Ricky Martin Biography

Pop singer Ricky Martin was a member of Menudo as a teenager and is now known for such solo pop hits as "Livin' La Vida Loca" and "She Bangs."

Synopsis

Born December 24, 1971, in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Ricky Martin began appearing in commercials at age six. He was a member of teen singing group Menudo until he turned 18. After finishing high school, he appeared on stage and television while also pursuing his solo music career. His debut English album and single were hugely successful. He continues to make music in both Spanish and English today.

Menudo

Born Enrique Jose Martin Morales IV, he began appearing in commercials on local television around the age of six. He auditioned three times for the teen singing group Menudo before finally earning a spot in 1984. In his five years with Menudo, Martin toured around the world, singing in several languages. He reached the group's age limit of 18 in 1989, and returned to Puerto Rico just long enough to finish high school before moving to New York to pursue a solo acting and singing career. His debut solo album, Ricky Martin, was released in 1988 by the Sony Latin division, followed by a second effort, Me Amaras, in 1989.

Growing Fame

At the Grammy Awards in February 1999, Martin, already a global pop sensation, gave a sizzling performance of "La Copa de la Vida" at Los Angeles's Shrine Auditorium just before picking up an award for Best Latin Pop Performance for Vuelve. He followed that star-making Grammy night with the release of his phenomenally successful first English single, "Livin' La Vida Loca." His album Ricky Martin debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard chart. Martin was also featured on the cover of Time magazine and credited with helping to bring a growing Latin cultural influence into the mainstream of American pop music.

To add to the phenomenal popular success of his debut English album and single, Martin was nominated in four categories at the Grammy Awards, held in February 2000. Although he lost in all four categories—to veteran male pop artist Sting (Best Pop Album, Best Male Pop Vocal Performance) and Santana, the band led by resurgent guitarist Carlos Santana (Song of the Year, Record of the Year)—Martin delivered another red-hot live performance, a year after his triumphant Grammy debut.

In November 2000, Martin released Sound Loaded, the much-anticipated follow-up album to Ricky Martin. Its hit single, "She Bangs," earned Martin yet another Grammy nomination, for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.

After Sound Loaded, Martin continued making music, both in Spanish and English. His greatest Spanish-language hits were compiled on La Historia (2001). This was followed two years later by Almas del Silencio, which contained new material sung in Spanish. The album Life (2005) was his first English-language album since 2000. The album did reasonably well, reaching the top 10 of Billboard's album charts. Martin, however, has yet to be able to recapture the same level of pop success he achieved with previous albums.