Francisco Javier Bautista Jr. (born December 7, 1975), better known by his stage name Frankie J, is a Mexican-American singer and former member of the musical group

Kumbia Kings The Kumbia Kings were a Mexican-American cumbia group from Corpus Christi, Texas, created by A.B. Quintanilla. Their music encompasses the styles of cumbia (hence their name), hip hop, and R&B. They produce songs in both Spanish and English. ...

. Born in Mexico, he grew up in San Diego and became a freestyle artist under the stage name Frankie Boy in the late 1990s. He then joined Kumbia Kings before re-embarking on a solo career. Frankie J's solo debut album, '' What's a Man to Do'', was released in 2003, followed by more English and Spanish language albums. He received a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

nomination for his album ''

Faith, Hope y Amor Faith, Hope y Amor is the seventh studio album released by Frankie J on May 28, 2013. It was nominated for Best Latin Pop Album at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards The 56th Annual Grammy Awards presentation was held on January 26, 2014, at Stapl ...

'' in 2013 for Best Latin Pop Album.

Early life

Bautista was born in

Tijuana Tijuana ( ,"Tijuana"
(US) and < ...

, Mexico, and raised in

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...

, from the age of two, after his uncle brought him and his siblings to the United States. He grew up listening to both traditional Latin music as well as American

urban music Urban contemporary music, also known as urban music, hip hop, urban pop, or just simply urban, is a music radio format. The term was coined by New York radio DJ Frankie Crocker in the early to mid-1970s as a synonym for Black music. Urban contem ...

. He attended

Southwest Senior High School Southwest Senior High (SOH), in San Diego, California, United States, is a high school established in 1975. It was built on the site of a small railroad yard owned by the Southern Pacific Railroad along the original San Diego-Tijuana line. It exis ...

in San Diego. He later began to develop more interest in singing, with the encouragement of his family. At high school age, he began participating in talent shows and performing at school functions. He graduated high school in 1995.

Career

Bautista's first taste of the music business was in 1993, when he was briefly signed to Canadian independent record label Ventura International Records, featuring on a song called "Margarita" by Turkish artist Atilla. In 1997, Bautista signed with the now-defunct Hola Recordings which at the time had only one artist signed to the label, the brainchild of dance music legend and producer

Jellybean Benitez John Benitez (born November 7, 1957), also known as Jellybean, is an American musician, songwriter, DJ, remixer, and music producer. He has produced and remixed artists such as Madonna, Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, and the Pointer Sisters. H ...

. At the time, he was a freestyle artist known as Frankie Boy and his music was released on three ''Maximum Freestyle'' compilations but his solo CD was shelved before release.

Kumbia Kings (1999–2003)

In 1999, he became a member of the

created by

A.B. Quintanilla Abraham Quintanilla III (born December 13, 1963), known professionally as A.B. Quintanilla III or A.B. Quintanilla, is an American record producer, songwriter and musician, and the older brother of singer Selena, known as " The Queen of Tejano ...

, brother of

Selena Selena Quintanilla Pérez (; April 16, 1971 – March 31, 1995), known mononymously as Selena, was an American Tejano singer. Called the " Queen of Tejano music", her contributions to music and fashion made her one of the most celebrated Mex ...

. He performed under Cisko.

Solo career: ''What's a Man to Do''

Frankie J signed as a solo artist with

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...

and released his first album '' What's A Man To Do'' on May 27, 2003. His self-titled first Spanish-language album ''

Frankie J Francisco Javier Bautista Jr. (born December 7, 1975), better known by his stage name Frankie J, is a Mexican-American singer and former member of the musical group Kumbia Kings. Born in Mexico, he grew up in San Diego and became a freestyle ar ...

'' was also released later in the same year. The album's lead single "

Don't Wanna Try "Don't Wanna Try" is a song by R&B singer Frankie J. It was released as a single in April 2003 and reached number 19 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Track listing #"Don't Wanna Try" #"Ya No Es Igual" #"Don't Wanna Try" (Spanglish Version) ...

" peaked at #19 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 Singles Chart, while "Ya No Es Igual" went Top 10 on the World Latin charts. Later that year, he was featured in the Top 10 Billboard Hot 100 hit "

Suga Suga "Suga Suga" is a song by American rapper Baby Bash featuring Frankie J. The song was written by both singers and was released on July 21, 2003, as the second and final single from Baby Bash's third studio album, ''Tha Smokin' Nephew'' (2003). It ...

" by rapper

Baby Bash Ronald Ray Bryant (born October 18, 1969), better known by his stage name Baby Bash (formerly Baby Beesh), is an American rapper. From 1995 until 1998, as part of Dope House Records, after which he changed the last part of his stage name to "Bas ...

''The One'' and breakthrough

His second album ''

The One The ONE is a shopping centre in Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong. It is built on the site of the former Tung Ying Building at 100 Nathan Road. It was developed by Chinese Estates Holdings and opened in 2010. Owner Joseph Lau Luen-hung g ...

'' was released on March 22, 2005. It was led by the #3 ''Billboard'' Hot 100 hit "

Obsession (No Es Amor) Obsession may refer to: Psychology * Celebrity worship syndrome, obsessive addictive disorder to a celebrity's personal and professional life * Fixation (psychology), a persistent attachment to an object or idea * Idée fixe (psychology), a preo ...

" featuring rapper

, and followed by the Top40 singles "How To Deal" and "

More Than Words "More Than Words" is a song by American rock band Extreme, released as the fifth track and third single from their second album, ''Pornograffitti'' (1990), in March 1991. It is a ballad built around acoustic guitar work by Nuno Bettencourt and ...

". To coincide with the release of "

", the album was re-released on the

DualDisc The DualDisc is a type of double-sided optical disc product developed by a group of record companies including MJJ Productions Inc., EMI Music, Universal Music Group, Sony BMG Music Entertainment, Warner Music Group, and 5.1 Entertainment Group an ...

format in October. By January 2006, ''

'' was certified platinum by the

RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

for shipping over a million copies. His second Spanish-language album '' Un Nuevo Dia'' was released on June 13, 2006, and featured the single "Pensado En Ti". Frankie's third English-language album, '' Priceless'', was released on October 17, 2006. It debuted at #30 on the ''Billboard'' 200. The lead single "

That Girl ''That Girl'' is an American sitcom that ran on ABC from September 8, 1966 to March 19, 1971. It starred Marlo Thomas as the title character Ann Marie, an aspiring (but only sporadically employed) actress, who moves from her hometown of Brewster ...

" featured

Chamillionaire Hakeem Temidayo Seriki (born November 28, 1979), better known by his stage name Chamillionaire (), is an American rapper. He was the founder and an original member of The Color Changin' Click from 2001 until the group split in 2005. He began his ...

and

Mannie Fresh Byron Otto Thomas (born March 20, 1969), better known by his stage name Mannie Fresh, is an American music producer and rapper. He's best known for his productions on Cash Money Records releases, as well being half of the hip hop duo (alongside ...

and peaked at number 43 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. A second single, "Daddy's Little Girl", charted at number 23 on the ''Billboard'' Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart.

Independent route

Following his departure from Columbia Records, Frankie J released a few singles ("Pictures", "If You Were My Girlfriend", "Crush") between 2008 and 2011, as well as starting his own label, Soulsick Records. He has also written songs for other artists, most recently the number 2 hit song "

Take a Chance on Me "Take a Chance on Me" is a song by Swedish pop group ABBA, released in January 1978 as the second single from their fifth studio album, '' ABBA: The Album'' (1977). Agnetha Fältskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad share the lead vocals on the verses an ...

" in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

for boyband

JLS JLS (an initialism of Jack the Lad Swing) are an English boyband, which consists of members Aston Merrygold, Oritsé Williams, Marvin Humes, and JB Gill, originally formed by Williams. They initially signed to Tracklacers production company ...

. He released his fourth English-language studio album ''Courage'' on December 7, 2011. The lead single "How Beautiful You Are" was released to digital retailers on October 24, 2011. The music video was directed by Mike Ho and premiered on YouTube on September 11, 2011. The video for the album's second single "And I Had You There" premiered on Frankie's YouTube channel on November 26, 2011. Frankie J and

shot a video for the album's third single "That's Wussup" in December 2011 in San Diego, California. The video premiered on January 8, 2012. On July 12, 2012, it was announced that Frankie J will join

Jennifer Lopez Jennifer Lynn Affleck (' Lopez; born July 24, 1969), also known as J.Lo, is an American singer, actress and dancer. In 1991, she began appearing as a Fly Girl dancer on the sketch comedy television series ''In Living Color'', where she rema ...

and

Enrique Iglesias Enrique Miguel Iglesias Preysler (; (born 8 May 1975) is a Spanish singer and songwriter. He started his recording career in the mid-1990s on the Mexican indie label Fonovisa and became the bestselling Spanish-language act of the decade. By the ...

on their joint North America tour, serving as a special guest, replacing

Wisin & Yandel Wisin & Yandel is a Puerto Rican reggaeton duo consisting of Wisin and Yandel. They started their career in the late 1990s and have been together since, winning several awards including a Grammy Award in 2009. They became the first and the only ...

who were initially the opening act.

''Faith, Hope y Amor'' and Grammy success

In 2011, he signed with Universal Music and began work on a new Spanish-language album. He released two digital singles ("Ay, Ay, Ay" and "Tienes Que Creer En Mi"/"Take a Chance on Me") in late 2012. In 2013, he released his new album, ''Faith, Hope y Amor'' on May 28, 2013. The album was nominated for the 56th annual

under the category of Best Latin Pop Album. It was preceded by the release of the singles "No Te Quiero Ver Con Él" and "Beautiful" (featuring Pitbull). "Impossible" was also released as a single. On November 26, 2015, he premiered the single "Breakin'", with a music video (in English and Spanglish) premiering on December 14. The digital single was released on December 25, 2015. Four additional singles — "Let the Music Take Control", "I Promise You", "Riches in Heaven", and "Body Rock" — followed in 2016. He announced his next album would be titled ''More Than the Music''. Another single "Not So Dangerous" was released on December 25, 2016. In March 2017, he scored a radio hit with "Si Una Vez (If I Once)" which was a collaboration with Play-N-Skillz, Wisin, and Leslie Grace. In June, he collaborated with

for a new single titled "Vamonos". The following month in July, he released a new single "Lowrider" with Baby Bash, C Kan, Ozomatli & Kid Frost. On July 27, he released his new studio album titled ''Eleven'' through his own label Soulsick Musick Inc.

Acting

Frankie appeared as a celebrity guest at the 16th birthday party of Marissa Mishelle on MTV's ''

My Super Sweet 16 ''My Super Sweet 16'' is an American reality television series documenting the lives of teenagers, usually in the United States, Canada and United Kingdom, generally with wealthy parents who throw lavish, excessive and expensive coming-of-age ce ...

''. In 2011, he joined the

mun2 Universo is an American pay television channel owned by the NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises subsidiary of NBCUniversal. The network serves as a companion cable channel to the NBCUniversal's flagship broadcast television network NBC and, to som ...

television series ''RPM Miami'' as mechanic Ramon. The series was quickly renewed for a second season.

Discography

Studio albums

Collaborative albums

Singles

As lead artist

As featured artist

Guest appearances

References

External links

Official Facebook page
* {{Authority control 1975 births American male singer-songwriters American hip hop singers American male pop singers Record producers from California American soul singers Columbia Records artists Hispanic and Latino American musicians Kumbia Kings members American Latin pop singers Living people Mexican emigrants to the United States Mexican male singers Musicians from San Diego People from Tijuana Singers from Baja California Universal Music Latin Entertainment artists 21st-century American singers Singer-songwriters from California