important American programs, such as Hard Copy, took time to talk about this similarity.

[9] In 1991, Yuri resumed her role as an actress and filmed the movie Soy libre, directed by Juan Antonio de la Riva and where she alternates with Omar Fierro and Christian Bach.

The album also includes the song "Química perfecta", a duet with the Salsa singer Luis Enrique, as well as "Así es la vida" and "Poligamia".

In 1993, Yuri released the album Nueva era with the producer Alejandro Zepeda, which contains the songs "Detrás de Mi Ventana" (written by Ricardo Arjona), "Amiga mía" and "Si falta el amor".

In that year she released the album Espejos del Alma, which would obtain regular success on the radio due to the few presentations by Yuri for her health problems.

Yuri participates in the album Boleros por amor y desamor, under the label of Fonovisa and in which he interprets the theme "El espejo".

Also recorded the audio-cassette entitled Mi testimonio, which is distributed only in Protestant bookstores throughout Latin America, to tell their approach to God.

Yuri decides to return to secular music in mid-2001 convinced by her fans and makes some television appearances with new arrangements of her former successes.

In 2004, and for three consecutive seasons, Yuri became the host of the reality show Objetivo Fama, recorded in Puerto Rico, and in 2006 a cover album was released with Mijares, entitled Acompáñame, whose first single "Callados", manages to be placed in the public's taste.

In addition, she participated as part of the jury of the reality show Cantando por un sueño, from the Televisa network with Montaner, Adrián Posse and Susana Zabaleta for three seasons.

Yuri leaves Sony Music and in 2007 she presented a concert of successes at the Teatro de la Ciudad in Mexico City, which is recorded for a DVD and CD, published at the beginning of September of the same year with the title Vive la Historia, in which it includes the unreleased song "Y llegaste tú", of the album Acompáñame, which is quickly placed in the first places, and won recognition for its high sales.

Televisa also invites her to animate the late night show Noche de estrellas, in which the duets in which Yuri participated with her guest artists were popularized, of which the ones she performed with Lupita D'Alessio, Enrique Iglesias and Juanes.

In December of the same year her new Latin pop album Mi Hijita Linda was released, where she recorded, at the request of the label, old-style cumbanchero themes that pretended to continue with the concept of "El Apagón", as well as including a duet with DJ Flex: "La mucura".

[11] This record achieves success in countries like Chile and Mexico and from it comes the single "Arrepentida" and "Estoy Cansada", as well as some covers by Argentine singer Valeria Lynch.

She also recorded the central theme of the Chilean TV series Infiltradas, entitled "Por el amor de un hombre", and was present at the Viña del Mar Festival in 2011 as a jury.

In the same year she was the host of a late night show aired on Saturdays of every month, called Una noche con Yuri for Televisa.

In August 2014, Yuri announced her participation as coach of the fourth season of the Mexican version of The Voice alongside Ricky Martin, Laura Pausini and Julión Álvarez.

In 1988, Yuri married the publicist Fernando Iriarte, (son of Mexican journalist Maxine Woodside) in a Catholic ceremony.