From housekeeper to headliner: If Las Vegas performer Lorena Peril ever writes her autobiography, she’s already got the title.
The headliner and host of Luxor’s enduring Fantasy, a dazzling, dizzying revue with its own winning come-on—“The Strip’s Sexiest Tease”—grew up in a “proud, Mexican-American" family in the Bay Area, where she says music was ”everywhere.”
She knew she wanted to be a singer from an early age—inspired, she says, by the vocals of Linda Ronstadt and supported and encouraged by her family. She just wasn’t exactly certain how to get there.
In the meantime, she cleaned bathrooms at a San Francisco nursing home, singing all the way. It wasn’t until she found her way to an open-mic night during a cruise vacation, however, that the Lorena Peril known and loved by Las Vegas today began to find her groove.
“After I sang,” she recalls, having chosen Aretha Franklin’s ‘Natural Woman’ to belt out to an appreciative and surprised audience, “the casting director offered me a contract to be lead vocalist in their nightly shows.”
That affirmation changed everything, she says. “My whole life changed in that moment. I realized I wanted to be a professional singer. I quit my day job and started singing full time.”
Cruise life, however, did not exactly prepare her for the challenge of making it in Las Vegas, where she turned up with no money—but a talent for impersonating pop star Christina Aguilera, which was enough to snag her a job on her first day in town with a band playing at Mandalay Bay. Her talent for disappearing into the voice of the “Beautiful” singer opened a lot of doors for her over the years, with one adoring fan reportedly even flipping a $1,000 gaming chip onto the stage after a particularly moving rendition of the smash-hit tune.
Since those early days, she says, she's done just about, well, everything, from singing the national anthem at sporting events to owning nightclub stages to headlining numerous shows, leading her to the Fantasy stage.
"In Las Vegas, you have to be very versatile in the music you perform,” she explains. "I’ve been able to sing so many different genres that I may have not have performed in another city.”
Being a team player has always helped her success as well, she says. "I would say being a people person is so important. Being kind and professional and respectful is imperative to a successful career. Putting the ego aside is so important. I also love to laugh and bring joy to the audience. Laughter is contagious.”
And the communal energy of the performing arts community in Vegas, she says, has been a constant source of strength and inspiration for her. "All of the performers in Las Vegas are from so many different cities, countries, cultures. It’s made Las Vegas a unique home bursting with entertainment. We are a small town and we love and support each other.”
And while she’s definitely found her groove now, she’s still not done dreaming. In fact, she'd love to share her story with a wider audience. "I would love to create my own show about my life’s journey to inspire other young girls to pursue their passions,” she says.