The Cumbio craze took off after Guillermo Tragant, president of a marketing company, discovered Vivero last April—Nike wanted “real people from the streets”, Tragant said. The Nike modelling led to promotional appearances. Dance club gigs alone net her $1,000 a weekend, said people close to Vivero.

Her parents have been supportive, welcoming an assortment of her friends to their home for visits that sometimes last weeks. Her bedroom, with its creaky wood loft space where she keeps her computer, has become a refuge for friends to escape their troubles at home.

She says she plans to study to be a television journalist. For now, she is working on lyrics for a band in the vein of Aqua. “I’ll have fun with this while it lasts,” she said. “When it ends, well, that’s that. I’ll still have all the photos.”
(NYT)