Soraya Arnelas Rubiales was born September 13, 1982, in Valencia de Alcantara, Spain. Daughter of renowned painter Paco "Curico", Soraya nurtured a love for the arts from a young age. After dabbling for some years in radio, she chose to study language in Madrid, learning English, French, and Portuguese. Thanks to her fluency in four languages, Arnelas got work as a flight attendant with IberWorld Airlines, with whom she worked until 2003. Unfortunately, her work in the airlines never satisfied the artistic itch with which she was born. Soraya moved from airline to airline for the next few years, consistently dissatisfied. In 2004, Arnelas auditioned for the Spanish reality TV show Operacion Triunfo, at the time in its fourth season. Though lacking formal training and experience as a performer, Soraya made it to the final rounds of the competition, ultimately taking second place to Sergio Rivera in 2005. Nonetheless, the fan base she had created through Operacion Triunfo was rewarded in December of 2005 with the release of her debut record, Corazón de Fuego. Thanks to radio hits like "Mi Mundo sin Ti," the record sold over 120,000 copies. Her follow-up record, Ochentas, is a collection of 1980s hits, revamped by Arnelas' producer, Kike Santander.\r