Víctor Manuel Ruiz Velázquez (born September 27, 1968), known professionally as Víctor Manuelle, is an American
salsa
Salsa most often refers to:
* Salsa (Mexican cuisine), a variety of sauces used as condiments
* Salsa music, a popular style of Latin American music
* Salsa (dance), a Latin dance associated with Salsa music
Salsa or SALSA may also refer to:
A ...
musician, known to his fans as ''El Sonero de la Juventud'' ("The Singer Of Youths"). He is identified primarily with ''
salsa romántica or "salsa monga".'' Víctor Manuelle has neither recorded in English, nor made a
Latin pop
Latin pop (in Spanish and in Portuguese: Pop latino) is a pop music subgenre that is a fusion of US–style music production with Latin music genres from anywhere in Latin America and Spain. Originating in Spanish-speaking musicians, Latin po ...
album, nor (with rare exceptions) ventured into acting, preferring to remain a musician grounded within salsa music.
Discovery and early career
Ruiz is the son of Víctor Manuel Ruiz, Sr. (1939-2018) and Jenny Velásquez. Both parents are
Puerto Ricans
Puerto Ricans ( es, Puertorriqueños; or boricuas) are the people of Puerto Rico, the inhabitants, and citizens of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and their descendants.
Overview
The culture held in common by most Puerto Ricans is referred t ...
and he has a brother called Héctor Gustavo Ruiz.
Although 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 ...
, Victor was raised primarily in
Isabela, Puerto Rico
Isabela () is a town and municipality of Puerto Rico located in the north-western region of the island, north of San Sebastián; west of Quebradillas; and east of Aguadilla and Moca. It is named in honor of Isabella I of Castile. Isabela is ...
, where he enjoyed salsa music. His singing career began because of
Gilberto Santa Rosa
Gilberto Santa Rosa Cortés, nicknamed "El Caballero de la Salsa" (The Gentleman of Salsa) (born August 21, 1962), is a Puerto Rican bandleader and singer of salsa and bolero. He is a six time Grammy Award winner and has sold over three million ...
, during a concert at his high school's graduation party by salsa superstar. At the instigation of classmates, who were going on about their friend the ''sonero'', Santa Rosa invited Victor to jump up on stage and sing a song with him. To Santa Rosa's surprise, not only could Victor sing, but he "free-styled" the improvisational ''soneo'' lyrics in the song, and traded ''soneos'' with Santa Rosa. Shortly thereafter, on Santa Rosa's recommendation, Puerto Rican bandleader Don Periñon hired teenage Victor as a backup singer.
1990s–2000s
Manuelle emerged as a leading voice among the generation of
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
salsa performers who rose to prominence in the mid-'90s, along with
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 ...
and
La India
Linda Viera Caballero (born March 9, 1969), better known as La India, is a Puerto Rican singer and songwriter of salsa, house music and Latin pop. La India has been nominated for both Grammy and Latin Grammy Awards, winning the Latin Grammy Aw ...
, who were his only rivals in terms of success and popularity. Mentored by Gilberto Santa Rosa and produced by
Sergio George
Sergio George (born May 23, 1961) is an American pianist, arranger, and record producer, known for working with many famous performers of salsa music, although he has worked in other genres of the music industry as well. He has worked with som ...
, Manuelle regularly topped the tropical charts during his mid-'90s peak, as his albums Victor Manuelle (1996) and
A Pesar de Todo
''A Pesar de Todo (All the Same)'' is the fourth album recorded by Puerto Rican salsa singer Víctor Manuelle released on June 3, 1997. Under the record label of Sony Discos, Sony Tropical, and distributed by Sony Music Entertainment, this alb ...
(1997) spun off a parade of number one hits. The esteemed sonero continued his hit-making in the years that followed, as every single one of his studio albums in the successive decade spun off at least one tropical chart-topper of its own.
Manuelle has become one of the best-selling salsa performers of recent years, with his albums selling a combined 1 million-plus copies in the U.S. Three studio albums, 1999's ''Inconfundible'' ("Unmistakable"), 2001's ''Instinto Y Deseo'' ("Instinct and Desire") and 2004's ''Travesía'' ("Crossover"), have cracked Billboard's overall Top 200 Albums chart, and the latter two reached #1 on the Latin Album chart (''Inconfundible'' reached #2). While several of his singles have made the Top 5 or Top 10 on the Latin charts, he had to wait for 2004's ''Tengo Ganas'' ("I'm in the Mood") to score a Billboard #1 Latin hit.
Perhaps his moment of greatest visibility came when he, to the happy surprise of the attendees, sang an
a cappella
''A cappella'' (, also , ; ) music is a performance by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Ren ...
version of
Celia Cruz
Úrsula Hilaria Celia de la Caridad Cruz Alfonso (21 October 1925 – 16 July 2003), known as Celia Cruz, was a naturalized Cuban-American singer and one of the most popular Latin artists of the 20th century. Cruz rose to fame in Cuba during t ...
's signature song, ''La Vida Es Un Carnaval'' ("Life is a Carnival"), at her funeral at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York in July 2003. This scene was replayed numerous times in the ensuing days on
Spanish-language television. Manuelle had performed the song for Cruz, with full orchestra, at a televised tribute concert for her, the last concert at which she ever performed on stage.
Recent activity
Manuelle's most recent production was released in May 2009. However, on this disc, not all of his songs have to do with topics of "LOVE", "INFIDELITY", etc. Nonetheless, it does include various interludes where he explains the meaning of songs related to his personal life, which is why the album is called; "Muy Personal"(Very Personal)
Manuelle released his 10th studio album, ''Decisión Unánime'' ("Unanimous Decision"), in May 2005. Six months earlier, in November 2005, he and his mentor, Gilberto Santa Rosa, released a joint live album, ''Dos Soneros, Una Historia'' ("Two Soneros, One History"), recorded at
Coliseo Roberto Clemente
Roberto Clemente Coliseum (Spanish: ''Coliseo Roberto Clemente'') is a sports and concert arena located in San Juan, Puerto Rico. It was, for many years, Puerto Rico's largest indoor event facility, and remains one of the largest.
General infor ...
outside
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 ...
. Manuelle's own live album, ''Víctor Manuelle En Vivo: Desde El Carnegie Hall'', came out in early 2005. He served as co-host of the
7th Annual Latin Grammy Awards
The 7th Annual Latin Grammy Awards were held for the first time in New York City, NY. The awards show was held at Madison Square Garden on Thursday, November 2, 2006. Shakira was the big winner winning Album of the Year, one of four awards that ...
, held November 2, 2006, in New York.
Manuelle's first foray into movie acting was his cameo role (mostly singing) as salsa legend
Rubén Blades
Rubén Blades Bellido de Luna (born July 16, 1948), known professionally as Rubén Blades (, but in Panama and within the family), is a Panamanian musician, singer, composer, actor, activist, and politician, performing musically most often in th ...
in ''
El Cantante
''El Cantante'' is a 2006 biographical film which stars singers Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez. The film is based on the life of the late salsa singer Héctor Lavoe, who is portrayed by Anthony. The film is told from the viewpoint of Puchi, ...
'', the 2007 film biography of
Héctor Lavoe
Héctor Juan Pérez Martínez (30 September 1946 – 29 June 1993), better known as Héctor Lavoe, was a Puerto Rican salsa singer. Lavoe is considered to be possibly the best and most important singer and interpreter in the history of salsa ...
, starring
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 ...
and
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 ...
. In the movie he sang an acoustic version in a club of the famous
El Cantante
''El Cantante'' is a 2006 biographical film which stars singers Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez. The film is based on the life of the late salsa singer Héctor Lavoe, who is portrayed by Anthony. The film is told from the viewpoint of Puchi, ...
On June 10, 2008, Manuelle released the album ''Soy'' ("I am). He was one of several artists selected to perform at the "KQ Live Concert" on September 27, 2008, organized by KQ 105 FM. The event included several renowned artists from Puerto Rico and other Latin American countries.
On February 8, 2010, television network
Univision
Univision () is an American Spanish-language free-to-air television network owned by TelevisaUnivision. It is the United States' largest provider of Spanish-language content. The network's programming is aimed at the Latino public and includes ...
announced international singer
Ana Bárbara
Altagracia Ugalde Mota (born January 10, 1971), better known as Ana Bárbara, is a Mexican singer, actress, television personality and model. She has become a prominent figure within Latin entertainment since her professional debut in 1994 and is ...
and Víctor Manuelle as the hosts of the
2010
File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
''Premio Lo Nuestro Awards''. The ceremony took place live from
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 ...
on February 18, 2010.
Univision Announces Star-Studded Line Up for 22nd Edition of "Premio Lo Nuestro a La Música Latina" Awards
finance.yahoo.com; accessed April 19, 2016.
On February 13, 2020, Víctor Manuelle 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. 5".
Discography
*''Justo a Tiempo'' (1993)
*''Sólo Contigo'' (1994)
*''Víctor Manuelle
Víctor Manuel Ruiz Velázquez (born September 27, 1968), known professionally as Víctor Manuelle, is an American salsa musician, known to his fans as ''El Sonero de la Juventud'' ("The Singer Of Youths"). He is identified primarily with ''s ...
'' (1996)
*''A Pesar de Todo
''A Pesar de Todo (All the Same)'' is the fourth album recorded by Puerto Rican salsa singer Víctor Manuelle released on June 3, 1997. Under the record label of Sony Discos, Sony Tropical, and distributed by Sony Music Entertainment, this alb ...
'' (1997)
*'' Ironias'' (1998)
*'' Inconfundible'' (1999)
*''Instinto y Deseo
''Instinto y Deseo'' ( Eng.: ''Instinct and Desire'') is the seventh studio album released on January 30, 2001 by performer Víctor Manuelle. This album became his first number-one album in the ''Billboard'' Top Latin Albums. Also received a Bi ...
'' (2001)
*''Le Preguntaba a la Luna'' (2002)
*'' Travesía'' (2004)
*''Decisión Unánime
''Decisión Unánime'' (English: ''Unanimous Decision'') is the tenth studio album recorded by Puerto Rican Americans, Puerto Rican-American salsa music, salsa singer-songwriter Víctor Manuelle. The album was released by Sony Music Latin, Sony B ...
'' (2006)
*''Una Navidad a Mi Estilo'' (2007)
*''Soy
The soybean, soy bean, or soya bean (''Glycine max'') is a species of legume native to East Asia, widely grown for its edible bean, which has numerous uses.
Traditional unfermented food uses of soybeans include soy milk, from which tofu and ...
'' (2008)
*''Yo Mismo'' (2009)
*''Muy Personal'' (2009)
*'' Busco Un Pueblo'' (2011)
*''Me Llamaré Tuyo'' (2013)
*''Que Suenen los Tambores
''Que Suenen los Tambores'' (English: ''Let the Drums Sound'') is the sixteenth studio album by Puerto Rican singer and songwriter Víctor Manuelle, released on April 21, 2015, through Kiyavi Corp. and Sony Music Latin. It was produced by Arbise ...
'' (2015)
*'' 25/7'' (2018)
*''Memorias de Navidad'' (2019)
*''Lado A Lado B'' (2022)
References
External links
Official Site - Victor Manuelle
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Manuelle, Victor
1968 births
Living people
Latin Grammy Award winners
Latin music songwriters
Latin pop singers
People from Isabela, Puerto Rico
People from the Bronx
Puerto Rican male composers
Salsa musicians
Sony Music Latin artists
20th-century Puerto Rican male singers
21st-century Puerto Rican male singers