Leny is a bachata-pop vocalist from the Dominican Republic who embarked on a solo career in 2008 after several years of success in the merengue group Ilegales. Born Leydin Pímentel in San José de Ocoa, Dominican Republic, the bachatero studied piano in school while performing in Pimentel Band, a musical group led by his father. At age 15 Leny joined the merengue quartet Sin Fronteras and was subsequently recruited to join a more popular merengue act, Ilegales, by lead singer, songwriter, and producer Vladimir Dotel in 2001, a few years after the death of group member Jason González in an automobile accident. Leny made his Ilegales recording debut on Marca Registrada (2002) and songwriting debut on the follow-up album, In the Room (2004), contributing the hit single "No Queda Nada." Following another Ilegales album, La Republica (2006), he embarked on a solo career, making his full-length album debut with One (2008) on Universal Music Latino. Produced by Dotel, who co-wrote most of the songs with Leny, the album spawned the hit single "Ayer Cuando Te Vi." ~ Jason Birchmeier