Leslie Grace

Leslie Grace Martínez, born January 7, 1995, is an American singer and actress. She is known for her work as a Latin Grammy-nominated recording artist and for starring as Nina Rosario in Jon M. Chu's film adaptation of In the Heights (2021). Over the course of her career, she has released several hit music tracks, received notable award nominations, and performed across television, music, and film.

Grace was born to Dominican parents in The Bronx, New York City, and raised in Davie, Florida, alongside five older siblings. Her mother operates a hair salon in South Florida. Grace attended Indian Ridge Middle School and Western High School, where she participated in choral performances, musicals, and talent shows. She grew up singing and dancing from a young age and is bilingual in English and Spanish.

While in middle school, Grace recorded an independent Christian music album released on CD Baby. She made her mainstream debut with a bilingual bachata cover of the 1961 Shirelles song "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow." The single reached number one on both the Billboard Latin Airplay and Billboard Tropical Songs charts, making her the youngest female artist to achieve this. In 2013, her self-titled second studio album, Leslie Grace, reached number three on the Billboard Tropical Albums chart and number four on the Billboard Latin Albums chart.

Grace has received three Latin Grammy Award nominations, including a nomination for Best Contemporary Tropical Album at the 14th Annual Latin Grammy Awards, where she performed alongside Cirque du Soleil's Zarkana cast. She also earned nominations at the Billboard Awards and Premio Lo Nuestro. Her early live performances included a 2013 U.S. tour with director Rayner Marrero, an appearance at the North Sea Jazz Festival in Curaçao, and a performance before 60,000 people at the Chile Telethon. In 2016, she served as a team captain on Univision's Va por ti and toured Mexico following her single "Aire" with Maluma.

Grace continued releasing music, collaborating on a 2017 reggaeton cover of Selena's "Si una vez" and the 2018 track "Lo Siento" with Super Junior, which won Best Collaboration at the 9th Nickelodeon Mexico Kids' Choice Awards. In 2018, she released the multi-platinum single "Duro y Suave" with Noriel and featured on "Mi Mala (Remix)". She later released singles such as "Sola" (2019), "Bachatica" (2021), "Un Buen Día" (2022), "ayayay!" (2025), and "INMERECIDO" (2025), which previewed a studio album.

In acting, Grace made her feature film debut as Nina Rosario in the 2021 adaptation of In the Heights, earning acclaim from critics. She was cast as Barbara Gordon/Batgirl in HBO Max's Batgirl in 2021, though Warner Bros. Discovery cancelled the film's release in 2022. In 2024, she appeared in the Sundance film In the Summers as Yenny and played Jimmie Sue in the Western film The Thicket. In May 2025, she was cast as Kate Acosta in the survival thriller Propel, with additional upcoming projects including the Hulu series Untitled Onyx and the TV film Monopoly.