Tomas Torres Carrasquillo (; born November 25, 1971), known professionally as Tommy Torres (), is a Puerto Rican singer, songwriter, and record producer.(4 April 2008)
Latin songwriter/producer releases solo disc
''Reuters'' Named "#1 Hot Latin Tracks Producer" of 2007 by ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' magazine and Composer of the Year at 2010

ASCAP The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadca ...

's Latin Music Awards, Torres has written and produced songs for many artists including

Ricardo Arjona Edgar Ricardo Arjona Algadeoro (born 19 January 1964), known as Ricardo Arjona (), is a Guatemalan singer-songwriter. Arjona is one of the most successful and best-selling Latin American artists of all time, with more than 80 million records so ...

Jaci Velasquez Jacquelyn "Jaci" Davette Velasquez (Spanish ''Jaci Velásquez'', born October 15, 1979) is an American actress and contemporary Christian and Latin pop singer and songwriter, performing in both English and Spanish. Velasquez has sold almost ...

Ednita Nazario Edna María Nazario Figueroa (born April 11, 1955) is a Puerto Rican musician, singer, and composer who has achieved stardom both at home and abroad. She has been in the music business from a young age and has released twenty-three (23) studio ...

Alejandro Sanz Alejandro Sánchez Pizarro, better known as Alejandro Sanz (; born 18 December 1968), is a Spanish musician, singer and composer. Sanz has won 22 Latin Grammy Awards and four Grammy Awards. He has received the Latin Grammy for Latin Grammy Awar ...

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 ...

and

Franco De Vita Franco Atilio De Vita De Vito (born January 23, 1954, in Caracas, Venezuela) is a Venezuelan Latin Grammy award-winning singer-songwriter. His first album as a solo artist garnered three Spanish-language hits in Venezuela. He signed with the C ...

Early life

Born in the Santurce district of

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 jur ...

, Torres learned to play the violin and keyboards at a young age. He started composing when he was in high school. He then enrolled in

Berklee College of Music Berklee College of Music is a private music college in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern American music, it also offers college-level cours ...

where he graduated magna cum laude with a dual major of "''Music Production & Engineering''"and "''Commercial Arranging''". Torres lived 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 ...

for a while working as a studio assistant at the famed

Sony Music Studios Sony Music Studios was an American music recording and mastering facility in New York City. The five-story building was a music and broadcasting complex located at 460 W. 54th Street, at 10th Avenue, in the Hell's Kitchen section of Manhattan. I ...

and later moved to

Miami, Florida Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

in 1998.

Musical career

Writer and producer

His first recorded composition was "''No Puedo Olvidar''" by pop group MDO in 1999. The song made it to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Latin Tracks chart. That same year, another one of his compositions, "''Llegar A Ti''" was recorded by Christian artist Jaci Velasquez and quickly climbed to the No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Latin Tracks chart, earning him an

Song of the Year award. In 2001, his production of "Cuando Seas Mia" by group

Son By Four Son by Four is a latin music group from Puerto Rico, well known for their English U.S. pop hit " The Purest of Pain (A Puro Dolor)". The group is now independent, as they founded their own label SB4 Music Group in 2003. Son by Four was created b ...

also made it to the No. 1 spot on Billboard. His work on '' Acustico'' by

as co-producer, songwriter, and featured artist, earned his first

Latin Grammy Awards The Latin Grammy Awards are an award by The Latin Recording Academy to recognize outstanding achievement in the Latin music industry. The Latin Grammy honors works recorded in Spanish or Portuguese from anywhere around the world that has been r ...

nomination in 2002. Later that year, he produced the critically acclaimed "''Encuentro''" featuring singer-songwriter's

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 ...

Ruben Blades Reuben or Reuven is a Hebrew Bible, Biblical male first name from Hebrew רְאוּבֵן (Re'uven), meaning "behold, a son". In the Bible, Reuben (son of Jacob), Reuben was the Reuben (son of Jacob), firstborn son of Jacob. Variants include R� ...

, and

Draco Rosa Draco Cornelius Rosa Suárez (; born Robert Edward Rosa Suárez, June 27, 1969), also known as Draco Rosa, Robi Draco Rosa or simply Robi or Draco, is a Puerto Rican singer, musician, songwriter and entrepreneur. Rosa originally garnered fame ...

. In 2003 he produced

's ''

Almas del Silencio ''Almas del Silencio'' (English: ''Souls from the Silence'') is the seventh studio album and fifth Spanish language album recorded by Puerto Rican performer Ricky Martin. This is the first Spanish album release since 1998's '' Vuelve''. It was ...

'', an album that included songwriting collaborations with artists

Franco de Vita Franco Atilio De Vita De Vito (born January 23, 1954, in Caracas, Venezuela) is a Venezuelan Latin Grammy award-winning singer-songwriter. His first album as a solo artist garnered three Spanish-language hits in Venezuela. He signed with the C ...

, and

Juanes file:Juanes ZMF 2015 jm49108.jpg, Juanes at the Zelt Musik Festival 2015 in Freiburg, Germany file:Juanes ZMF 2015 jm49211.jpg, Juanes at the Zelt Musik Festival 2015 in Freiburg, Germany Juan Esteban Aristizábal Vásquez (born 9 August 19 ...

. The album broke the

Soundscan Luminate (formerly Nielsen SoundScan, Nielsen Music Products, and MRC Data) is a provider of music sales data. Established by Mike Fine and Mike Shalett in 1991, data is collected weekly and made available every Sunday (for albums sales) and eve ...

one week sales record for an all-Spanish album. The single "''Tal Vez''" topped the Billboard Hot Latin Tracks for 12 weeks. The song, written by

with musical arrangements and production by Torres, went on to win "''Song of the Year''" at that 2003's

. The album also gave 3 additional No. 1 singles. Later that year Torres produced the album "''Por Ti''" by

. Both Nazario's "Por Ti" and Martin's "Almas del Silencio" went on to win Best Pop Album Awards (Female/Male) at 2004's

Billboard Latin Music Awards The ''Billboard'' Latin Music Awards grew out of the ''Billboard'' Music Awards program from ''Billboard'' magazine, an industry publication charting the sales and radio airplay success of musical recordings. The ''Billboard'' awards are the La ...

earning Tommy his first nomination for Producer of the Year at the

. Later on in 2004, Torres began work on ''

Adentro ''Adentro'' ( en, Inside) is the tenth studio album by Guatemalan singer-songwriter Ricardo Arjona, released on December 6, 2005, by Sony Music Entertainment. Recorded in the United States and Mexico, the album was produced by Arjona himself, a ...

'' by singer-songwriter

. The album was an instant hit with both critics and the public. The song "''Acompañame a Estar Solo''", penned by Arjona with musical arrangements and production by Torres, became No. 1 on the

Billboard Magazine ''Billboard'' (stylized as ''billboard'') is an American music and entertainment magazine published weekly by Penske Media Corporation. The magazine provides music charts, news, video, opinion, reviews, events, and style related to the music ...

charts. The album "''Adentro''" won several awards on 2005, including Best Latin Pop Album at the

Grammy Awards 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 ...

and Best Pop Album at the

. On 2006, Torres produced

's ''

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 ...

'', which included new arrangements of early

hits and three new songs. The album was well received with both commercial and critical success. The song "''Tu Recuerdo''", penned by Torres, topped the Billboard Hot Latin Tracks for 7 weeks and maintained a top 20 spot on the chart for an astonishing 26 weeks. The song featured La Mari from flamenco-electronic group

Chambao Chambao were a flamenco-electronic band originally from Málaga, Spain, known for a Flamenco Chill sound that fuses flamenco sounds and palos with electronic music. The name of the band is taken from an improvised form of beach tent that is co ...

and Torres on acoustic guitar and vocal. The song "''Tu Recuerdo''" was nominated for Song of the Year on several awards in 2007, including the

and

, Premios MTV Latinoamerica, and winning the coveted

Pop Song of the Year Award. The album "''MTV Unplugged''" picked up an equal number of nominations and eventually went on to win two

for Best Pop Album and Best Longform Video. The song "'' Pegate''", co-written by Torres, Martin, and Roy Tavare, became a Top 10 hit on several countries in Latin America and Europe. It also won an

recognition at the ASCAP Music Awards. A new collaboration with singer-songwriter

resulted in the song "Quien", from the album "Quien Dijo Ayer". The song was written by Arjona (lyrics) and Torres (music) reaching the top 10 of the Billboard charts. Also on the same album, Torres produced and arranged the songs "Quiero" and "Tarde (Sin Danos A Terceros)", a duet with Arjona and Spanish artist

Marta Sánchez Marta Sánchez López (born 8 May 1966) is a Spanish singer. She has sold in excess of 10 million albums. Biography Marta was born in Madrid (Spain). Her father, Antonio Sánchez Camporro, was an Asturian opera singer. She began her musical ...

. The album "Quien Dijo Ayer", was nominated for Best Pop Album at the Billboard Latin Awards and

. He also co-produced the song "''Ya No Estamos Solos''" ("''Non Siamo Soli''"), a duet with

Eros Ramazzotti Eros Walter Luciano Ramazzotti (; born 28 October 1963) is an Italian pop singer, musician and songwriter. He is popular in Italy and most European countries, and throughout the Spanish-speaking world, as he has released most of his albums in bo ...

and

. The song became a No. 1 hit in several countries in Europe and Latin America but only reached Top20 status in the United States. In December 2007, ''

'' named Torres as the No. 1

Hot Latin Tracks The ''Billboard'' Hot Latin Songs (formerly Hot Latin Tracks and Hot Latin 50) is a record chart in the United States for Latin songs, published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. Since October 2012, chart rankings are based on digital sales, rad ...

producer of the year, becoming the first Puerto Rican to achieve that recognition. On 2008, the song " Como Duele", performed by Ricardo Arjona became the No. 1 song in Mexico and U.S. Latin pop radio. Torres is credited as co-producer and arranger on the song as well as the songs "Tocando Fondo", "Sin Ti, Sin Mi", and the title track "Quinto Piso". The album received a

nomination for Best Latin Pop Album and a

nomination for Best Singer-Songwriter Album. The album also became Arjona's career highest selling debut week. A new album by

titled "Soy" debuted No. 1 in Billboard Hot Latin Albums Charts and remained No. 1 for a second week in November 2009. Torres is listed as co-producer in 4 songs in the album and as composer of the song "Confesados". Also on 2009, Tommy Torres produced the album '' Paraiso Express'' for Spanish singer-songwriter

. The first single, " Looking for Paradise", featuring R&B singer-songwriter

Alicia Keys Alicia Augello Cook (born January 25, 1981), known professionally as Alicia Keys, is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. A classically trained pianist, Keys started composing songs when she was 12 and was signed at 15 years old by Col ...

, became the No. 1 radio song in every single Latin American country with the exception of Colombia, where the No. 1 spot was held by local favorite,

Carlos Vives Carlos Alberto Vives Restrepo (born 7 August 1961) is a Colombian singer, songwriter and actor. He is known for his interpretation of traditional music styles of Colombia such as vallenato, cumbia, champeta, bambuco and porro as well as genres ...

. The song also reached the No. 1 spot in Spain and the U.S. Billboard Latin Chart. "Looking for Paradise" was co-written by Sanz, Keys, & Torres. The album "Paraiso Express" won both 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 ...

as Latin Pop Album of the Year and a

Latin Grammy Award The Latin Grammy Awards are an award by The Latin Recording Academy to recognize outstanding achievement in the Latin music industry. The Latin Grammy honors works recorded in Spanish or Portuguese from anywhere around the world that has been r ...

for Pop Album of the Year. The song "Desde Cuando", written by Sanz and Torres, also earned a nomination for Song of the Year at the Latin Grammys. In November 2012, Torres won a

for Song of the Year with the song "Corre", a song co-written with Mexican duo

Jesse & Joy Jesse & Joy () is a Mexican pop duo formed in 2005 by brother and sister Jesse (born December 31, 1982, as Jesse Eduardo Huerta Uecke) and Joy (born June 20, 1986, as Tirzah Joy Huerta Uecke), in Mexico City. The duo have released five studio ...

. Other nominees on this category included writing powerhouses Joaquin Sabina, Juan Luis Guerra, Ricardo Arjona, Juanes, and Alejandro Sanz. On his acceptance speech, Torres thanked Jesse & Joy, the fans for "making this possible", and his wife and baby "watching at home." The music video for "Corre" is now the most watched music video of a Spanish language song in YouTube, with over 130,000,000 views.

Solo career

On June 19, 2001, Torres became a solo artist with the release of a self-titled album. The album included the Billboard Top 20 singles ''"Como Olvidar"'' and ''"Hoy Te Vas"''. The album was released on the Sony Discos label and was nominated for best album by a new artist on

Premios Lo Nuestro 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 ...

. 2004 saw the independent release of Torres' second album "''Estar de Moda No Está de Moda''". The album included the singles "''De Rodillas''", "''Dame Esta Noche''", ''Un Poquito''", "''Besos y Sal''", "''Sigo Aqui''", and "''Vinito Pa'l Corazon''" . The first four singles were No. 1 airplay hits in his native

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 ...

and Top 40 on the ''Billboard'' charts. "''De Rodillas''" reached No. 1 in several countries including Peru and Panama. On April 1, 2008, Torres released the album "Tarde o Temprano" thru the Warner Music Latina label. The album debut No. 1 on the Puerto Rico sales charts and maintained the top spot for four consecutive weeks, according to

reports. The first five radio singles "Pegadito", "Tarde o Temprano", "Por Un Beso Tuyo", "Imparable", and "Mar Adentro" reached both the No. 1 spot in Puerto Rico radio charts, and Top 20 in US Billboard charts. The singles "Tarde o Temprano" and "Imparable" reached the Top 10 in Mexico. On September 10, 2008 "''Tarde o Temprano''" was nominated for a

in the category of Best Singer-Songwriter Album. Torres performed at the Latin Grammy Awards ceremony in November 2008. On December 3, 2008, "''Tarde o Temprano''" was also nominated for a

in the Latin Pop Album of the Year field. The album was also nominated for Best Pop Album and Best Male Artist in

2009. A CD/DVD version of the album titled "Tarde o Temprano - Late Edition" was released on February 10, 2009. The album features several additional acoustic versions and videos, plus the single "Imparable", now featuring Mexican brother/sister duo

. On its second week of release, "Tarde o Temprano - Late Edition" hit the top spots on the sales charts in the U.S. and the No. 1 spot in Puerto Rico according to SoundScan Nielsen. In February 2009, Tommy Torres joined

Sara Bareilles Sara Beth Bareilles (, ; born December 7, 1979) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She has sold over three million albums and over 15 million singles in the United States. She has earned various awards and nominations including nin ...

Liz Phair Elizabeth Clark Phair (born April 17, 1967) is an American singer-songwriter. Born in New Haven, Connecticut, Phair was raised primarily in the Chicago area. After graduating from Oberlin College in 1990, she attempted to start a musical career ...

, and 5 other artists to be the faces of the

Banana Republic In political science, the term banana republic describes a politically unstable country with an economy dependent upon the export of natural resources. In 1904, the American author O. Henry coined the term to describe Honduras and neighboring ...

spring and summer ad campaigns. The national campaigns feature print advertising, window displays and billboards identifying the artists wearing the company's clothes. In February 2010, Tommy Torres received the Composer of the Year award at the ASCAP Latin Music Awards. His album, " 12 Historias", was released on October 2, 2012. Three singles, "Querido Tommy", "11:11", and "Mientras Tanto" have already been released. It debuted #1 on the Latin Album Charts. After signing with Rimas Entertainment in early 2021, his newest album " El Playlist de Anoche" will be released on July 23, 2021, co-written and co-produced with

Latin Trap Latin trap is a subgenre of Trap music, trap music that originated in Puerto Rico. A direct descendant of southern hip hop, and influenced by reggaeton, it gained popularity after 2007, and has since spread throughout Latin America. ''The trap'' ...

artist

Bad Bunny Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio (born March 10, 1994), known professionally as Bad Bunny, is a Puerto Rican rapper and singer. His musical style is defined as Latin trap and reggaeton. He rose to prominence in 2016 with his song "Diles", wh ...

Early life

Musical career

Writer and producer

Solo career

References

See also