Daniel Velázquez (born August 7, 1977), better known by his stage name Divino, is an American
reggaeton
Reggaeton (, ), also known as reggaetón and reguetón (), is a music style that originated in Panama during the late 1980s. It was later popularized in Puerto Rico.
It has evolved from dancehall and has been influenced by American Hip hop m ...
singer.
Career
Divino began his career at the age of fifteen, when his family moved from
The Bronx, New York
The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New York ...
, to
Ponce, Puerto Rico
Ponce (, , , ) is both a city and a municipality on the southern coast of Puerto Rico. The city is the seat of the municipal government.
Ponce, Puerto Rico's most populated city outside the San Juan metropolitan area, was founded on 12 August 1 ...
, while working a day job as an assistant in a juvenile institution.
His brother, K2 Young, had made in-roads in the reggaetón genre as a member of
DJ Playero
Pedro Gerardo Torruellas Brito (born 2 November 1964), better known as Playero DJ, DJ Playero, Playe, Play, was a key figure in the dissemination of reggaeton during its formative period in the 1990s in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Early life
Begi ...
's crew. He was friends with
Baby Ranks
David Luciano Acosta, known professionally as Baby Ranks, is a Puerto Rican and Dominican reggaeton artist. He has co-billing on the Luny Tunes album ''Mas Flow 2'', and sings on multiple tracks including the single " Mayor Que Yo" ("Older than ...
, with whom he often performed. Divino decided that it was his brother's fate to conquer the genre, while his own musical aspirations faded to the background. In 1999, Divino's brother was killed, only one day after celebrating his 21st birthday. Baby Ranks then asked Divino to join him on a track he was recording for the production ''Darwins The Music II''. Later, they joined forces again for the hit Quiero Esa Nena from DJ Nelsons ''The Flow: Sweet Dreams''. Impressed by Divino's voice and his unique songwriting abilities, other artists began requesting that he appear on their records.
Perhaps the most pivotal release in Divino's career was the song ''Quiero Saber'', which he recorded for the compilation album ''MVP'' which sold over 100,000 copies in 2002. Shortly thereafter, José Angel Gocho Torres, the producer of MVP, teamed up with Raúl López, CEO of Luar Music and MVP Records.
Gocho approached Divino and asked if he would be interested in signing to the upstart label of MVP Records, Divino quickly agreed. In 2003, he released his solo album ''Todo A Su Tiempo'', which included such hits as the Daddy Yankee collaboration ''Se Activaron Los Anormales'', ''Super Gangsteril'' featuring Polaco, ''Ya Estoy Llegando'', and the ballad ''Dile Mar''. But the most meaningful song for Divino was the profoundly personal ''Una Lágrima'', a tribute to his late brother. Divino briefly was a part of the label
Drama Records
Ivy Queen Musa Sound Corporation (formerly known as Filtro Musik and later Drama Records) is a multi-genre record label founded by Ivy Queen and José Guadalupe in San Juan, Puerto Rico in 2005 with the release of Ivy Queen's fifth studio album ...
owned by
Ivy Queen
Martha Ivelisse Pesante Rodríguez (born March 4, 1972), known professionally as Ivy Queen, is a Puerto Rican singer, rapper, songwriter, and actress. She is considered one of the pioneers of the reggaeton genre, commonly referred to as the Qu ...
from 2007 to 2008 where he released one single "
Pobre Corazón
"Pobre Corazón" ''(English: Poor Heart)'' is a song recorded by Divino for Ivy Queen's sixth studio album, ''Sentimiento'' (2007). It was composed by Divino along with Queen and produced by Marcos Sánchez. A remix version with Queen was also rec ...
" for her album ''
Sentimiento
Sentimiento or Sentimientos may refer to:
Music Albums
* ''Sentimiento'' (album), a 2007 album by Ivy Queen
*''Sentimiento'', album by Omara Portuondo (2005)
*''Sentimiento'', Rubén González (2006)
*''Sentimiento'', Amalia Mendoza (2003)
*'' ...
'' (2007).
Moved by his introspective lyrics and his distinctive flow, audiences and critics alike began to take note. ''Todo A Su Tiempo'' achieved gold status and Divino earned two nominations for the 2004
Billboard Awards
The ''Billboard'' Music Awards are honors given out annually by ''Billboard'', a publication covering the music business and a music popularity chart. The ''Billboard'' Music Awards show has been held annually since 1990, with the exception of t ...
: one for Best New Artist and another for Best Tropical Album.
Since then, Divino has released such hits as ''Llégale'', featured in ''Hector El Father Presenta
Los Anormales
''Los Anormales'' ( en, italic=yes, The Abnormals) is an album released in 2004 by reggaeton artist Hector "El Bambino", now known as Héctor el Father. The album, released under his own label, broke all record sales in Puerto Rico when 130,000 c ...
'' and ''Un Simple Bandolero'', featured in ''MVP 2:The Grand Slam''. With reggaetón earning international acclaim and Divino poised for even greater success, MVP Records released ''Todo A Su Tiempo: Platinum Edition'' in 2006. The album includes original recordings from ''Todo A Su Tiempo'', and the hits ''Noche de Travesura'', ''Un Simple Bandolero'' and ''Llégale'', with two brand new songs, ''Amor de Una Noche'' and ''Para Donde Voy''. later in 2010 He is also recording his second solo album, ''Por Experiencias Propias''. This album is presented with a new musical approach which is the ballad And tropical genres, and is also the first to not contain reggaeton like the previous ones. As Part Of Your New Project Contains Three Singles: ''Mi vida'', ''Conmigo siempre'', & ''Más fuerte que ayer''. Later in the next Year Beginning of the Year 2011 until the middle of 2013 After a Small Musical hiatus Returns with New Label Under the Eme Music label, Then Releases a Single: ''Te deseo lo mejor'' Together with Baby Rasta from the Baby Rasta and Gringo Dúo.
Discography
Studio album
*2004:
''Todo A Su Tiempo''
*2010: ''
Por Experiencias Propias''
References
External links
{{Authority control
Living people
21st-century Puerto Rican male singers
Puerto Rican reggaeton musicians
1977 births