Ismael Ruiz Hernández (born October 22, 1966), better known as Maelo Ruiz, is a
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
-born
Puerto Rican Salsa romántica
Salsa Romántica is a soft form of salsa music that emerged between the mid-1980s and early 1990s in New York City, Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic . It has been the most commercially successful form of salsa in the last 20 years, despite cri ...
singer.
Maelo Ruiz was born in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
but at the age of 4 moved with his family to
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...
where his parents were originally from. He started in music at the very young age of 16 when he began to sing in the "Escuela Libre de Música de Caguas". But it wasn't until the age of 19 when Maelo Ruiz really started his professional career in music when he became the first voice of Pedro Conga and his International Orchestra. He remained with Pedro Conga for 7 years, recording 4 albums with the band. His biggest hit with Pedro Conga was "No Te Quites La Ropa", which sold over 50,000 units earning the band their first gold record in Puerto Rico. Follow-up hits included "Atrévete", "Vicio" (gold record in Colombia), "Quiero Volver", "Si Supieras", "Te Quiero Amor" and "Me Niegas Tanto Amor". These were hits that made Maelo Ruiz a household name in Latin America. He also performed as a background singer for prominent salsero Willie González. His album Puro Corazón was nominated for the
Latin Grammy Award for Best Salsa Album
The Latin Grammy Award for Best Salsa Album is an honor presented annually by the Latin Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences at the Latin Grammy Awards, a ceremony that recognizes excellence and promotes a wider awareness of cultural diversity an ...
, but lost to
El Cantante (soundtrack)
''El Cantante'' (English: ''The Singer'') is the soundtrack album to the film of the same name, the seventh Spanish-language and the ninth studio album by American singer Marc Anthony.
Background
Marc Anthony plays the role of Héctor Lavoe in ...
by
Marc Anthony
Marco Antonio Muñiz Rivera (born September 16, 1968), known professionally as Marc Anthony, is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He is the top selling tropical salsa artist of all time. A three-time Grammy Award and six-time Latin Gra ...
.
On October 14, 2021, Maelo Ruiz was the featured
singer
Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...
on
Norberto Vélez's YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, 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 ...
channel titled "Sesiones Desde La Loma Ep. 21".
In 2016, it was reported that Ruiz was taking legal action against a fan named Karla Ankara Toledo, claiming that she "
stole his sperm" from a
sperm bank
A sperm bank, semen bank, or cryobank is a facility or enterprise which purchases, stores and sells human semen. The semen is produced and sold by men who are known as sperm donors. The sperm is purchased by or for other persons for the purpose o ...
and used it to conceive twin girls.
Discography
*''Solo'' (1994)
*''Experiencia'' (1996)
*''Maelo Ruiz'' (1999)
*''En Tiempo de Amor'' (2003)
*''Regálame Una Noche'' (2005)
*''Grandes Éxitos'' (2005)
*''El Cantante del Amor'' (2006)
*''Puro Corazón'' (2007)
*''A Dos Épocas'' (2009)
*''Lo Esencial de Maelo''
References
External links
Official WebsiteTwitter AccountFacebook Account
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ruiz, Maelo
1966 births
Living people
Salsa musicians
Spanish-language singers of the United States