Jean Carlos Rodríguez López-Cepero (born December 10, 1980), also known as Jean, is a Puerto Rican singer, the younger brother of

Luis Fonsi Luis Alfonso Rodríguez López-Cepero (born April 15, 1978), known by his stage name Luis Fonsi (), is a Puerto Rican singer. He is known for multiple songs, one of them being " Despacito" featuring rapper Daddy Yankee. Fonsi received his first ...

. Rodríguez has released a handful of solo albums and mixtapes, hitting number one on ''Billboard'' Latin Pop Airplay chart with the single "Duele" in 2006. As a member of the production duo Coastcity, he co-produced the Spanish-language version of " Hey Ma" by

Pitbull Pit bull is a term used in the United States for a type of dog descended from bulldogs and terriers, while in other countries such as the United Kingdom the term is used as an abbreviation of the American Pit Bull Terrier breed. The term was f ...

J Balvin José Álvaro Osorio Balvín (born 7 May 1985), known professionally as J Balvin, is a Colombian singer and songwriter. He has been referred to as the " Prince of Reggaeton" (from Spanish: "Príncipe del Reggaetón"), and is one of the best-sell ...

and

Camila Cabello Karla Camila Cabello Estrabao (; ; born March 3, 1997) is a Cuban-born American singer and songwriter. She rose to prominence as a member of the girl group Fifth Harmony, which became one of the best-selling girl groups of all time. While in ...

in 2017; the Spanish-language video passed 400 million views on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...

, and the song was nominated for a Latin Grammy. Rodríguez sang on

Tony Succar Antonio Guillermo "Tony" Succar (born 18 May 1986),Wall Street International Magazine, 11 July 2012 retrieved 1 June 2013. is a Peruvian-American percussionist, composer, arranger, bandleader, and producer. Early life Succar was born in Lima, ...

's Unity Project, covering

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

's "

Smooth Criminal "Smooth Criminal" is a song by the American singer Michael Jackson, released on November 14, 1988, as the seventh single from his seventh album, '' Bad'' (1987). It was written by Jackson and produced by Jackson and Quincy Jones. The lyrics add ...

" and "

Billie Jean "Billie Jean" is a song by American singer Michael Jackson, released by Epic Records on January 2, 1983, as the second single from his sixth studio album, '' Thriller'' (1982). It was written and composed by Jackson and produced by Jackson and ...

", and in 2017 he performed "

Super Freak "Super Freak" is a 1981 single produced and performed by American singer Rick James. The song, co-written by James and Alonzo Miller, was first released on James' fifth album, '' Street Songs'' (1981) and became one of James' signature songs. "F ...

" by

Rick James James Ambrose Johnson Jr. (February 1, 1948 – August 6, 2004), better known by his stage name Rick James, was an American singer-songwriter, musician and record producer. Born and raised in Buffalo, New York, James began his musical career in ...

for the BMI ''Los Producers'' charity ball. The same year, he served as Beyoncé's vocal coach for her Spanish-language remix of the song " Mi Gente". The video of this remix gathered 100 million views on YouTube. Through Coastcity, he teamed with his brother on the single "Pa La Calle" in 2018. Rodríguez was named in two Latin Grammy Award nominations. At the 19th Annual Latin Grammy Awards in 2018, he was a contender in the Best Tropical Song category for the song "Me Enamoro Más De Ti", sharing credit with Tony Succar and Jorge Luis Piloto. Two years later at the 21st Annual Latin Grammy Awards, Rodríguez was nominated for Album of the Year for co-producing the

Ricky Martin Enrique Martín Morales (born December 24, 1971), known professionally as Ricky Martin, is a Puerto Rican singer, songwriter, and actor. He is known for his musical versatility, with his Ricky Martin albums discography, discography spanning ...

EP '' Pausa''.

Early life

Rodríguez was born in

San Juan, Puerto Rico San Juan (, , ; Spanish for "Saint John") is the capital city and most populous municipality in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2020 census, it is the 57th-largest city under the juri ...

, to Alfonso Rodríguez and Delia López-Cepero. His older brother is

, and his sister is named Tatiana. His parents sang in the choir ''Viva la gente'' (Up with People), and one grandfather played trumpet in Puerto Rico. One grandmother came from the

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares with ...

. Rodríguez sang from age four, and at age six he joined his brother in the

San Juan Children's Choir The San Juan Children's Choir (''Coro de Niños de San Juan'' in Spanish) is a children's choir from San Juan, Puerto Rico. The group was founded in 1966 by its director, Evy Lucío Córdova. The Choir usually accepts participants from the age of 6 ...

. When he was nine years old, his family left Puerto Rico to move to Orlando, Florida, where Rodríguez continued his schooling. He learned to play trombone, performed with the school jazz band, and he sang in the chorus at Dr. Phillips High School. He was influenced by music from Stevie Wonder,

the Jackson 5 The Jackson 5 (sometimes stylized as the Jackson 5ive, also known as the Jacksons) are an American pop band composed of members of the Jackson family. The group was founded in 1964 in Gary, Indiana, and for most o ...

Mint Condition Mint condition is an expression used to denote the quality of a pre-owned good as displaying virtually no imperfections and being in pristine condition relative to its original production state. Originally, the phrase related to the way collect ...

Brian McKnight Brian Kelly McKnight (born June 5, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter, actor, record producer, radio host and multi-instrumentalist. He is most recognized for his strong head voice, high belting range and melisma. McKnight is known for h ...

and Boyz II Men. Two years younger, Rodríguez idolized his brother Luis and Luis's friend

Joey Fatone Joseph Anthony Fatone Jr. (born January 28, 1977) is an American singer, dancer, actor, and television personality. He is best known as a member of the boyband NSYNC, in which he sang baritone. In 2007, he came in second place on the ABC reali ...

, wishing he could join their singing group, the Big Guys. Fatone later became famous with boy band NSYNC, while Luis found success in 2008 with " Aquí Estoy Yo", and scored a record-breaking hit with "

Despacito "Despacito" (; "Slowly") is a song by Puerto Rican singer Luis Fonsi featuring Puerto Rican rapper and singer Daddy Yankee as the lead single from Fonsi's 2019 studio album '' Vida''. Released on January 12, 2017, the song was written by Fonsi ...

" in 2017.

Career

S'tilo trio

Rodríguez formed a Latin vocal trio called S'tilo with Wes Rodriguez (no relation) and Carlos Mendoza, after the three met in high school choir. Performed with choreographed dance moves, their songs were a blend of hip-hop, pop, Latin and R&B. The trio appeared at local venues such as

House of Blues House of Blues is an American chain of live music concert halls and restaurants. It was founded by Isaac Tigrett, the co-founder of Hard Rock Cafe, and Dan Aykroyd, co-star of the 1980 film ''The Blues Brothers''. The first location opened at Ha ...

and

Hard Rock Cafe Hard Rock Cafe, Inc. is a British-based multinational chain of theme restaurants, memorabilia shops, casinos and museums founded in 1971 by Isaac Tigrett and Peter Morton in London. In 1979, the cafe began covering its walls with rock and r ...

. In early 2001, S'tilo went to Los Angeles to sign a recording deal with

A&M Records A&M Records was an American record label founded as an independent company by Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss in 1962. Due to the success of the discography A&M released, the label garnered interest and was acquired by PolyGram in 1989 and began distr ...

, under the personal attention of label president

Ron Fair Ronald Fair is an American A&R executive, record producer, record executive, musical arranger, recording engineer and conductor. In a career that has spanned over 30 years at major record labels he has produced and arranged hits for several ar ...

. The record company's legal team found an earlier act named Steelo, pronounced the same way, so the trio began searching for a new name to avoid confusion. They spent time in the recording studio, but the project was shelved. Rodríguez chose to stay in Los Angeles, collaborating with artists such as

Cutfather Mich Hedin Hansen (born 9 April 1968), known professionally as Cutfather, is a Danish music producer, songwriter, remixer and DJ based in Copenhagen. Cutfather has a studio on Njalsgade, Copenhagen. Career Cutfather is perhaps best known for hi ...

Manuel Seal Manuel L. Seal, Jr. (born September 26, 1960) is an American multi-instrumentalist, record producer, composer, singer, songwriter, vocal coach, and arranger. His credits include artists as Mariah Carey, Janet Jackson, Usher, TLC, Aretha Frankli ...

and

Robbie Nevil Robert S. Nevil (born October 2, 1958) is an American pop singer, songwriter, producer, and guitarist who had five ''Billboard'' top 40 hits including his songs "C'est la Vie" (#2, 1986), "Dominoes" (#14, 1987), and " Wot's It to Ya" (#10, 198 ...

. After two years, he relocated to New York City to perform at

Joe's Pub Joe's Pub, one of the six performance spaces within The Public Theater, is a music venue and restaurant that hosts live performances across genres and arts, ranging from cabaret to modern dance to world music. It is located at 425 Lafayette St ...

, Village Underground and

The Cutting Room The Cutting Room is a music venue in New York City that was open at 19 West 24th Street from late 1999 through January 2009 for music of all varieties and reopened at the beginning of 2013 in a new location at 44 East 32nd Street. It was co-owned ...

. He signed with

BMG Chrysalis Chrysalis Group was a UK media company that was founded by Chris Wright, chairman, and Terry Ellis. Wright was named in '' Sunday Times Rich List 2009'' of the 1,000 richest persons in the UK. Previously having interests in television, books a ...

as a songwriter. Following this, Rodríguez moved back to Florida, this time to

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...

where he reconnected with his Latin music roots.

Jean

In 2005, Rodríguez signed a record deal with Sony BMG Norte, to record and release the album '' On'' in April 2006, using the mononym Jean. ''On'' was mainly urban R&B with elements of hip hop and

tropical music Tropical music ( es, música tropical) is a term in the Latin music industry that refers to music genres deriving from or influenced by the Spanish-speaking areas of the Caribbean. It includes the islands of Cuba, Puerto Rico, The Dominican Republ ...

. Two singles came from the album: "Juegas Con Fuego" produced by

Jim Jonsin James Gregory Scheffer (born June 8, 1970), professionally known as Jim Jonsin, is an American record producer, songwriter, businessman and DJ from South Florida. Jonsin has collaborated with numerous artists, including Beyoncé, Kelly Rowland, ...

, and "Duele" which hit number one on the Latin Airplay charts. Rodríguez was invited by FIFA to represent the music of Puerto Rico at the

2006 World Cup The 2006 FIFA World Cup, also branded as Germany 2006, was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which had won the right to host the ...

in Germany. In 2008, he self-released the mixtape ''JeaniusMusiq Mixtape'' followed by the Sony BMG album '' Out the Box''. In 2009 he released another mixtape: ''Genius To Jeanius''. The independent single "Mia" peaked at number 21 on ''Billboard'' Tropical Airplay chart in October 2011. In between these recordings, Rodríguez toured South and North America in 2010 with Marc Anthony in support of Anthony's ''

Iconos ''Iconos'' (''English: Icons'') is the eighth Spanish album and tenth studio album by Marc Anthony which covers Latin ballads from the past and is the second Latin pop album by Marc Anthony after '' Amar Sin Mentiras''. The album was first relea ...

'' album. In 2012 at the invitation of producer

Juan Luis Guerra Juan Luis Guerra Seijas (born June 7, 1957) is a Dominican musician, singer, composer, and record producer. He has sold 30 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling Latin music artists. Throughout his career, he has wo ...

, Rodríguez assisted as a vocal producer on the live album ''

MTV Unplugged ''MTV Unplugged'' is an American television series on MTV showcasing musical artists usually playing acoustic instruments. The show aired regularly from 1989 to 1999 and less frequently from 2000 to 2009, when it was usually billed as ''MTV Un ...

'' by Juanes. The album debuted at number one on the ''Billboard'' Top Latin Albums chart, and won the 2012

Latin Grammy Award for Album of the Year The Latin Grammy Award for Album of the Year is an honor presented annually at the Latin Grammy Awards, a ceremony that recognizes excellence and creates a wider awareness of cultural diversity and contributions of Latin recording artists in the U ...

. The next year, Rodríguez co-wrote and co-produced '' Soy el Mismo'' for

Prince Royce Geoffrey Royce Rojas (born May 11, 1989), known professionally as Prince Royce, is an American singer. At an early age, Royce took an interest in music, and in his teenage years began experimenting with music and writing poetry. By age nineteen ...

. The album topped the ''Billboard'' Latin album chart in October 2013. The independently released album ''It's Jean'' peaked at number 8 on ''Billboard'' Tropical Albums chart in April 2014. The single "Can't Find Love" rose to number 19 on the Tropical Airplay chart in May. Released a year earlier, the lead single "Maquina Del Tiempo" hit number 3 on Tropical Airplay. For

Yandel Llandel Veguilla Malavé (born; January 14, 1977), known professionally as Yandel, is a Puerto Rican singer and songwriter and the half member of the reggaeton duo Wisin & Yandel. He released his first solo album, '' Quien Contra Mí'', in 2003. ...

's 2014 album ''

De Líder a Leyenda ''De Líder a Leyenda'' (English: ''From Leader to Legend'') is the second studio album,

'', Rodríguez co-wrote the song "En La Oscuridad" for Yandel.

The Latin Tribute to Michael Jackson

Rodríguez was a major contributor to

's Unity Project, a Latin-flavored tribute to

. Rodríguez sang lead vocals on "

" and "

", including a section of Spanish language translation. The album '' Unity: The Latin Tribute to Michael Jackson'' was released in early 2015, led by the first single, "Smooth Criminal". The Unity project gave various live concerts starting with a

TEDx TED Conferences, LLC (Technology, Entertainment, Design) is an American-Canadian non-profit media organization that posts international talks online for free distribution under the slogan "ideas worth spreading". TED was founded by Richard Sau ...

presentation at

Florida International University Florida International University (FIU) is a public research university with its main campus in Miami-Dade County. Founded in 1965, the school opened its doors to students in 1972. FIU has grown to become the third-largest university in Florid ...

in late 2012 which was filmed for DVD release. A special performance was captured on video at the headquarters of

SiriusXM Sirius XM Holdings Inc. is an American broadcasting company headquartered in Midtown Manhattan, New York City that provides satellite radio and online radio services operating in the United States. It was formed by the 2008 merger of Sirius Sa ...

satellite radio in December 2015, and a full show was delivered in Aruba at the Caribbean Sea Jazz Festival in September 2016. Rodríguez sang additional songs for these live concerts, including "

Man in the Mirror "Man in the Mirror" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Michael Jackson. It was written by Glen Ballard and Siedah Garrett and produced by Jackson and Quincy Jones. It was released on February 6, 1988, as the fourth single from Jackson ...

" and "

Black or White "Black or White" is a single by the American singer Michael Jackson. It was released by Epic Records on November 11, 1991, as the first single from Jackson's eighth studio album, '' Dangerous'' (1991). Jackson wrote, composed, and produced it w ...

Coastcity

In 2014 when Rodríguez was considering a third album as Jean, he tapped Puerto Rican–American Danny Flores to produce it. The album was intended to be named ''Coast City'', but as the two began working together, they decided to form a partnership. The duo took the name Coastcity from the abandoned album. Coastcity was formed as a tropical and

Latin soul Latin soul (sometimes used synonymously with Boogaloo) was a short-lived musical genre that had developed in the 1960s in New York City. It had consisted of a blend of Cuban mambo with elements of Latin jazz and soul music. Although short-lived, ...

songwriting team, recalling sounds of the Caribbean, combined with funk and urban R&B. The duo worked with

and

to produce the Spanish-language version of the song " Hey Ma", sung by Pitbull, Balvin and

for the film ''

The Fate of the Furious ''The Fate of the Furious'' (alternatively known as ''F8'' and titled on-screen as ''Fast & Furious 8'' internationally) is a 2017 American action film directed by F. Gary Gray and written by Chris Morgan. It is the sequel to '' Furious 7'' ...

''. The Spanish and English versions of the song appear on the soundtrack album, '' The Fate of the Furious: The Album'' (2017). "Hey Ma" was certified Gold in the US, 3× Platinum in Spain, and it was nominated for a Latin Grammy. Also in 2017, Rodríguez helped Beyoncé with her Spanish version of the song " Mi Gente" by J Balvin and

Willy William Willy Fauade William (born 14 April 1981) is a French DJ, record producer and singer, famous for his club remixes and vocal collaborations with a number of dance music artists. He is most famous for his French hit " Ego" and his Latin hit " Mi Gen ...

. Beyoncé donated her share of the profit to disaster relief efforts in Mexico following the

2017 Puebla earthquake The 2017 Puebla earthquake struck at 13:14 CDT (18:14 UTC) on 19 September 2017 with an estimated magnitude of and strong shaking for about 20 seconds. Its epicenter was about south of the city of Puebla, Mexico. The earthquake caused d ...

. Rodríguez said Beyoncé was "such a pro", insisting that the two spend more time at her studio in the Hamptons because she knew she could improve her Spanish pronunciation with a little more coaching and personal effort. Coastcity signed with talent agents Atomic Music Group in October 2017. Coastcity released the singles "Desconocidos" in October 2017 and "Besos Pesos" featuring Girl Ultra in April 2018. Both of these were included on the duo's first album, ''Coastcity'', released in 2018. Other songs on the album include the single "Noche y Manaña" and the

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. T ...

-inspired "Countach". Further singles from the duo include the Father's Day special song "Lullaby" in 2018, and the 2019 singles "Salvaje", "Nadie Es Santo", "Juicio Criminal" and "Contigo" – the latter song featuring Fuego and Nat'Lee. Coastcity's EP ''1190'' was released in 2019. One more single came out of the EP: "Circulo", featuring

Cierra Ramirez Cierra Alexa Ramirez (born March 9, 1995) is an American actress and singer. She is best known for playing Mariana Adams Foster in the Freeform television series '' The Fosters'' and reprising her role in the spin-off series '' Good Trouble'', w ...

. Coastcity released a single in September 2018, "Pa La Calle", featuring

, Rodríguez's brother. A video of the song shows the brothers having a stylish evening out while Flores drives them around, joining the party. On

Vevo Vevo ( , an abbreviation for "Video Evolution", stylized as VEVO until 2013) is an American multinational video hosting service, best known for providing music videos to YouTube. The service is also available as an app on selected smart TVs, ...

, the video attracted more than two million views. "Pa La Calle" was the first time that Rodríguez and Fonsi released a song together.

References

External links

"Smooth Criminal" – Tony Succar, Jean Rodriguez
on YouTube
"Me Enamoro Más De Ti"
on YouTube. Studio video with Tony Succar, Rodriguez and Jorge Luis Piloto.
Coastcity official websiteCoastcity on SoundCloud
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rodriguez, Jean 1980 births Living people Dr. Phillips High School alumni Latin pop singers 21st-century Puerto Rican male singers Puerto Rican singer-songwriters Singers from San Juan, Puerto Rico American male singer-songwriters Latin music songwriters

Early life

Career

S'tilo trio

Jean

The Latin Tribute to Michael Jackson

Coastcity

See also

References

External links