
Ricky Martin ( full name Enrique Martin Morales ) was born on December 24, 1971 in San Juan, Puerto Rico and he is a successful Puerto Rican pop singer who rose to fame, first as a member of the Latin boy band Menudo, then as a solo artist since 1990.
Biography and Career :
Ricky Martin is considered a major star in the world of Latin Pop, and is considered to have opened the doors for some of his fellow Latin American singers like Enrique Iglesias, Shakira and Juanes. Livin' La Vida Loca made Ricky Martin the first Latin American singer in history to have a U.K. number one hit.
He attended Sagrado Corazon School and was an average student. He participated in school extra-curricular activities and sang in the school choir, where he began to realize that his talent captivate
d the audiences. Through the encouragement of his dad, he began to take voice lessons, and auditioned for television advertising spots.
Ricky Martin first achieved worldwide success with his selection to replace Ricky Melendez in the Latin boy band Menudo from 1984 until 1989. Ricky Martin's meteoric ascent to fame started in Menudo's homebase, Caguas, site of his first concert. Ricky Martin signed with Sony in 1990.
After he left Menudo, he decided to continue his career. Ricky Martin moved to Mexico City where he started acting, first in theater in productions like Mama ama el rock, and Los tenis Rojos with Angelica Maria and Angelica Vale. Ricky Martin starred in telenovelas such as Alcanzar una estrella II and performed in the music group Munecos de papel of that production. In 1994, Ricky Martin moved to Los Angeles, California. Ricky Martin received a role as bartender (Miguel Morez) in the American soap opera General Hospital.
Ricky Martin then established himself in Miami and began collaborating with music creator Desmond Child, former Menudo band-mate Robi Draco Rosa and Puerto Rican agent Angelo Medina. With these 2 in tow, Ricky Martin created his first hit single in 1996 called "Maria". The song was in Spanish but had great success in the charts worldwide. After the big success of "Maria" and the conclusion of Ricky Martin's busy schedule of giving concerts around the world in many countries, he came back to the studio and recorded his next album called Vuelve. Then, Ricky Martin was chosen to sing the anthem of the FIFA World Cup in 1998, the famous hit "The Cup Of Life"/"La Copa de La Vida" that became one of the most explosive hits of the 90's, reaching great peaks in charts worldwide.
Discography :
Ricky Martin (1991 version) - WW Sales: 1,500,000
Me Amarás (1993) - WW Sales: 2,000,000
A Medio Vivir (1995) - WW Sales: 7,000,000
Vuelve (1998) - #40 US, WW Sales: 8,000,000
Ricky Martin (1999 version) - #1 US, #2 UK, WW Sales: 23,000,000
Sound Loaded (2000) - #4 US, #14 UK, WW Sales: 7,000,000
La Historia (2001) - #83 US, WW Sales: 1,000,000
The Best of Ricky Martin (2001) - WW Sales: 1,500,000
Almas del Silencio (2003) - #12 US, WW Sales: 4,000,000
Life (2005) #6 US, #40 UK, WW Sales: 1,000,000
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