Enrique Martín (other)
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Enrique Martin 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
discography Discography is the study and cataloging of published sound recordings, often by specified artists or within identified music genres. The exact information included varies depending on the type and scope of the discography, but a discography entry ...
incorporating a wide variety of many elements, such as
Latin pop Latin pop () 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. It originates with List of countries where Spanish is an official language, Spanish-speaking ...
, dance,
reggaeton Reggaeton (, ) is a modern style of popular music, popular and electronic music that originated in Panamanian reggaetón, Panama during the late 1980s, and which rose to prominence in the late 1990s and early 2000s through a plethora of Puert ...
,
salsa Salsa most often refers to: * Salsa (food), 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: Arts and ent ...
, and other genres. Born in
San Juan San Juan, Spanish for Saint John (disambiguation), Saint John, most commonly refers to: * San Juan, Puerto Rico * San Juan, Argentina * San Juan, Metro Manila, a highly urbanized city in the Philippines San Juan may also refer to: Places Arge ...
, Martin began appearing in television commercials at age nine and began his musical career at twelve, as a member of Puerto Rican boy band Menudo. He began his solo career in 1991 while in
Sony Music Mexico Sony Music Entertainment México is a Mexican subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment (SME). It was founded in 1947 as Discos Columbia de México as a subsidiary of Columbia Records. History Sony Music Entertainment Mexico and its recording stud ...
, gaining recognition in Latin America with the release of his first two studio albums, ''
Ricky Martin Enrique Martin 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 incorporati ...
'' (1991) and '' Me Amaras'' (1993), both of which were focused on
ballads A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of Great Britain and Ireland from the Late Middle Ages until the 19th century. They were widely used across Eur ...
. Martin's third album, ''
A Medio Vivir ''A Medio Vivir'' () is the third studio album by the Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin, released by Sony Discos and Columbia on September 12, 1995 (US). Commercial performance The album has sold over three million copies, worldwide. That numb ...
'' (1995), helped him rise to prominence in European countries. The chart-topping single " María" incorporated a mixture of
Latin music Latin music (Portuguese language, Portuguese and ) is a term used by the music industry as a catch-all category for various styles of music from Ibero-America, which encompasses Music of Latin America, Latin America, Music of Spain, Spain, Mu ...
genres and became his first international hit. His international success was further solidified with his fourth album, '' Vuelve'' (1998). The album, which earned Martin his first
Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...
, spawned songs " Vuelve" and "
La Copa de la Vida "The Cup of Life" ( Spanish: "La Copa de la Vida") is a song recorded by Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin for his fourth studio album, '' Vuelve'' (1998). Martin created the song after FIFA requested of him an anthem. The song was written by L ...
". Martin performed the latter at the
41st Annual Grammy Awards The 41st Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 24, 1999, at Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, recognizing musical achievements from the year 1998. Lauryn Hill led the ceremony with a record-breaking 10 nominations, becoming the first woman ...
. His first English album, ''
Ricky Martin Enrique Martin 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 incorporati ...
'' (1999) became his first US ''Billboard'' 200 number one. The lead single " Livin' la Vida Loca" topped both the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and the UK Singles Chart. Martin's success in the late 1990s is generally seen as the beginning of the "Latin explosion". He has been credited for propelling the Latin pop music genre to mainstream recognition, paving the way for a large number of Latin artists to achieve global success. Martin has since released several successful albums, including ''
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-American recording artist Ricky Martin. This is the first Spanish album release since 1998's '' ...
'' (2003) and ''
MTV Unplugged ''MTV Unplugged'' is an American television series on MTV. It showcases recorded live performances of popular music artists playing acoustic instrument, acoustic or "unplugged" variations of songs. The show aired regularly from 1989 to 1999. F ...
'' (2006), as well as Grammy Award winner '' A Quien Quiera Escuchar'' (2015). Notable singles in this period include "
She Bangs "She Bangs" is a song recorded by Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin for his sixth studio album, '' Sound Loaded'' (2000). The song was written by Desmond Child, Walter Afanasieff, and Draco Rosa, while the production was handled by Afanasief ...
", "
Nobody Wants to Be Lonely "Nobody Wants to Be Lonely" is a song by Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin from his sixth studio album, '' Sound Loaded'' (2000). Martin re-recorded the song along with American singer Christina Aguilera in December 2000. The album version was wr ...
", "
Tal Vez "Tal Vez" () is a song recorded by Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin for his seventh studio album, ''Almas del Silencio'' (2003). The song was written by Venezuelan singer-songwriter Franco De Vita, while the production was handled by Tommy Tor ...
", " Tu Recuerdo", "
La Mordidita "La Mordidita" (transl. ''The Little Bite'') is a song recorded by Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin, featuring Cuban singer Yotuel Romero, from his tenth studio album, A Quien Quiera Escuchar (2015). It was released on April 21, 2015, through ...
", "
Vente Pa' Ca "Vente Pa' Ca" () is a song recorded by Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin, featuring a guest appearance from Colombian singer Maluma. It was co-written by Ricky Martin, Maluma, Nermin Harambašić, Anne Judith Wik, Ronny Svendsen, Carl Ryden, C ...
", and "
Canción Bonita "Canción Bonita" () is a song recorded by Colombian singer Carlos Vives and Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin for Vives' sixteenth studio album, ''Cumbiana II''. It was written by Andrés Torres (producer), Andrés Torres, Rafa Arcaute, Martin, V ...
". As an actor, Martin took a role in the hit soap opera ''
General Hospital ''General Hospital'' (often abbreviated as ''GH'') is an American daytime television soap opera created by Frank and Doris Hursley which has been broadcast on American Broadcasting Company, ABC since April 1, 1963. Originally a half-hour seria ...
'' (1994–1996), while his portrayal of
Antonio D'Amico Antonio D'Amico (20 January 1959 – 6 December 2022) was an Italian fashion designer and model. Biography D'Amico was born in Mesagne, in the Italian province of Brindisi, and later lived in Milan. He was hired as a part-time office admini ...
in '' The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story'' (2018) garnered him an
Emmy The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award catego ...
nomination. He also starred as Ché in the
Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...
revival of the musical '' Evita'' in 2012. Martin is one of the best-selling Latin music artists of all time, having sold over 70 million records worldwide. He has scored 11 ''
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 advertis ...
''
Hot Latin Songs The ''Billboard'' Hot Latin Songs (formerly Hot Latin Tracks and Hot Latin 50) is a record chart in the United States for Latin music, Latin songs, published weekly by Billboard (magazine), ''Billboard'' magazine. Since October 2012, chart ranki ...
number-one songs, and won two Grammy Awards, five
Latin Grammy Awards The Latin Grammy Awards (stylized as Latin GRAMMYs) are awards presented by the Latin Recording Academy to recognize outstanding achievement in the Latin music, Latin music industry. The Latin Grammy honors works recorded in Spanish language, S ...
, five
MTV Video Music Awards The MTV Video Music Awards (commonly abbreviated as the VMAs) is an award show presented by the cable channel MTV to honor the best in the music video medium. Originally conceived as an alternative to the Grammy Awards (in the video category ...
, two
American Music Awards The American Music Awards (AMAs) is an annual American music awards show produced by Dick Clark Productions since 1974. Nominees are selected on commercial performance such as sales and airplay. Winners are determined by a poll of the public and ...
, three
Latin American Music Awards The Latin American Music Awards (Latin AMAs) is an annual American music awards show produced by TelevisaUnivision. It is the Spanish-language counterpart of the American Music Awards (AMAs). As with AMAs, the Latin AMAs are determined by a poll ...
, three ''Billboard'' Music Awards, nine ''Billboard'' Latin Music Awards, eight
World Music Awards The World Music Awards was an international award show founded in 1989 under the patronage of Albert II, Prince of Monaco and co-founder/executive producer John Martinotti. The event was based in Monte Carlo. Awards were presented to the worl ...
, fourteen
Lo Nuestro Awards The Lo Nuestro Awards or Premios Lo Nuestro (Spanish language, Spanish for "Ours") is a Spanish-language awards show honoring the best of Latin music (genre), Latin music, presented by TelevisaUnivision, and is carried by its Univision network in ...
, a ''
Guinness World Record ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a British reference book published annually, listi ...
'', and a star on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a landmark which consists of 2,813 five-pointed terrazzo-and-brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in the Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood dist ...
. His philanthropy and activism focus on
LGBT rights Rights affecting lesbian, Gay men, gay, Bisexuality, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people vary greatly by country or jurisdiction—encompassing everything from the legal recognition of same-sex marriage to the Capital punishmen ...
and fighting against
human trafficking Human trafficking is the act of recruiting, transporting, transferring, harboring, or receiving individuals through force, fraud, or coercion for the purpose of exploitation. This exploitation may include forced labor, sexual slavery, or oth ...
; in 2004, he founded The Ricky Martin Foundation, a non-profit, non-governmental organization that focuses on denouncing human trafficking and educating about the crime's existence.


Early life

Enrique Martin Morales was born on December 24, 1971, in
San Juan, Puerto Rico San Juan ( , ; Spanish for "Saint John the Baptist, John") is the capital city and most populous Municipalities of Puerto Rico, municipality in the Commonwealth (U.S. insular area), Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the ...
. His mother, Doña Nereida Morales, is a former accountant; his father, Enrique Martín Negroni, is a former psychologist who previously worked as a regional supervisor for a Puerto Rican mental-health agency. His parents divorced when he was two years old, and although his mother had custody of Martin, he could also move freely between his father's house in the middle-class suburb of University Gardens in San Juan, and his paternal grandmother's house nearby. In an interview with ''
People The term "the people" refers to the public or Common people, common mass of people of a polity. As such it is a concept of human rights law, international law as well as constitutional law, particularly used for claims of popular sovereignty. I ...
'', he told the magazine that he "never had to make decisions" about who he loved more, and he was "always happy". Martin has two older maternal half-brothers, Fernando and Ángel Fernández, two younger paternal half-brothers, Eric and Daniel Martín, and a younger paternal half-sister, Vanessa Martín. Martin has Spanish heritage of
Basque Basque may refer to: * Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France * Basque language, their language Places * Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France * Basque Country (autonomous co ...
and
Canarian Canary Islanders, or Canarians (), are the people of the Canary Islands, an autonomous community of Spain near the coast of Northwest Africa. The distinctive variety of the Spanish language spoken in the region is known as ''habla canaria'' (Ca ...
descent. As he explained to ''
ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...
'', the Martins traveled from
Segovia Segovia ( , , ) is a city in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Castile and León, Spain. It is the capital and most populated municipality of the Province of Segovia. Segovia is located in the Meseta central, Inner Pl ...
, Spain to Puerto Rico in 1779. He also has some Corsican origins through his paternal grandmother. Martin grew up
Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
. The people closest to him called him "Kiki" (a nickname that comes from Enrique). He began singing at age six, using wooden kitchen spoons as make-believe microphones; he often sang songs by Puerto Rican boy band Menudo, as well as English-language rock groups such as
Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock music, rock band formed in London in 1968. The band comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist-keyboardist John Paul Jones (musician), John Paul Jones and drummer John Bonham. With a he ...
, Journey, and
REO Speedwagon REO Speedwagon (originally stylized as R.E.O. Speedwagon), or simply REO, was an American Rock music, rock band from Champaign, Illinois. Formed in 1967, the band cultivated a following during the 1970s and achieved significant commercial suc ...
. His mother's side of the family was musically inclined and his maternal grandfather was a poet. Martin later reflected on his time spent with his family as a child: "Every time I find myself in front of an audience, be it twenty people or one hundred thousand, once again I feel the energy that consumed me back at the family gatherings of my youth." He attended Colegio Sagrado Corazón, a bilingual Catholic grade school in University Gardens since fourth grade and was an "average" student there. When he was nine years old, he began appearing in television commercials for products such as soft drinks, toothpaste, and fast food restaurants, including
Orange Crush Crush is a brand of carbonated soft drinks owned and marketed internationally by Keurig Dr Pepper, originally created as an orange soda, Orange Crush. It was created in 1911, 30 years before Coca-Cola's Fanta, by beverage and extract chemist ...
and
Burger King Burger King Corporation (BK, stylized in all caps) is an American multinational chain store, chain of hamburger fast food restaurants. Headquartered in Miami-Dade County, Florida, the company was founded in 1953 as Insta-Burger King, a Jacks ...
. In a year and a half, he starred in 11 commercials.


Career


1984–1989: Menudo

After achieving moderate fame in Puerto Rico for his appearances in television commercials, Martin auditioned for membership in Menudo. Formed in Puerto Rico in 1977, Menudo members were usually replaced when they hit 16 to keep the band "full of fresh-faced members". Although the executives enjoyed his dancing and singing at his first two auditions, Martin was rejected because he was too short. By the third audition, his persistence impressed executives, and in 1984, 12-year-old Martin became a member. He replaced member
Ricky Melendez Ricky may refer to: Places *Říčky, a municipality and village in the Czech Republic *Říčky, a village and part of Orlické Podhůří in the Czech Republic *Říčky v Orlických horách, a municipality and village in the Czech Republic *Ri ...
at Menudo. A month after joining Menudo, he made his debut performance with the group at the
Luis A. Ferré Performing Arts Center The Luis A. Ferré Performing Arts Center (Centro de Bellas Artes Luis A. Ferré in Spanish) is a multi-use performance centre located in the barrio of Santurce in San Juan, Puerto Rico. It features three main concert and theater halls for play ...
in San Juan (he had previously sung at a Menudo concert, at Ricky Melendez's last concert as a member of the band on September 16, 1984). During this performance, he inadvertently disobeyed the choreography by walking around the stage, when it was planned that he would stay still, and was chastised by the band manager after the show: "The mistake was such a big deal that from that moment on, never again did I move when I wasn't supposed to move. That was the discipline of Menudo: You either did things the way you were told or you were not part of the group." Although Martin enjoyed traveling and performing onstage with Menudo, he found the band's busy schedule and strict management exhausting, and later reflected that the experience "cost" him his childhood. Despite this, Martin acknowledged his "opportunity to have so many amazing experiences with so many amazing people" during his time with the group. During his time with Menudo, he became a "key-member of the group" and a "fan-favorite", while the band released 11 albums, including the
Grammy The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...
-nominated '' Evolución'' () (1984) and their highest-charting and longest-running album on the US ''Billboard'' 200, '' Menudo'' (1985). The former featured Martin's debut single, "Rayo de Luna" () and the latter included the hit single " Hold Me". "Hold Me" became the group's first and only entry on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart, peaking at number 62. It was ranked among the "100 Greatest Boy Band Songs of All Time" 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 advertis ...
'', the "75 Greatest Boy Band Songs of All Time" by ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...
'', and the "30 Best Boy Band Songs" by ''
Complex Complex commonly refers to: * Complexity, the behaviour of a system whose components interact in multiple ways so possible interactions are difficult to describe ** Complex system, a system composed of many components which may interact with each ...
''. Besides the musical career, Martin appeared with other members of Menudo in the American
romantic comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a sub-genre of comedy and Romance novel, romance fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount all obstacles. Ro ...
/drama television series, ''
The Love Boat ''The Love Boat'' is an American romantic comedy-drama television series created by Wilford Lloyd Baumes that originally aired on ABC from September 24, 1977, to May 24, 1986. In addition, three TV movies aired before the regular series pre ...
'' (1985), and the Argentine soap opera, ''Por Siempre Amigos'' (1987). He also developed an interest in philanthropy when the group became
UNICEF UNICEF ( ), originally the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund, officially United Nations Children's Fund since 1953, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing Humanitarianism, humanitarian and Development a ...
ambassadors. Finally, Martin left the band in July 1989, at age 17, hoping to rest and evaluate his career path; he stayed a few extra months after his "age-mandated retirement" came around. He performed his final show with the group at the same venue where he had performed his first performance as a member. Martin returned to Puerto Rico to "get a break from the pressures of the group, the promotional tours, and the constant stress of work." He graduated from high school, and 13 days after turning 18, he moved to New York City to celebrate his financial independence; since he was a minor during his time with Menudo, Martin was not allowed to access his own bank accounts.


1990–1994: Acting and first solo albums

Martin was accepted into
New York University New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...
's
Tisch School of the Arts The New York University Tisch School of the Arts (commonly referred to as Tisch) is the performing, cinematic, and media arts school of New York University. Founded on August 17, 1965, as the School of the Arts at New York University, Tisch ...
in 1990, but before classes began, his friend invited him to Mexico City. He attended the musical comedy play, ''Mama Ama el Rock'' () there, and was offered to stay and replace one of the actors. He accepted the offer, dropped out of university and moved from New York to Mexico City to perform in the play. While he was performing onstage in ''Mama Ama el Rock'', a producer in the audience took notice of Martin's acting and offered him a role in the Mexican
telenovela A telenovela is a type of a television serial drama or soap opera produced primarily in Latin America. The word combines ''tele'' (for "television") and ''novela'' (meaning "novel"). Similar Drama (film and television), drama genres around the w ...
''
Alcanzar una estrella II ''Alcanzar una estrella II'' (English title: ''To reach a star II'') is a Mexican telenovela produced by Luis de Llano Macedo for Televisa in 1991. It is the sequel to ''Alcanzar una estrella''. Sasha Sokol, Ricky Martin, Angélica Rivera, Erik ...
'' (1991). A film based on the TV series, titled ''Más que alcanzar una estrella'' () (1992), was also produced in which Martin starred, and earned him an El Heraldo Award for his role. A
Sony Discos Sony Music Entertainment US Latin LLC (often referred to as Sony Music Latin) is an American record label owned by Sony Music. The label focuses on artists of Latin music. Sony Latin was also a division of the Sony Discos label. History In ...
executive noticed Martin's acting in the soap operas and offered him his first solo music recording contract. Eager to record his first solo album and hustled by the executive, Martin signed the contract without reading its conditions and inadvertently signed a deal in which he would only be paid one cent for each album sold. Despite viewing the contract as unfair, Martin referred to the record as "the start of something phenomenal" for him. After working "around the clock" to finish filming ''Alcanzar una estrella II'' and recording music, he released his debut solo album, ''
Ricky Martin Enrique Martin 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 incorporati ...
'', on November 26, 1991. The album peaked at number five on the US ''Billboard''
Latin Pop Albums The '' Billboard'' Latin pop charts began in 1985 when an album chart were introduced as Latin Pop Albums in the June 29 issue of the magazine. In October 1994, ''Billboard'' then established Latin Pop Airplay, which initially rank the most-played ...
chart and spent a total of 41 weeks on the list. It sold over 500,000 copies worldwide, was certified gold in several countries, and spawned his first solo hit singles, " Fuego Contra Fuego" (), " El Amor de Mi Vida" (), and " Dime Que Me Quieres" (). Both "Fuego Contra Fuego" and "El Amor de Mi Vida" reached the top 10 on the US ''Billboard''
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, ...
. To promote the album, Martin embarked on a successful Latin American tour, breaking box office records, which the singer referred to as "an indescribable feeling, almost like coming home". After the success of ''Ricky Martin'' and its subsequent tour, Martin's record company met him with the Spanish musician
Juan Carlos Calderón Juan Carlos Calderón López de Arróyabe (7 July 1938 – 25 November 2012) was a Spanish singer-songwriter and musician. Born in Santander, he was the author of "Eres tú", which, performed by Mocedades, came second in the Eurovision Song ...
to work on his second studio album, '' Me Amaras'' () (1993). Although Martin felt "very grateful" for the opportunity to work with Calderón, he noted, "I always felt that that record was more his than mine." The album sold over one million copies worldwide and was certified triple-platinum in Chile. During 1993, Martin suffered two harrowing incidents: he was injured in a car accident and also almost got involved in a plane crash, when a plane that flew him to
San Diego, California San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...
for an interview, crashed right after dropping him off. In 1994, Martin's agent encouraged him to move to Los Angeles to act in an American sitcom called ''
Getting By ''Getting By'' is an American television sitcom that aired on ABC from March 5, 1993, until May 21, 1993, and on NBC from September 21, 1993, until June 18, 1994. The series was created by William Bickley and Michael Warren, who also served as ...
''. The show was canceled after two seasons, but soon afterward, Martin was given the role of Miguel Morez on the popular hit soap opera ''
General Hospital ''General Hospital'' (often abbreviated as ''GH'') is an American daytime television soap opera created by Frank and Doris Hursley which has been broadcast on American Broadcasting Company, ABC since April 1, 1963. Originally a half-hour seria ...
''; Morez, a bartender and singer, known for his long and flowing hair, was a Puerto Rican citizen hiding in the United States from his lover's
criminal mastermind A crime boss, also known as a crime lord, mafia don, mob boss, kingpin, or godfather is the leader of a criminal organization. Description A crime boss has absolute or nearly absolute control over the other members of the organization and is ...
father and created a
love triangle A love triangle is a scenario or circumstance, usually depicted as a rivalry, in which two people are pursuing or involved in a romantic relationship with one person, or in which one person in a romantic relationship with someone is simultaneo ...
with his fiancé Lily Rivera and Brenda. Martin portrayed the role for two years and gained huge popularity and stardom, becoming "one of the most-talked about actors on the soap opera". Despite this, Martin felt he lacked chemistry with the rest of the ''General Hospital'' cast and observed that people treated him differently because of his Puerto Rican accent. At the time, it was relatively uncommon for Latin actors to appear on American television, and people suggested that he take accent reduction classes, which he refused.


1995–1997: Breakthrough with ''A Medio Vivir''

In 1995, Martin refocused on his music career, and began working on his third studio album, ''
A Medio Vivir ''A Medio Vivir'' () is the third studio album by the Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin, released by Sony Discos and Columbia on September 12, 1995 (US). Commercial performance The album has sold over three million copies, worldwide. That numb ...
'' (). The album was released in September 1995, and became a huge success; it sold over three million copies worldwide. being certified gold in the United States, platinum in France, 4× platinum in Spain, as well as many other certifications in Latin American countries. It spawned several successful hits, including "
Te Extraño, Te Olvido, Te Amo "Te Extraño, Te Olvido, Te Amo" () is a song recorded by Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin for his third studio album, ''A Medio Vivir (album), A Medio Vivir'' (1995). The song was written by Carlos Lara, while the production was handled by KC P ...
" (), " María", and " Volverás" (). On "María", which was released as the second single from the album, Martin allowed himself "to go into a very
Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
, African sound". He created a mix of different Latin music genres instead of singing a romantic
ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of Great Britain and Ireland from the Late Middle Ages until the 19th century. They were widely used across Eur ...
, the style that he focused on it in his first two albums, while
Latin pop Latin pop () 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. It originates with List of countries where Spanish is an official language, Spanish-speaking ...
music in general was mainly made up of it at the time. Although Martin was satisfied with the track and he describes it as a song that he is "extremely proud of", the first time he played it for a record label executive, the man said: "Are you crazy? You have ruined your career! I can't believe you are showing me this. You're finished — this is going to be your last album." Despite this, the track became Martin's breakthrough song and his first international hit. It topped the charts in 20 countries, and has sold over five million physical copies worldwide. As a result, the song was featured in the 1999 edition of ''
The Guinness Book of Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a British reference book published annually, listi ...
'' as the biggest Latin hit. In Australia, "María" spent six weeks at number one, topped the country's year-end chart in 1998, and was certified platinum. The song also spent nine weeks at number one in France, and was certified diamond, selling over 1.4 million copies there. Additionally, the track reached the top 10 in the United Kingdom, and became Martin's first entry on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart. To promote ''A Medio Vivir'', he embarked on the worldwide A Medio Vivir Tour, that lasted for more than two years, through which he performed 63 shows and visited Europe, Latin America and the United States. During an interview with ''
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'' in 1996, Martin expressed an interest in performing on
Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...
. In a few days, he received a phone call from producer Richard Jay-Alexander, and was offered the role of
Marius Pontmercy Marius Pontmercy () is a fictional character, one of the protagonists of Victor Hugo’s 1862 novel ''Les Misérables''. He is a young student, and the suitor of Cosette. Believing Cosette lost to him, and determined to die, he joins the revoluti ...
in the play ''
Les Misérables ''Les Misérables'' (, ) is a 19th-century French literature, French Epic (genre), epic historical fiction, historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published on 31 March 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. '' ...
''. After the conclusion of the A Medio Vivir Tour in Latin America, Martin returned to New York to appear in the play in an eleven-week run. He greatly enjoyed the experience, calling his time in the play an "honor" and "the role of islife". Martin continued to tour after the conclusion of the show's run, and noted that his audiences were growing in both size and enthusiasm.


1998–1999: ''Vuelve''

While the A Medio Vivir Tour had not been concluded yet, Martin returned to the studio to record his fourth album '' Vuelve'' (). He called the experience of touring and recording at the same time "brutal and incredibly intense". As he was finishing the record in 1997, "María" caught the attention of
FIFA The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (), more commonly known by its acronym FIFA ( ), is the international self-regulatory governing body of association football, beach soccer, and futsal. It was founded on 21 May 1904 to o ...
. They contacted Martin and asked him to create a
song A song is a musical composition performed by the human voice. The voice often carries the melody (a series of distinct and fixed pitches) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs have a structure, such as the common ABA form, and are usu ...
as the
1998 FIFA World Cup The 1998 FIFA World Cup was the 16th FIFA World Cup, the Association football, football world championship for List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams. The finals tournament was held in France from 10 June to 1 ...
anthem. He stated about the request: "I have to admit that the challenge made me a bit nervous, but the massive growth potential for my career was such that I decided to accept." Following his acceptance, musicians K.C. Porter,
Robi 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 ...
, and
Desmond Child John Charles Barrett (born October 28, 1953), known professionally as Desmond Child, is an American songwriter and record producer. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2008. He has been nominated for four Grammy Awards, a Primet ...
joined him and they started working on a song titled "
La Copa de la Vida "The Cup of Life" ( Spanish: "La Copa de la Vida") is a song recorded by Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin for his fourth studio album, '' Vuelve'' (1998). Martin created the song after FIFA requested of him an anthem. The song was written by L ...
" (English: "The Cup of Life"). Martin wrote about the recording: "La Copa de la Vida" was included on ''Vuelve'', released February 12, 1998. The album became a huge success; it sold over eight million copies worldwide, becoming the best-selling Spanish-language album in history, according to his label. Also, some sources have reported the album's sales as six million copies worldwide. It spent 26 weeks atop the US ''Billboard'' Top Latin Albums chart and was certified platinum by the
Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
(RIAA). In Canada, the album peaked at number three and was certified double platinum. ''Vuelve'' spawned big hits, including the
title track A title track is a song that has the same name as the album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-t ...
, "La Copa de la Vida", " Perdido Sin Ti" (), and " La Bomba" (). "La Copa de la Vida" grew to be an international success, appearing on the charts in more than 60 countries, and reaching number one in 30 countries, Both "Vuelve" and "Perdido Sin Ti" peaked at number one on the US ''Billboard'' Hot Latin Tracks chart; the former also reached number one in eight countries. On July 12, 1998, Martin performed "La Copa de la Vida" as the official anthem at the
1998 FIFA World Cup Final The 1998 FIFA World Cup final was the final match of the 1998 FIFA World Cup, the 16th edition of the quadrennial football competition organised by FIFA for the men's national teams of its member associations. The match was played at the Stade ...
in France, in front of more than a billion TV viewers around the world. To promote ''Vuelve'', Martin embarked on the worldwide Vuelve Tour; he performed in Asia, Australia, Europe, Mexico, South America, and the United States. Although Latin music was not important to
the Recording Academy National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, Inc. (NARAS), doing business as The Recording Academy, is an American Learned society, learned academy of musicians, producers, recording engineers, and other musical professionals. It is widely kno ...
or the mainstream music industry at the time, Tommy Mottola, then-chief of
Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...
, was certain about Martin's stardom and pushed hard to have him on the
Grammy Awards The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...
ceremony. Finally, on February 24, 1999, cavorting with a 15-piece band alongside and a large number of dancers and percussionists, Martin performed a bilingual version of "La Copa de La Vida" at the
41st Annual Grammy Awards The 41st Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 24, 1999, at Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, recognizing musical achievements from the year 1998. Lauryn Hill led the ceremony with a record-breaking 10 nominations, becoming the first woman ...
, which was greeted with a standing ovation and met with acclaim from music critics. At the same night, ''Vuelve'' earned Martin his first Grammy award, for
Best Latin Pop Performance The Grammy Award for Best Latin Pop Album is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for releasing albums in the Latin pop genre. Honors in ...
.


1999–2000: Crossover to English

In October 1998,
CNN Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational news organization operating, most notably, a website and a TV channel headquartered in Atlanta. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable ne ...
confirmed that Martin has been working on his first English language album, following the huge success of ''Vuelve''. The album was titled ''
Ricky Martin Enrique Martin 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 incorporati ...
'' and was released on May 11, 1999, two weeks ahead of schedule, because of the huge interest in the disc, following Martin's performance at the Grammy Awards. Tim Devin, the general manager of
Tower Records Tower Records is an international retail franchising, franchise and online music store that was formerly based in Sacramento, California, United States. From 1960 until 2006, Tower operated retail stores in the United States, which closed when ...
stated about Martin: "He's always been one of our strongest Latin artists, but interest in him has picked up considerably since that performance." ''Ricky Martin'' debuted atop the US ''Billboard'' 200 with first-week sales of 661,000 copies, becoming the largest sales week by any album in 1999. It also broke the record as the largest first-week sales for any pop or Latin artist in history, as well as any Columbia Records artist during the SoundScan era. With this album, Martin became the first male Latin act in history to debut at number one on the US ''Billboard'' 200 chart. It was certified 7× platinum by RIAA, denoting shipments of over seven million copies in the US and breaking the record as the best-selling album by a Latin artist in the country. Only within three months, ''Ricky Martin'' became the best-selling album ever by a Latin artist. According to different sources, the album has sold over 15 million copies or even 17 million copies worldwide. It was nominated for
Best Pop Album The Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality vocal pop music albums. Awards in several ...
at the
42nd Annual Grammy Awards The 42nd Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 23, 2000, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the year 1999. Nominations were announced on January 4, 2000. Santana was the main ...
. The album's
lead single A lead single (or first single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. A similar term, "debut ...
" Livin' la Vida Loca" () topped the charts in more than 20 countries and is considered to be Martin's biggest hit, and one of the best-selling singles of all time. In the United States, it topped the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart for five consecutive weeks, becoming Martin's first number one single on the chart. Additionally, it broke several records on ''Billboard'' charts. It also spent eight consecutive weeks atop the Canada Top Singles chart and topped the country's year-end chart. In the United Kingdom, it debuted at number one and stayed there for three weeks, making Martin the first Puerto Rican artist in history to hit number one. The track was ranked as the best '90s pop song by ''
Elle Elle may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Elle (magazine), ''Elle'' (magazine), a fashion publication ** Elle Style Awards * Elle (India), ''Elle'' (India), the Indian edition * Elle (film), ''Elle'' (film), a 2016 French film * ''Elle: ...
'', and was listed among the Best Latin Songs of All Time by ''Billboard''. It was nominated for four categories at the
42nd Annual Grammy Awards The 42nd Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 23, 2000, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the year 1999. Nominations were announced on January 4, 2000. Santana was the main ...
, including
Record of the Year The Grammy Award for Record of the Year is presented by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without re ...
and Song of the Year. Its Spanish version reached the summit of the ''Billboard'' Hot Latin Tracks chart, and was nominated for
Record of the Year The Grammy Award for Record of the Year is presented by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without re ...
at the
1st Annual Latin Grammy Awards The 1st Annual Latin Grammy Awards were held in Los Angeles at the Staples Center on Wednesday, September 13, 2000. The big winners were Luis Miguel, Santana and Maná with 3 awards; Juan Luis Guerra, Shakira, Fito Páez and Emilio Estefan Jr. ...
. "She's All I Ever Had" was released as the second single from the album in June 1999. It peaked at numbers two and three on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and Canada Top Singles charts, respectively. The Spanish version, "Bella" () topped the charts in five countries, as well as ''Billboard''s Hot Latin Tracks chart. To further promote ''Ricky Martin'', he embarked on the worldwide
Livin' la Vida Loca Tour The Livin' La Vida Loca World Tour was the first major world concert tour by Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin to support his first English-language album '' Ricky Martin''. The tour started in October 1999 and continued until October 2000. The ...
, which was the highest-grossing tour of 2000 by a Latin artist in the US.


2000–2005: ''Sound Loaded'', ''Almas del Silencio'', and ''Life''

While the Livin' la Vida Loca Tour had not been concluded yet, Martin returned to the studio to record his sixth studio album, ''
Sound Loaded ''Sound Loaded'' is the sixth studio album by Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin. It was released on November 14, 2000, by Columbia Records. Following the huge success of his first English album, ''Ricky Martin'' (1999), Martin returned to the stud ...
''. The album was released on November 14, 2000. It debuted at number four on the ''Billboard'' 200 with first-week sales of 318,000 copies. The album has sold over seven million copies or even eight million copies worldwide, according to different sources, being certified double platinum in the US. The album featured two hit singles, "
She Bangs "She Bangs" is a song recorded by Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin for his sixth studio album, '' Sound Loaded'' (2000). The song was written by Desmond Child, Walter Afanasieff, and Draco Rosa, while the production was handled by Afanasief ...
" and "
Nobody Wants to Be Lonely "Nobody Wants to Be Lonely" is a song by Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin from his sixth studio album, '' Sound Loaded'' (2000). Martin re-recorded the song along with American singer Christina Aguilera in December 2000. The album version was wr ...
". The former reached number one in seven countries, including Italy and Sweden, as well as the top five in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and several other countries. It was nominated for
Best Male Pop Vocal Performance The Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance was a Grammy Award recognizing superior vocal performance by a male in the pop category, the first of which was presented in 1959. It was discontinued after the 2011 Grammy season. The award wen ...
at the
43rd Annual Grammy Awards The 43rd Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 21, 2001, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the year 2000. Several artists earned three awards on the night. Steely Dan's haul ...
. The Spanish-language version of "She Bangs" reached the summit of the Hot Latin Tracks chart and won the Latin Grammy Award for Best Music Video at the
2nd Annual Latin Grammy Awards The winners of the Second Annual Latin Grammy Awards were announced during a press conference on Tuesday, October 30, 2001, at the Conga Room in Los Angeles, California. The conference, which was broadcast live on the internet, was hosted by Jimm ...
. "Nobody Wants to Be Lonely" was re-recorded along with American singer Christina Aguilera, peaking at number one in five countries, as well as the top five in Italy, Germany, Spain, and the United Kingdom, among others. It was nominated for
Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals The Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals was an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality pop songs on which singers ...
at the
44th Annual Grammy Awards The 44th Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 27, 2002, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. The main recipient was Alicia Keys, winning five Grammys, including Best New Artist and Song of the Year for " Fallin'". U2 won fo ...
. The solo Spanish version, entitled "Sólo Quiero Amarte" topped the Hot Latin Tracks chart. Both "She Bangs" and "Nobody Wants to Be Lonely" are certified silver in the UK. In February 2001, Martin released a Spanish compilation album entitled '' La Historia'' (), which spent five weeks at number one on the Top Latin Albums chart, topped the charts in Argentina and Sweden, and was certified quadruple Latin platinum in the United States. Later that year it was also announced that he would star in a remake of
Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...
's ''
Viva Las Vegas ''Viva Las Vegas'' is a 1964 American rock and roll musical film directed by George Sidney, written by Sally Benson, choreographed by David Winters, and starring Elvis Presley, Ann-Margret, Cesare Danova, William Demarest and Nicky Blair ...
'' alongside
Jennifer Lopez Jennifer Lynn Lopez (born July 24, 1969), also known by her nickname J.Lo, is an American singer, songwriter, actress, dancer and businesswoman. Lopez is regarded as one of the most influential entertainers of her time, credited with breaking ...
, but this did not eventuate. Following the success of ''Ricky Martin'' and ''Sound Loaded'', he initially planned to release the third English-language album as his seventh studio album, which was supposed to be his first complete work in the field of songwriting. Despite Sony Music Entertainment's original plan after a two-year hiatus he decided to release a Spanish-language album: "I woke up five months ago, and I said 'We're doing an album in Spanish.' Everyone went nuts. They said, 'You don't have time; you have to release an album in English because of timing issues with your career.' And that's fine. But I told them, 'In five months, you'll have a kick-ass album'
n Spanish N, or n, is the fourteenth letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages, and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''en'' (pronounced ), plural ''ens''. History ...
Martin's seventh studio album, ''
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-American recording artist Ricky Martin. This is the first Spanish album release since 1998's '' ...
'' () was released in May 2003. It debuted atop the ''Billboard'' Top Latin Albums chart with first-week sales of 65,000 copies, according to data compiled by Nielsen SoundScan, breaking the record as the largest first-week sales for a Spanish-language album in the US. The album also debuted at number 12 on ''Billboard'' 200, tying the 2002 album, '' Quizás'' () as the chart's highest Spanish-language debut. The album also debuted at number one in "at least 13 Latin American markets" and sold over two million copies worldwide. ''Almas del Silencio'' spawned three Hot Latin Tracks chart-topper hits: "
Tal Vez "Tal Vez" () is a song recorded by Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin for his seventh studio album, ''Almas del Silencio'' (2003). The song was written by Venezuelan singer-songwriter Franco De Vita, while the production was handled by Tommy Tor ...
" (), " Jaleo", and " Y Todo Queda en Nada" (). "Tal Vez" debuted at number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot Latin Tracks chart on the week of April 12, 2003, marking the first number one debut since February 1998, and becoming the sixth song overall in the chart's history to do so. It spent a total of 11 weeks at this position, surpassing "Livin' la Vida Loca" as Martin's longest number-one single on the chart, and was the longest-running number one of 2003. It also topped the charts in several Latin American markets. In October 2005, Martin released his third English album, ''
Life Life, also known as biota, refers to matter that has biological processes, such as Cell signaling, signaling and self-sustaining processes. It is defined descriptively by the capacity for homeostasis, Structure#Biological, organisation, met ...
''. He commented on the album: "I was really in touch with my emotions. I think this album is very multi-layered, just like life is. It's about feeling anger. It's about feeling joy. It's about feeling uncertainty. It's about feeling. And all my emotions are part of this production". To promote ''Life'', Martin embarked on the worldwide
One Night Only with Ricky Martin One Night Only with Ricky Martin (also known as Una Noche con Ricky Martin) was a worldwide concert tour by Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin, in support of his 2005 album ''Life''. The tour visited the Americas, Europe, Asia and Africa. Backgrou ...
tour.


2006–2012: ''MTV Unplugged'', ''Música + Alma + Sexo'', and ''Evita''

Although Martin's team and
MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...
had discussed an ''
MTV Unplugged ''MTV Unplugged'' is an American television series on MTV. It showcases recorded live performances of popular music artists playing acoustic instrument, acoustic or "unplugged" variations of songs. The show aired regularly from 1989 to 1999. F ...
'' for years, but it became more serious after Martin's the One Night Only tour, which featured an acoustic segment. Finally, Martin taped his ''MTV Unplugged'' set in Miami in August 2006, performing both romantic ballads and up-tempo
tropical The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the equator, where the sun may shine directly overhead. This contrasts with the temperate or polar regions of Earth, where the Sun can never be directly overhead. This is because of Earth's ax ...
dance songs. During the performance, he debuted three new tracks, including " Tu Recuerdo" (), which was released to radio stations as the
lead single A lead single (or first single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. A similar term, "debut ...
from his debut live album ''
MTV Unplugged ''MTV Unplugged'' is an American television series on MTV. It showcases recorded live performances of popular music artists playing acoustic instrument, acoustic or "unplugged" variations of songs. The show aired regularly from 1989 to 1999. F ...
'' (2006). The album debuted at number one on the Top Latin Albums chart and sold over two million copies worldwide, marking his highest-certified album in Mexico. It won two Latin Grammy awards and was nominated for Album of the Year. "Tu Recuerdo" reached number one in five countries, as well as the ''Billboard''s Hot Latin Songs and Latin Pop Airplay charts. The track was certified quadruple platinum in Mexico and was nominated for Record of the Year at the
8th Annual Latin Grammy Awards The 8th Annual Latin Grammy Awards took place on Thursday, November 8, 2007, at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. The show aired on Univision. Juan Luis Guerra was the night's big winner, winning 5 awards including Album of th ...
. The artist then embarked on the Black and White Tour in 2007, including four sold-out shows at the
José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum The ''Coliseo de Puerto Rico José Miguel Agrelot'' ( English: José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum of Puerto Rico) is the largest indoor entertainment and sports arena in Puerto Rico since its inauguration in 2004. Located in the Hato Rey business ce ...
in Puerto Rico. The concerts in Puerto Rico were compiled into his second live album '' Ricky Martin... Live Black & White Tour'' (2007). Later that year, he released his first Italian song, " Non siamo soli" () as a duet with Italian singer
Eros Ramazzotti Eros Walter Luciano Ramazzotti (; born 28 October 1963) is an Italian Pop music, pop singer 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 ...
. The song debuted at number one in Italy and spent eleven consecutive weeks atop the chart. In January 2011, Martin launched his ninth studio album, ''
Música + Alma + Sexo ''Música + Alma + Sexo'' () is the ninth studio album by Puerto Rican singer-songwriter Ricky Martin. It was released on January 31, 2011, in Europe by Columbia Records and on February 1, 2011, in North America by Sony Music Latin. The album fea ...
'' (). The album debuted at number three on the US ''Billboard'' 200 chart, becoming the highest-charting primarily-Spanish language set since '' Dreaming of You'' (1995) by American singer
Selena Selena Quintanilla-Pérez (; April 16, 1971 – March 31, 1995) was an American singer-songwriter. Known as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Tejano Music", her contributions to music and fashion made her one of the most cel ...
. It holds the record as the highest-charting Latin album of the 2010s, and represents the highest-ever chart debut on the ''Billboard'' 200 for a Sony Music Latin release. ''Música + Alma + Sexo'' also peaked at number one in Argentina and Venezuela, as well as ''Billboard''s Top Latin Albums. Its lead single, " Lo Mejor de Mi Vida Eres Tú" (English: "The Best Thing About Me Is You") reached number one on the US ''Billboard'' Hot Latin Songs chart and was nominated for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Short Form Music Video at the
12th Annual Latin Grammy Awards The 12th Annual Latin Grammy Awards was held on Thursday, November 10, 2011, at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas and was hosted by Lucero and Cristián de la Fuente. The eligibility period for recordings to be nominated is July 1, 201 ...
. To promote the album, Martin embarked on the
Música + Alma + Sexo World Tour Musica (Latin), or La Musica (Italian) or Música (Portuguese and Spanish) may refer to: Music Albums * ''Musica è'', a mini album by Italian funk singer Eros Ramazzotti 1988 * ''Musica'', an album by Ghaleb 2005 * ), a German album by Giova ...
in 2011. In February 2012, he appeared as Spanish teacher David Martinez on the twelfth episode of the third season of the American musical television series ''
Glee Glee may refer to: * Glee (music), a type of English choral music * ''Glee'' (TV series), an American musical comedy-drama TV series, and related media created by Ryan Murphy * ''Glee'' (Bran Van 3000 album) * ''Glee'' (Logan Lynn album) * Gle ...
'',
The Spanish Teacher "The Spanish Teacher" is the twelfth episode of the third season of the American musical television series ''Glee'', and the fifty-sixth overall. Written by co-creator Ian Brennan and directed by Paris Barclay, the episode aired on Fox in th ...
. Martin starred as Ché in the Broadway revival of the musical '' Evita'' from March 2012 to January 2013. The show became a hit, breaking the theatre's box-office sales record after only six performances. Since then, it broke its own record six times and was nominated for Best Revival of a Musical at the 66th Tony Awards. The show's soundtrack album debuted at number one on ''Billboard''s cast album chart.


2013–2018: ''The Voice'', ''A Quien Quiera Escuchar'', and ''The Assassination of Gianni Versace''

Martin served as a coach to replace
Keith Urban Keith Lionel Urban ( né Urbahn; 26 October 1967) is an Australian and American country singer, songwriter and guitarist. Recognised with four Grammy Awards, he has also received 15 Academy of Country Music Awards, including the Jim Reeves Int ...
on the second season of the Australian singing competition television series '' The Voice'' in 2013. In the same year, he released a compilation album, entitled '' Greatest Hits: Souvenir Edition'', which reached number two in Australia, as well as a new single, entitled " Come with Me", which debuted at number three in the country. The artist then embarked on the Ricky Martin Live tour in Australia in October 2013. He continued serving as a coach on both the
third Third or 3rd may refer to: Numbers * 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3 * , a fraction of one third * 1⁄60 of a ''second'', i.e., the third in a series of fractional parts in a sexagesimal number system Places * 3rd Street (di ...
and fourth seasons of ''The Voice Australia'' in 2014 and 2015, respectively. In 2014, Lars Brandle from ''Billboard'' stated in an article: "Through his high-profile slot on ''The Voice'', Ricky's profile in Australia has never been as big as it is right now." On February 25, 2014,
Wisin Juan Luis Alberto Morera Luna (; born December 19, 1978), known professionally as Wisin (), is a Puerto Rican reggaeton rapper, singer and record producer, best known as a member of the reggaeton duo Wisin & Yandel. Wisin is noted for his uniq ...
released a song titled " Adrenalina" () from his album ''
El Regreso del Sobreviviente ''El Regreso del Sobreviviente'' (transl. ''The Return of the Survivor'') is the second studio album (first one in 10 years as a solo artist), by Puerto Rican reggaeton artist Wisin. It is the sequel to his first studio album El Sobreviviente. I ...
'' (), which featured
Jennifer Lopez Jennifer Lynn Lopez (born July 24, 1969), also known by her nickname J.Lo, is an American singer, songwriter, actress, dancer and businesswoman. Lopez is regarded as one of the most influential entertainers of her time, credited with breaking ...
and Martin, and became the
Univision Univision () is an American Spanish-language terrestrial television, 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 L ...
's 2014 World Cup song. Later that year, Martin released his single " Vida" () for the
2014 FIFA World Cup The 2014 FIFA World Cup was the 20th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for list of men's national association football teams, men's national Association football, football teams organised by FIFA. It took place in Brazil fr ...
. The song reached the top five in Spain and on the US Hot Latin Songs chart. Also in 2014, he served as a coach on the fourth season of '' The Voice Mexico'', and embarked on the Live in Mexico tour. In February 2015, Martin released his tenth studio album, '' A Quien Quiera Escuchar'' (). The album debuted at number one on ''Billboard''s Top Latin Albums chart and peaked at number one in Argentina. It won the award for Best Latin Pop Album at the
58th Annual Grammy Awards The 58th Annual Grammy Awards was held on February 15, 2016, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The ceremony recognizes the best recordings, compositions and artists of the eligibility year, which was from October 1, 2014, to September 30, 201 ...
and Album of the Year at the 1st Latin American Music Awards. The album spawned three Hot Latin Songs top-10 hits: " Adiós" (), "
Disparo al Corazón "Disparo al Corazón" () is a song recorded by Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin, released on January 13, 2015, as the second single from his Grammy Award–winning Spanish-language album, '' A Quien Quiera Escuchar'' (2015). It was written by Ri ...
" (), and "
La Mordidita "La Mordidita" (transl. ''The Little Bite'') is a song recorded by Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin, featuring Cuban singer Yotuel Romero, from his tenth studio album, A Quien Quiera Escuchar (2015). It was released on April 21, 2015, through ...
" (). "Disparo al Corazón" was nominated for both Record of the Year and Song of the Year at the
16th Annual Latin Grammy Awards The 16th Annual Latin Grammy Awards were held on November 19, 2015 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. This was the second time that Latin Grammys were held at this venue. The nominations were announced on September 23, 2015. Leonel Gar ...
. "La Mordidita" experienced huge commercial success, being certified 15× Latin platinum in the United States. Its accompanying music video has received over 1.2 billion views on YouTube. To promote the album, Martin embarked on the One World Tour from 2015 to 2017. He served as an executive producer and a judge on the American singing competition series ''
La Banda La Banda is a city in the province of Santiago del Estero, Argentina. It has about 95,000 inhabitants as per the , making it the second largest in the province. It is the head town of the Banda Department. La Banda is located only 8 km away ...
'' (), which premiered in 2015 and 2016 on Univision. The first season was "looking for the next Latin boy band", while the second season was looking for a Latin girl band. The contestants would compete for a recording deal with Sony Music Latin and
Syco Music Syco Music, originally S Records, was a division of Syco Entertainment which operated from 2002 until 2020. The label was founded by British entrepreneur, record executive and media personality Simon Cowell, who was formerly employed at Bertels ...
.
CNCO CNCO was an American latin boy band based in Miami, Miami, Florida. The group consisted of Richard Camacho, Erick Brian Colón, Christopher Vélez and ZABDIEL, Zabdiel De Jesús; Joel DELEŌN, Joel Pimentel was a member until his departure in M ...
, known as the first boy band to make
reggaeton Reggaeton (, ) is a modern style of popular music, popular and electronic music that originated in Panamanian reggaetón, Panama during the late 1980s, and which rose to prominence in the late 1990s and early 2000s through a plethora of Puert ...
, was the winner of the first season. Martin became their manager and produced the band's debut album, ''
Primera Cita '' Primera Cita ''is the debut studio album by Latin boy band CNCO. It was released on 26 August 2016, through Sony Music Latin. The album was the recipient for the Lo Nuestro Award for Pop Album of the Year at the Premio Lo Nuestro 2017, 29th c ...
'' () (2016). On September 23, 2016, Martin released a song called "
Vente Pa' Ca "Vente Pa' Ca" () is a song recorded by Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin, featuring a guest appearance from Colombian singer Maluma. It was co-written by Ricky Martin, Maluma, Nermin Harambašić, Anne Judith Wik, Ronny Svendsen, Carl Ryden, C ...
" (), featuring Colombian singer
Maluma Juan Luis Londoño Arias (born 28 January 1994), known professionally as Maluma, is a Colombian singer. Born and raised in Medellín, he developed an interest in music at a young age, recording songs since age sixteen. Arias released his debu ...
. The song became one of the biggest Spanish-language songs of 2016, reaching number one in seven countries, as well as ''Billboard''s
Latin Airplay Latin Airplay is a chart published weekly by Billboard (magazine), ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It was established on October 20, 2012. This chart lists the 50 most-played songs on Spanish-language radio stations across the country ...
, Latin Pop Airplay, and
Tropical Airplay The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the equator, where the sun may shine directly overhead. This contrasts with the temperate or polar regions of Earth, where the Sun can never be directly overhead. This is because of Earth's ax ...
charts. It also reached top five in Spain and on the ''Billboard'' Hot Latin Songs, being certified quadruple platinum in Spain and diamond in Mexico. The track was nominated for both Record of the Year and Song of the Year at the
18th Annual Latin Grammy Awards The 18th Annual Latin Grammy Awards was held on November 16, 2017, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. It was broadcast on Univision at 8PM ET\PT. This marked the tenth year Las Vegas hosts the Latin Grammy Awards and also marked the tele ...
. The accompanying music video has received over 1.75 billion views on YouTube. Martin signed a
concert residency A concert residency (also known as musical residency or simply residency) is a series of concerts, similar to a concert tour, but performed at only one location. The ''Pollstar'' Awards defined a residency as a run of 10 or more shows at a sing ...
, named All In, to perform at the
Monte Carlo Resort and Casino Park MGM, formerly Monte Carlo Resort and Casino, is a megaresort hotel and casino on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, United States. It is owned by Vici Properties and operated by MGM Resorts International. It was developed by Mirage R ...
in
Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...
in 2017 and 2018. He portrayed fashion designer
Gianni Versace Giovanni Maria "Gianni" Versace (; 2 December 1946 – 15 July 1997) was an Italian fashion designer, socialite and businessman. He was the founder of Versace, an international luxury-fashion house that produces accessories, fragrances, make-up ...
's partner
Antonio D'Amico Antonio D'Amico (20 January 1959 – 6 December 2022) was an Italian fashion designer and model. Biography D'Amico was born in Mesagne, in the Italian province of Brindisi, and later lived in Milan. He was hired as a part-time office admini ...
in the FX
true crime True crime is a genre of non-fiction work in which an author examines a crime, including detailing the actions of people associated with and affected by the crime, and investigating the perpetrator's Motive (law), motives. True crime works often ...
anthology In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs, or related fiction/non-fiction excerpts by different authors. There are also thematic and g ...
television series '' The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story'', marking "the acting opportunity of his career". The role garnered him a nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series Or Movie at the
70th Primetime Emmy Awards The 70th Primetime Emmy Awards honored the best in US prime time television programming from June 1, 2017, until May 31, 2018, as chosen by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. The ceremony was held live on September 17, 2018, at the Peaco ...
. In February 2018, Martin released a song titled " Fiebre" (), featuring
Wisin & Yandel Wisin & Yandel were a Puerto Rican reggaeton duo consisting of Wisin and Yandel. They started their career in 1998 and stayed together until 2023, winning several awards including a Grammy Award in 2009. They became the first and the only regga ...
. The song was commercially successful in Latin America, reaching number one in Chile, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, and Uruguay. It also reached the summit of the ''Billboard'' Latin Airplay and
Latin Rhythm Airplay Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area around Rome, Italy. Through the expansion o ...
charts.


2019–present: ''Amici di Maria De Filippi'', ''PausaPlay'', and ''Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey''

At the
61st Annual Grammy Awards The 61st Annual Grammy Awards ceremony was held on February 10, 2019, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Singer-songwriter Alicia Keys hosted. During her opening monologue, Keys brought out Lady Gaga, Jada Pinkett Smith, Jennifer Lopez, and fo ...
, Martin performed "Havana (Camila Cabello song), Havana", "Pégate" (), and "Mi Gente (J Balvin and Willy William song), Mi Gente" (), alongside Camila Cabello, J Balvin, Young Thug, and Arturo Sandoval, as the opening performance. Martin served as a coach on the Amici di Maria De Filippi#Eighteenth season (2018-2019), eighteenth season of the Italian talent show ''Amici di Maria De Filippi'' () in 2019. In the same year, Maluma released a song called "No Se Me Quita" () from his album ''11:11 (Maluma album), 11:11'', which featured Martin. The song reached number one in Mexico and was certified quadruple platinum in the country. Martin hosted the 20th Annual Latin Grammy Awards in November 2019, along with Roselyn Sánchez and Paz Vega. The artist started recording his eleventh studio album, initially titled ''Movimiento'' (), in the second half of 2019, inspired by the Telegramgate, 2019 political protests in Puerto Rico. He embarked on the Movimiento Tour in 2020. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent personal experiences, he decided to split the tour's associated album in two extended plays, ''Pausa (EP), Pausa'' () and ''Play (Ricky Martin EP), Play''; the former was released in May 2020, while the latter was released in May 2022. ''Pausa'' was nominated for Album of the Year and won the award for Latin Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album, Best Pop Vocal Album at the 21st Annual Latin Grammy Awards. The second single from the EP, "Tiburones" () reached number one in Argentina and Puerto Rico, and was also nominated for Song of the Year at the 21st Annual Latin Grammy Awards. Martin starred as the voice of villainous miniature figure Don Juan Diego in the American Christmas film, Christmas musical film, musical fantasy film ''Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey''. The film was released on Netflix on November 13, 2020, and received generally favorable reviews. In April 2021, Martin released his hit single "
Canción Bonita "Canción Bonita" () is a song recorded by Colombian singer Carlos Vives and Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin for Vives' sixteenth studio album, ''Cumbiana II''. It was written by Andrés Torres (producer), Andrés Torres, Rafa Arcaute, Martin, V ...
" () with Colombian singer Carlos Vives, which experienced huge commercial success in Latin America, reaching number one in 12 countries. It was also nominated for Song of the Year and Latin Grammy Award for Best Pop Song, Best Pop Song at the 22nd Annual Latin Grammy Awards. Later that year, he embarked on his first co-headlining tour, the Enrique Iglesias and Ricky Martin Live in Concert alongside Spanish singer Enrique Iglesias. Martin released ''Play'' on July 13, 2022. The EP included singles "Otra Noche en L.A." and "A Veces Bien y a Veces Mal"; the former reached number one in four countries.


Artistry


Influences

As a child, Martin used to sing songs by Menudo and rock bands such as
Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock music, rock band formed in London in 1968. The band comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist-keyboardist John Paul Jones (musician), John Paul Jones and drummer John Bonham. With a he ...
, Journey, and
REO Speedwagon REO Speedwagon (originally stylized as R.E.O. Speedwagon), or simply REO, was an American Rock music, rock band from Champaign, Illinois. Formed in 1967, the band cultivated a following during the 1970s and achieved significant commercial suc ...
, which were what his "older siblings were listening to at the time". While Martin and his brothers spent their time listening to classic rock, their mother would interrupt them to make them listen to Latin music. She brought him CDs of Fania All-Stars, Celia Cruz, El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico, and Gilberto Santa Rosa that slowly made him appreciate the richness of Puerto Rican culture. Also, she once took them to a Fania All-Stars concert, which Martin is "beyond grateful" for. He expresses that thanks to her mother, those influences had a "profound effect" on his musical career. Martin has also cited
Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...
, the Beatles, Michael Jackson, and Madonna for teaching him "the beauty of pop". He stated about Madonna: "I was very influenced by her and her music. I know every choreography of Madonna." Additionally, he mentions Carlos Santana, José Feliciano, Celia Cruz, and Gloria Estefan as the artists who paved the way for him, naming Feliciano as one of the people who inspired him when he was a teenager: "I was always fascinated with his music." In addition to the musical influences, Martin is inspired by David Bowie's "ambiguous sexuality". While growing up, he used to ask himself if he wanted to be like the openly gay singer Elton John or he just liked him, admiring his music, colors, and wigs. He has also cited Barbra Streisand as an entertainer he wants to be like: "I want to be an entertainer, not just a singer."


Musical styles and themes

Considered to be a versatile artist, Martin describes his music as
Latin pop Latin pop () 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. It originates with List of countries where Spanish is an official language, Spanish-speaking ...
, saying: "When you say 'Latin pop', the spectrum is so broad, It's inevitable to not be influenced by everything that's happening in the industry, but always keeping your identity firm by knowing who you are." He has also described his music as fusion, while noting that he does not "ride the waves that are in fashion at the moment". Martin sings in Spanish, English, Portuguese, Italian, and French. About his lyrics, Martin has emphasized that although his music will always make the listener dance, it does not mean his lyrics "have to be meaningless" and he sings about love and heartbreak, as well as "things that are good for a society", such as "freedom, freedom of expression, and social justice". He has also declared that as a Latino, he is not afraid of sexuality and sings about sexuality and sensuality, bringing his culture with him onstage.


Voice

Martin possesses a Tenor#Dramatic, dramatic tenor Voice type, vocal range. Peter Gilstrap from ''Variety (magazine), Variety'' commented that his "powerful voice" is "capable of belt or lilt", while ''The Jerusalem Post''s Noa Amouyal described his voice as "soulful" and "very powerful". In 1995, Enrique Lopetegui of the ''Los Angeles Times'' noted Martin's "improved vocal skills" on ''A Medio Vivir''. Also from the ''Los Angeles Times'', Ernesto Lechner later praised his vocal for being "charismatic enough to handle both ballads and up-tempo tunes". Similarly, ''Billboard''s Chuck Taylor (music journalist), Chuck Taylor expressed "She's All I Ever Had" boasts "a versatility that contrasts nicely" with Martin's previous single, "Livin' la Vida Loca", labeling his vocal on the former "tender and heartfelt". Steve Gerrard of the ''Montreal Rocks'' complimented "his vocal maturity" on ''A Quien Quiera Escuchar''.


Music videos

''Billboard'' labeled Martin "a video icon", and ranked him as the 79th Greatest Music Video Artist of All Time in 2020, stating: "From the moment he sashayed up to the mic in 'Livin La Vida Loca' all dressed in black, and gave us that look, the Menudo alum became the most memorable and watchable drop-dead handsome guy in pop music." He has collaborated with various directors to produce his music videos, including Carlos Perez, Wayne Isham, Jessy Terrero, Simón Brand, Gustavo Garzón, Nigel Dick, Kacho López Mari, Kacho Lopez, and Memo del Bosque. "Livin' la Vida Loca" was nominated for MTV Video Music Award for Video of the Year, Video of the Year at the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards, making Martin the first Latin artist in history to receive a nomination in this category. It won a total of five awards at the ceremony, making it rank among MTV Video Music Awards#Most wins for a single video, the videos with most wins in the history of the MTV Video Music Awards. The explicit sexual scenes of the music video for "She Bangs" were met with criticism from the audience; several American television stations cut the scenes when airing the video. According to the ''Daily Record (Scotland), Daily Records John Dingwall, with the visual, Martin ditched his teen idol image by transforming to a more mature one. It was consequently banned in several Latin American countries, such as the Dominican Republic. Martin told MTV News that the video represented freedom rather than his sexuality. The video was awarded Best Music Video at the 2nd Annual Latin Grammy Awards, Best Clip of the Year – Latin at the 2001 ''Billboard'' Music Video Awards, and Lo Nuestro Award for Video of the Year, Video of the Year at the Premio Lo Nuestro 2001, 13th Lo Nuestro Awards.


Public image

Martin became a teen idol with his debut as a member of Menudo, and a pop icon following global fame as a solo artist. ''Metro International, Metro Puerto Rico'' stated that he "raised the name of Puerto Rico internationally". ''Variety'' described him as "Puerto Rico's arguably most famous son" in 2021. He is ranked as the most famous Latin music artist in the United States, according to YouGov surveys in 2023. During the 2000s, Martin was known for "guarding his private life" and being "uncomfortable discussing intimate aspects of his personal life"; he used to insist on asking public to focus on his music and "steered interviewers away from his personal life". However, he chose to live both his "professional and personal life", making his private life public since the early 2010s. In 2021, he went on the cover of ''People'' with the title "No More Secrets" and told the magazine that he is "a man with no secrets", stating that he is "more comfortable in his own skin than ever before". Martin is considered to be a sex symbol.


Personal life


Sexual orientation and early relationships

In his early life, Martin had relationships with both men and women. In 2000, American broadcast journalist Barbara Walters asked Martin about his sexuality on national television: "You could stop these rumors. You could say, 'Yes I am gay or no I'm not. Martin, who answered with "I just don't feel like it" at the time, later revealed that her question had made him feel "violated", since he "was just not ready to come out" and was "very afraid"; he said that it resulted in "a little fake PTSD" that "still haunts him". In August 2008, Martin became a father to twin boys born via gestational surrogacy. He explained that he chose surrogacy to become a parent for being "intriguing and faster" than adoption, which was complicated and could take a long time. In March 2010, Martin publicly came out as gay via a message on his website, stating: "I am proud to say that I am a fortunate homosexual man. I am very blessed to be who I am." In an interview with ''Vanity Fair (magazine), Vanity Fair'', he declared: "There was love, passion. I do not regret anything, any of the relationships I lived, they taught me a lot, both men and women." Martin also told ''Fama!'': "I know that I like both men and women, I'm against sexual labels, we are simply human beings with emotional and sexual needs. I like to enjoy sex in total freedom, so I'm open to having sex with a woman if I feel desire." Despite this, he expressed that he would not be interested in "an ongoing relationship with a woman", stating: "Men are my thing". Martin dated Puerto Rican economist Carlos González Abella from 2010 to 2014, as his first relationship with a man after coming out as gay.


Marriage

Syrian-Swedish painter Jwan Yosef shared a photo of himself and Martin on Instagram on March 30, 2016, with the caption: "Obviously we're starting a band." In January 2018, Martin confirmed that he had secretly married Yosef: "I'm a husband..." On December 31, 2018, they announced that they had welcomed a daughter. In September 2019, while accepting an award at the 23rd annual Human Rights Campaign (HRC) National Dinner, he announced that they were expecting their fourth child. On October 29, 2019, he announced the birth of a son. As with his twins, Martin's subsequent children were also born via surrogacy. In July 2023, Martin and Yosef announced they had separated and were divorcing after six years of marriage.


Beliefs and religion

During an interview with ''People'' in 2002, Martin expressed that he believes in "love", "the power of healing", and "God", thanks to his parents. The name he chose for his son Matteo means "gift from God". According to his statements in a 2021 interview, he still believes in God. He was raised Catholic but he said is not "the person who would ever look down upon one religion". He expressed that he also admires and likes Buddhist philosophy.


Real estate

In March 2001, Martin purchased a house in Miami Beach for $6.4 million; he sold the unit for $10.6 million in 2005. In September 2004, he paid $11.9 million for an 11,000-square-foot Mediterranean-style villa in Los Angeles, which he sold in 2006 for $15 million. In May 2005, he purchased a 9,491-square-foot house in Miami Beach for $10 million; he sold the villa for $10.6 million in 2012. In 2007, he paid $16.2 million for a mansion in Golden Beach, Florida, Golden Beach. He sold the property in 2012 for $12.8 million, incurring a loss. In the same year, he bought a 3,147-square-foot condominium in New York City for $5.9 million; he sold the condo for $7.1 million in 2017. In 2014, he rented a 900-square-metre mansion in Sydney, which became famous as "the Bronte Wave House" and was sold for $16 million in May 2015, marking one of the most expensive properties sold in the city that year. In December 2016, he purchased an 11,300-square-foot mansion in Beverly Hills. The estate, which is Martin's current house, has seven bedrooms and eight bathrooms with outdoor seating areas scattered throughout 33,000 square feet. It is a "private getaway in the middle of the city", located up the street from the Beverly Hills Hotel. Martin also owns a property in Puerto Rico and a private 19.7-acre island in Brazil. He purchased the latter for $8 million in 2008. In 2022, ''La Nación'' estimated his net worth at US$130 million.


Influence

Martin has been called the "Honorific nicknames in popular music#M, King of Latin Pop" by various publications. Martin's song "María (Pablo Flores Remix)", which was ranked among the "Greatest Latin Pop Songs of All Time" by ''Rolling Stone'', and "11 remixes of classic Latin hits" by ''Billboard'', "launched the Latin and dance music crossover of the '90s", according to the latter. Olivier Pérou from ''Le Point'' commented that "some have even learned, thanks to him, to count to three in Spanish" following the popularity of the song. "La Copa de la Vida", which has been hailed as the Best World Cup Anthem of All-Time by multiple sources, became a "musical template" for World Cup anthems, and Martin's Latin and dance crossover style has been much copied in the anthems, as well as soccer chant "Ole! Ole! Ole!" in the lyrics, according to ''The Hollywood Reporter''. Martin is known as the pioneer in getting Latin pop music genre to mainstream recognition. Following his performance of "The Cup of Life" at the Grammys, and the success of "Livin' la Vida Loca" and ''Ricky Martin'' (1999), he opened the gates for many Latin artists such as Jennifer Lopez, Shakira, Christina Aguilera, Marc Anthony, Santana (band), Santana, and Enrique Iglesias who released their crossover albums and followed him onto the top of the charts. His performance of "The Cup of Life" at the Grammys not only changed the course of his career, but also altered how people regard Latin music in America. It has been known as a game-changer for Latin music worldwide, that effectively ushered in the "Latin explosion". Then-United Talent Agency head Rob Prinz described the rendition as "the single biggest game changing moment for any artist in the history of the Grammys". According to ''Billboard'', it has been cited as the beginning of the "Latin Pop invasion", which powerfully affected the US mainstream. According to ''Entertainment Tonight'', "Livin' la Vida Loca" paved the way for a large number of other Latin artists, and is "credited as the song that helped other Latin artists break through to English-speaking markets". According to ''The Independent'', the single is "widely regarded as the song that began the first Latin pop explosion."


Portrayal in television

In July 2019, SOMOS Productions, Endemol Shine Group, Endemol Shine Boomdog, and Piñolywood Studios announced the production of a Biographical film, biographical web television series about Menudo, titled ''Súbete a Mi Moto (2020 TV series), Subete a Mi Moto''. Consisting of 15 episodes of 60 minutes each, the series premiered on Amazon Prime Video on October 9, 2020, in Mexico, Latin America, and Spain. It was filmed in Mexico and Puerto Rico, and Martin was portrayed by actors Felipe Albors and Ethan Schwartz. The series premiered in the United States on February 14, 2021, on Estrella TV. On the review aggregation website Tomatazos, the first season has a positive score of 75%. The website's critical consensus summary states, "A good trip to the past that recalls a band that defined the youth of a certain public, but that doesn't ignore the darkest moments in the lives of its members."


Books

On August 19, 2010, Martin announced that he had been working on his memoir, mentioning its title as ''Me'' and publish date as November 2, 2010. He expressed that writing the book was "one of the reasons" he decided to come out earlier that year. The book also had a Spanish edition title ''Yo'' (), which was published simultaneously by Celebra. ''Me'' spent several weeks at number one on the New York Times Best Seller list. Martin's first children's book ''Santiago the Dreamer in Land Among the Stars'' was published by Celebra and illustrated by Patricia Castelao in November 2013 for ages between five and nine. Its Spanish-language edition, ''Santiago El Soñador en Entre Las Estrellas'', was published simultaneously. Martin expressed that the book was inspired by his "personal life, with fantasy added to it", as well as "a lot of cartoons".


Activism


Philanthropy

In 2004, Martin launched the Ricky Martin Foundation, a non-profit, non-governmental organization that focuses on human trafficking. In January 2005, following the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, Martin visited Thailand to assess the needs of the minor survivors who were "extremely vulnerable to traffickers". Later that year, the Ricky Martin Foundation signed an alliance in partnership with Habitat for Humanity to construct 224 homes for the tsunami-affected families. The project was completed in December 2006. In March 2006, the foundation collaborated with the International Organization for Migration in the Llama y Vive () campaign, which focuses on facilitating "the prevention of human trafficking and the protection of young people, victims of child trafficking and prosecution of traffickers". In 2012, the foundation participated in the making of the Child Protection Model Law on the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children.


Politics

On January 20, 2001, during the first inauguration of George W. Bush, first inauguration of George W. Bush, Martin performed "The Cup of Life" and danced with him. Martin's view of Bush changed over the Iraq War, as expressed in his declaration to BBC News that he will "always condemn war and those who promulgate it". At the 2010 ''Billboard'' Latin Music Awards, Martin expressed his disagreement with the Arizona SB 1070 bill, a proposed law that would have required police officers to request documents from individuals whom they suspected to be illegal immigrants. Martin has supported Democratic presidential candidates Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and Joe Biden. In May 2021, Martin demonstrated his support for the Ni una menos movement, condemning femicides and violence against women in Puerto Rico, while calling authorities to protect women. In October 2024, Martin endorsed Kamala Harris for president after a rally held by former U.S. president Donald Trump at Madison Square Garden, in which comedian Tony Hinchcliffe compared Puerto Rico to a "floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean".


LGBT advocacy

As a gay man, Martin actively supports LGBT rights worldwide since his coming out in 2010. Even before coming out, he was noted by the mainstream media for being popular among gay men and having a large gay fan base. He also went on the cover of the American LGBTQ-interest magazine ''The Advocate (LGBT magazine), The Advocate'' in July 1999. Despite this, he admitted that he felt homosexuality was evil since he was raised as a Catholic and targeted his anger toward others, especially gay men: "I was very angry, very rebellious. I used to look at gay men and think, 'I'm not like that, I don't want to be like that, that's not me.' I was ashamed." He added that he "had internalized homophobia" back then. He is currently considered to be a gay icon, with ''PinkNews'' labeling him "a strong advocate of LGBT rights" who "expressed support for equal marriage" since coming out. As the first mainstream Latin music artist to come out, Martin's coming out was a game-changer for "Latin Pride". ''Billboard''s Lucas Villa stated: "With Martin's announcement, gay artists, who had long kept their sexual identities a secret, finally had a beacon of hope. If Martin could come out with his career unscathed, there was hope for other artists in Latin music to start doing the same." He added that since then, "a growing number of Latin artists have either come out after years in the spotlight, or many have simply started their careers by embracing their gay identities". Suzy Exposito from ''Rolling Stone'' argued that with risking his career and coming out, Martin "set the scene for Bad Bunny to be free in many ways that, during his own breakthrough moment, he could not". In June 2019, he published an open letter slamming a religious liberty bill, saying: "As a defender of human rights and a member of the LGBTT community, I am vehemently opposed to the proposed measure imposed upon us under the guise of religious freedom, that projects us to the world as a backwards country." Puerto Rico's then-governor backed down and withdrew his support of the bill following Martin's statement. Several of Martin's music videos feature diversity in sexual orientations and same-sex couples, including "The Best Thing About Me Is You", "
Disparo al Corazón "Disparo al Corazón" () is a song recorded by Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin, released on January 13, 2015, as the second single from his Grammy Award–winning Spanish-language album, '' A Quien Quiera Escuchar'' (2015). It was written by Ri ...
", " Fiebre", and "Tiburones". For his activism and advocacy for LGBTQ community, Martin has been honored with numerous accolades, including the GLAAD Vito Russo Award, the Gala Vanguard Award by the Los Angeles LGBT Center, the International Icon Award by the British LGBT Awards, the National Visibility Award by the Human Rights Campaign, the Trailblazer Award by the LGBT Center Dinner, the Celebrity Activist of the Year by ''LGBTQ Nation'', and the Legacy Award by Attitude (magazine), ''Attitude'' Awards.


Recognition

Throughout his career, Martin has won over 200 awards (most awarded male Latin artist), including two
Grammy Awards The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...
, five
Latin Grammy Awards The Latin Grammy Awards (stylized as Latin GRAMMYs) are awards presented by the Latin Recording Academy to recognize outstanding achievement in the Latin music, Latin music industry. The Latin Grammy honors works recorded in Spanish language, S ...
, five
MTV Video Music Awards The MTV Video Music Awards (commonly abbreviated as the VMAs) is an award show presented by the cable channel MTV to honor the best in the music video medium. Originally conceived as an alternative to the Grammy Awards (in the video category ...
(tied for most wins by a Latin artist), two
American Music Awards The American Music Awards (AMAs) is an annual American music awards show produced by Dick Clark Productions since 1974. Nominees are selected on commercial performance such as sales and airplay. Winners are determined by a poll of the public and ...
, three
Latin American Music Awards The Latin American Music Awards (Latin AMAs) is an annual American music awards show produced by TelevisaUnivision. It is the Spanish-language counterpart of the American Music Awards (AMAs). As with AMAs, the Latin AMAs are determined by a poll ...
, three ''Billboard'' Music Awards, a ''Billboard'' Music Video Award, nine ''Billboard'' Latin Music Awards, eight
World Music Awards The World Music Awards was an international award show founded in 1989 under the patronage of Albert II, Prince of Monaco and co-founder/executive producer John Martinotti. The event was based in Monte Carlo. Awards were presented to the worl ...
, fourteen
Lo Nuestro Awards The Lo Nuestro Awards or Premios Lo Nuestro (Spanish language, Spanish for "Ours") is a Spanish-language awards show honoring the best of Latin music (genre), Latin music, presented by TelevisaUnivision, and is carried by its Univision network in ...
(including the Lo Nuestro Excellence Award, Excellence Award), and a ''
Guinness World Record ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a British reference book published annually, listi ...
''. As an actor, he was nominated for an Emmy Award. In 2007, Martin was honored with a star on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a landmark which consists of 2,813 five-pointed terrazzo-and-brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in the Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood dist ...
, located at 6901 Hollywood Blvd. On October 11, 2007, then-mayor of Miami Beach, Florida David Dermer awarded him the Freedom of the City, key to the city of Miami Beach. Puerto Rico named August 31 the "International Ricky Martin Day" in 2008. The Government of Spain granted Spanish nationality to Martin in 2011, for being "recognized in different artistic facets". In 2018, in recognition of "his dedication to the island and people of Puerto Rico, his philanthropic work to eliminate human trafficking across the Caribbean, and his commitment to the arts", the singer received a proclamation naming June 7 the "Ricky Martin Day" in New York City. Throughout his career, Martin has sold over 70 million records making him one of the best-selling Latin music artists of all time.


Discography

* ''
Ricky Martin Enrique Martin 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 incorporati ...
'' (1991) * '' Me Amaras'' (1993) * ''
A Medio Vivir ''A Medio Vivir'' () is the third studio album by the Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin, released by Sony Discos and Columbia on September 12, 1995 (US). Commercial performance The album has sold over three million copies, worldwide. That numb ...
'' (1995) * '' Vuelve'' (1998) * ''
Ricky Martin Enrique Martin 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 incorporati ...
'' (1999) * ''
Sound Loaded ''Sound Loaded'' is the sixth studio album by Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin. It was released on November 14, 2000, by Columbia Records. Following the huge success of his first English album, ''Ricky Martin'' (1999), Martin returned to the stud ...
'' (2000) * ''
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-American recording artist Ricky Martin. This is the first Spanish album release since 1998's '' ...
'' (2003) * ''
Life Life, also known as biota, refers to matter that has biological processes, such as Cell signaling, signaling and self-sustaining processes. It is defined descriptively by the capacity for homeostasis, Structure#Biological, organisation, met ...
'' (2005) * ''
Música + Alma + Sexo ''Música + Alma + Sexo'' () is the ninth studio album by Puerto Rican singer-songwriter Ricky Martin. It was released on January 31, 2011, in Europe by Columbia Records and on February 1, 2011, in North America by Sony Music Latin. The album fea ...
'' (2011) * '' A Quien Quiera Escuchar'' (2015)


Filmography

*''
Alcanzar una estrella II ''Alcanzar una estrella II'' (English title: ''To reach a star II'') is a Mexican telenovela produced by Luis de Llano Macedo for Televisa in 1991. It is the sequel to ''Alcanzar una estrella''. Sasha Sokol, Ricky Martin, Angélica Rivera, Erik ...
'' (1991) *''Hercules (1997 film), Hercules'' (1997) *''Idle Hands'' (1999) *''Minions (film), Minions'' (2015) *'' The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story'' (2018) *''Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey'' (2020) *''Palm Royale'' (2024)


Theatre

* ''
Les Misérables ''Les Misérables'' (, ) is a 19th-century French literature, French Epic (genre), epic historical fiction, historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published on 31 March 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. '' ...
'' (1996), Broadway –
Marius Pontmercy Marius Pontmercy () is a fictional character, one of the protagonists of Victor Hugo’s 1862 novel ''Les Misérables''. He is a young student, and the suitor of Cosette. Believing Cosette lost to him, and determined to die, he joins the revoluti ...
* '' Evita'' (2012), Broadway – Ché


Tours and residencies

Headlining tours * Ricky Martin Tour (1992) * Me Amaras Tour (1993–1994) * A Medio Vivir Tour (1995–1997) * Vuelve World Tour (1998) *
Livin' la Vida Loca Tour The Livin' La Vida Loca World Tour was the first major world concert tour by Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin to support his first English-language album '' Ricky Martin''. The tour started in October 1999 and continued until October 2000. The ...
(1999–2000) *
One Night Only with Ricky Martin One Night Only with Ricky Martin (also known as Una Noche con Ricky Martin) was a worldwide concert tour by Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin, in support of his 2005 album ''Life''. The tour visited the Americas, Europe, Asia and Africa. Backgrou ...
(2005–2006) * Black and White Tour (2007) *
Música + Alma + Sexo World Tour Musica (Latin), or La Musica (Italian) or Música (Portuguese and Spanish) may refer to: Music Albums * ''Musica è'', a mini album by Italian funk singer Eros Ramazzotti 1988 * ''Musica'', an album by Ghaleb 2005 * ), a German album by Giova ...
(2011) * Ricky Martin Live (2013–2014) * Live in Mexico (2014) * One World Tour (2015–2018) * Ricky Martin en Concierto (2018–2019) * Movimiento Tour (2020–2022) * Sinfónico Tour (2022–2023) * Ricky Martin Live! Australia (2025) Co-headlining tours * Enrique Iglesias and Ricky Martin Live in Concert (with Enrique Iglesias) (2021) * The Trilogy Tour (with Enrique Iglesias & Pitbull (rapper), Pitbull) (2023) Residency * All In (2017–2018)


See also

* Honorific nicknames in popular music * List of artists who reached number one in the United States * List of artists who reached number one on the UK Singles Chart * List of best-selling Latin music artists * List of Latin pop artists * List of multilingual bands and artists * List of Grammy Award winners and nominees by country#Puerto Rico, List of Puerto Rican Grammy Award winners and nominees * List of Puerto Ricans * List of Urbano artists


Notes


References


Book sources

* * * *


External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Martin, Ricky Ricky Martin, 1971 births Living people 20th-century Puerto Rican LGBTQ people 20th-century Puerto Rican male actors 20th-century Puerto Rican male singers 20th-century Puerto Rican songwriters 21st-century Puerto Rican LGBTQ people 21st-century Puerto Rican male actors 21st-century Puerto Rican male singers 21st-century Puerto Rican songwriters Columbia Records artists Echo (music award) winners Gay singer-songwriters GLAAD Media Awards winners Grammy Award winners Hispanic and Latino American male actors Hispanic and Latino American musicians Latin Grammy Award winners Latin music songwriters Latin pop singers Latin Recording Academy Person of the Year honorees LGBTQ Hispanic and Latino American people LGBTQ people in Latin music LGBTQ record producers Male actors from San Juan, Puerto Rico Menudo (band) members MTV Europe Music Award winners Naturalised citizens of Spain Puerto Rican activists Puerto Rican expatriates in Australia Puerto Rican expatriates in Mexico Puerto Rican expatriates in Spain Puerto Rican gay actors Puerto Rican gay musicians Puerto Rican gay writers Puerto Rican LGBTQ singers Puerto Rican LGBTQ songwriters Puerto Rican male film actors Puerto Rican male singer-songwriters Puerto Rican male soap opera actors Puerto Rican male television actors Puerto Rican people of Basque descent Puerto Rican people of Canarian descent Puerto Rican people of Corsican descent Puerto Rican people of Spanish descent Puerto Rican philanthropists Puerto Rican pop singers Puerto Rican record producers Singers from San Juan, Puerto Rico Sony Music Latin artists Sony Music Spain artists Spanish-language singers of the United States UNICEF goodwill ambassadors World Music Awards winners