Antonio Rodríguez Castillo (August 22, 1972) better known as Sexappeal is a Dominican Salsa singer from

Santo Domingo , total_type = Total , population_density_km2 = auto , timezone = AST (UTC −4) , area_code_type = Area codes , area_code = 809, 829, 849 , postal_code_type = Postal codes , postal_code = 10100–10699 (Distrito Nacional) , websi ...

. In 2005, he was awarded ''''Best Dominican Salsa Singer of the Year'''' in the

Casandra awards The Soberano Awards are the Dominican music awards, which are awarded annually by the Asociación de Cronistas de Arte of the Dominican Republic in Santo Domingo. Often referenced in music line-ups to delineate a musician's popularity in Hispani ...

, the most important in the country.

Career

Early life

Sexappeal was born on August 22, 1972 in

Villa Juana Villa Juana is a sector or neighborhood in the city of Santo Domingo in the Distrito Nacional of the Dominican Republic. This neighborhood is populated in particular by individuals from the lower class and lower middle class In developed nati ...

, a municipality in

Santo Domingo Norte Santo Domingo Norte is a Municipalities of the Dominican Republic, municipality of the Santo Domingo Province in the Dominican Republic. There is one municipal district (''distrito municipal'') within the municipality: La Victoria, Dominican Repub ...

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 wit ...

. While growing up in Santo Domingo, his father wanted him to enroll in the Dominican Navy but he wanted to play music and sing, so his father suggested that he could enlist and play for the armed forces music band, but Sexappeal joined the ballet florklorico group of the Dominican ministry of culture and some

Merengue music Merengue is a type of music and dance originating in the Dominican Republic, which has become a very popular genre throughout Latin America, and also in several major cities in the United States with Latino communities. Merengue was inscribed ...

groups as a

güira The güira () is a percussion instrument from the Dominican Republic used as a percussion instrument in merengue, bachata, and to a lesser extent, other genres such as cumbia. It is made of a metal sheet (commonly steel) and played with a stiff ...

, tambora y

conga The conga, also known as tumbadora, is a tall, narrow, single-headed drum from Cuba. Congas are staved like barrels and classified into three types: quinto (lead drum, highest), tres dos or tres golpes (middle), and tumba or salidor (lowest). ...

player.

2000s

In 2001, after the release of the single ''La llorona'', Sexappeal was awarded ''New Artist of the Year'' in the

in Dominican Republic. This song gained international recognition and has been used ever since to dance and teach Salsa music for its fast music tempo. The song reached J&N's ears and in 2002, Sexappeal was signed by the record label, later recording ''Necesito Más,'' his second studio album. He was nominated ''New Artist of the Year'' in 2004, this time in the international latin music

Lo Nuestro Awards The Lo Nuestro Awards or Premios Lo Nuestro (Spanish for "Our Thing") is a Spanish-language awards show honoring the best of Latin music, presented by Univision, a Spanish-language television network based in the United States. The awards began in ...

in the tropical category with the song ''Meneando la Cola.'' In 2006, he was awarded in the BMI awards ceremony with the producer and songwriter of ''Meneando la Cola,'' Ramon Orlando. The album's success continued and Sexappeal was awarded ''''Best Dominican Salsa Singer of the Year'''' in the

in 2005. In 2008, he was nominated in the

again, this time in two categories: ''''Best Dominican Salsa Singer of the Year'''' and ''''Song of the Year'';'' winning for the second time the first category and sharing '''Song of the Year'''' with

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 ...

.{{Cite web, date=January 22, 2015, title=Sexappeal llega de gira a los Estados Unidos, url=https://eldia.com.do/sexappeal-llega-de-gira-a-los-estados-unidos/, website=El dia News.

Discography

La Llorona -single (2001) Necesito Mas (2003) Mal o Bien (2006) Porque No Vienes (2009)

References

21st-century Dominican Republic male singers People from Santo Domingo Latin music musicians Salsa musicians 1972 births Living people