Ricardo Arjona

Edgar Ricardo Arjona Morales (born 19 January 1964), known as Ricardo Arjona (), is a Guatemalan singer and songwriter. He is one of the most successful and best-selling Latin American artists of all time, with more than 20 million records sold. His music ranges from ballads to Latin pop, rock, pop rock, Cuban music, and more recently a cappella performances and a mixture of Tejano music and Norteño music, and Latin sounds. Arjona is noted for his lyrical style, and often addresses topics such as love, sexuality, violence, racism and immigration.

As of 2016, Arjona had released sixteen studio albums, one live album, nine compilation albums and forty-three singles. Four Arjona albums reached number one on the ''Billboard'' Top Latin Albums, and ten reached number one in Argentina. Four albums had charted on the ''Billboard'' 200. Four singles had reached number one on the ''Billboard'' Latin Songs chart and seven had done the same on Latin Pop Songs. His work earned him numerous awards and accolades, including one Grammy Award, one Latin Grammy Award, the Latin Heritage Award as well as awards from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers; a silver and golden torch and two silver seagulls from the 2010 Viña del Mar International Song Festival, two ''Billboard'' Latin Music Awards, and a "Latin Trajectory of the Year" Award at the Orgullosamente Latino Awards of 2010.

Early life

Edgar Ricardo Arjona Morales was born on 19 January 1964, in Jocotenango, Guatemala, to parents Ricardo Arjona Moscoso and Mimi Morales de Arjona. He spent most of his childhood in Guatemala City, where he began his musical instruction. At age twelve, he participated in the contest "Festival Infantil Juventud 74" with "Gracias al Mundo", a song composed by his father, finally winning the event. Although he initially enrolled in architecture and engineering at the Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala (USAC), he graduated with a degree from the School of Communication Sciences.Cosme, Hector
"Arjona: de Guatemala para el mundo"
(in Spanish). Periodico La Perla. Retrieved 23 March 2012.

Sports career

Arjona was a talented basketball player who played for ''Leones de Marte'' and ''TRIAS''.(12 October 2010)
"Biografía de Ricardo Arjona"
(in Spanish). Terra. Retrieved 13 October 2011. He toured Central America as a member of the Guatemala national basketball team. Until 2005, he held the record for the most points scored (79) in a single game by a Guatemalan. He also taught at a primary school (called ''Santa Elena III''), where he claimed to have spent six hours giving lessons and the rest of the day playing football. This earned him a visit from a Ministry of Education representative, who was sent to evaluate his pupils. The representative found that the students' education was actually above average. In 1988, he became the basketball coach of a boys' school (called ''Instituto Don Bosco'').

Music career

1980s: Beginnings and earleast successful

Arjona began his musical career at age 21, when he signed with the now defunct Guatemalan record label, Discos de Centroamérica, S.A., and distributed by PolyGram, and released his debut album '' Déjame Decir Que Te Amo'' in 1985. The label attempted to portray Arjona as a stereotypical Latin lover. The title track was released as a single, "Déjame Decir Que Te Amo". This album failed to chart, but received moderate praise from critics, with Allmusic awarding it three stars out of five."Dejame Decir Que Te Amo" (Review). ''AllMusic''. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 7 July 2012
/ref> Because of his negative experience recording the album and its commercial failure, he decided to abandon music to teach school. At age 24, Arjona reversed course and sought the opportunity to represent his country in the OTI Festival with the song "Con Una Estrella En El Vientre". The sessions immediately following this decision produced the song "S.O.S Rescátame". His second studio album, '' Jesús, Verbo No Sustantivo'', brought him commercial and critical success across Latin America and the U.S. and became a best-seller in many Central American territories.

1990s: International breakthrough, ''Si El Norte Fuera El Sur'' and ''Sin Daños a Terceros''

Arjona started the new decade as a regular in the Mexican telenovela (soap opera) "Alcanzar una Estrella" (English translation: Reaching a Star), which assisted him in becoming a known singer throughout Latin America. After joining Sony Music in 1990, he released '' Del Otro Lado del Sol'', one of his least successful albums. That year, he started composing songs for other artists, such as Yuri's " Detrás de Mi Ventana", for her album '' Nueva era'' (1993). The song became a hit, reaching No.1 on the US Hot Latin Songs chart for three weeks in 1994. He later covered the song in his compilation album, '' Trópico'' (2009), alongside Melina León. ''Animal Nocturno'', Arjona's fourth studio album, was released in 1993. The album contained the hit singles "Mujeres" (No. 6 on Latin Songs) and "Primera Vez" (No. 6 on Latin Songs) and received thirteen platinum and one diamond certifications."Ricardo Arjona, el canta autor de los tiempos"
(in Spanish). Terra. Retrieved 19 May 2012. ''Animal Nocturno'' sold 500,000 copies in 1994, and carried Arjona to fame(17 April 2009)
"Arjona queda confirmado"
(in Spanish). ''Listín Diario''. Retrieved 13 October 2011.
(in Spanish). Emol.com. Retrieved 5 October 2011. along with his work on the Mexican telenovela ''Alcanzar Una Estrella'', which allowed him to showcase his songwriting and singing skills.

He confirmed his reputation with the release of his fifth studio album, ''Historias''. The album sold 2 million copies throughout Latin America and received twenty-seven platinum and two diamond certifications, including quadruple Platinum in Argentina. ''Historias'' reached No. 43 on Top Latin Albums and included the hit singles "Te Conozco" (No. 3 on ''Billboard'' Latin Songs) and "Señora De Las Cuatro Décadas" (No. 7 on Latin Songs). The Allmusic review by Jason Birchmeier awarded the album 4.5 stars, stating: "If you were to pick only one Arjona album for your collection that wasn't a greatest-hits compilation, this should be the one. ''Historias'' was a career-defining success for Arjona." His fourth and fifth studio albums were the best-selling of his career.

In 1996, he released his sixth studio album, '' Si El Norte Fuera El Sur''. This was the first album in which Arjona ventured beyond the theme of love to explore nationalism and globalization, among other sociopolitical topics. Its four singles were "Si El Norte Fuera El Sur" (No. 9 on Latin Pop Songs), whose main theme is the relationship between the United States and Latin America, "Tu Reputación" (No. 18 on Latin Songs, No. 2 on Latin Pop Songs), "Me Enseñaste" (No. 18 on Latin Pop Songs), and "Ella y Él" (No. 24 on Latin Songs, No. 8 on Latin Pop Songs). Birchmeier awarded the album 4.5 stars stating "All in all, it's Arjona's third classic album in a row, each distinct from its predecessor." ''Billboard'' named it the Rock Album of the Year in 1997. ''Si El Norte Fuera El Sur'' received multiple Platinum certifications in the United States and Argentina.

In 1998, he released his seventh studio album, '' Sin Daños a Terceros''. Terry Jenkins from Allmusic, on his review of the album, awarded it 4 stars, writing that "''Sin Daños a Terceros'' continues Ricardo Arjona's streak of accomplished, affecting albums that spotlights both his melodic skills and his sharp social consciousness." His fourth consecutive album to receive critical success, ''Sin Daños a Terceros'' also enjoyed commercial success, debuting at No. 6 on Top Latin Albums, the first to reach the top 10, and reaching No. 3 on the ''Billboard'' Latin Pop Albums chart. It contained the hit singles "Dime Que No" (No. 6 on Latin Songs, No. 3 on Latin Pop Songs), and "Mentiroso" (No. 22 on Latin Songs, No. 5 on Latin Pop Songs). The album received multiple Platinum certifications from the United States and Argentina. More than 700,000 copies were sold.

On 5 December 1998 and in front of a live audience of more than 100,000 people at the Hippodrome of Guatemala City, Arjona recorded his first live album, the 1999 release '' Vivo''. The album was moderately successful, certified Gold in Mexico and Platinum in the United States and Argentina. It produced the hit "Desnuda", which became his first No. 1 on the ''Billboard'' Top Latin Songs chart. As of December 2005, ''Vivo'' had sold 243,000 copies in the United States, his best-selling album there as of that date.

2000–2005: ''Galería Caribe'', world tour, ''Santo Pecado'', hiatus and ''Adentro''

Arjona's eighth studio album, '' Galería Caribe'' was preceded by the single "Cuándo", which became a commercial success and reached No. 1 on both Top Latin Songs and Latin Pop Songs. The singer commented that the album consumed twelve months and that before starting, he "had more friends." He also mentioned he had "lived in love with Caribbean culture and music since my childhood." Birchmeier awarded the album 3 stars stating "All in all, ''Galería Caribe'' is a curious entry in Arjona's catalog that most fans can overlook without missing much." The album became his first to chart on the ''Billboard'' 200, peaking at No. 136, while charting at No. 1 on Top Latin Albums and Latin Pop Albums. It was awarded Platinum certification in Mexico, Argentina and the US. Its three singles were "Lo Poco Que Queda De Mi"; "Mesías", which reached No. 19 on Top Latin Songs and No. 11 on the Latin Pop Songs chart, and "A Cara O Cruz", which reached No. 28 on Latin Pop Songs. To promote the album, which sold more than one million copies, Arjona embarked on his ''Galería Caribe Tour'', which began in Mexico in 2000 and finished in 2001."Cara a cara con el Caribe"
. El Salvador.com. El Diario de Hoy. Retrieved 19 May 2012.

In "Mesias" Arjona talks about a character who appears "in the form of a wealthy, well-armed magnate with ..some sinister plan for the world."Gurza, Agustín (19 September 2001).. ''Los Angeles Times'' (Archive). Pay-Per-View information, retrieved mainly on the resume page available on the PQ Archiver. Retrieved 30 March 2012. Some critics argued that it was a "metaphorical attack" on capitalism and imperialism, named as "classic Arjona targets." The song became a subject of some controversy when fans and critics noted connections between its theme and the attacks of September 2001, months after the song's release, which resulted in the FBI investigating Arjona."Por su canción “Mesías” Arjona fue investigado por el FBI"
. La Prensa (Archive). Retrieved 30 March 2012. The singer later commented that "Mesías" had no relationship to the attacks, and that the lyrics were pure coincidence.Perez, Juan Carlos (9 April 2007)

. Terra. Retrieved 30 March 2012. He further stated the FBI had never spoken directly to him, but instead to somebody on his team.

On 19 November 2002, Arjona released his ninth studio album, '' Santo Pecado'', preceded by singles " El Problema", which reached No. 1 on both the ''Billboard'' Top Latin Songs and Latin Pop Songs charts, and " Minutos", which reached No. 5 on the Top Latin Songs and No. 3 on the Latin Pop Songs charts. ''Santo Pecado'' became a commercial success, selling more than 300,000 copies just in Mexico (double Platinum), 160,000 in Argentina (quadruple Platinum) and 200,000 in the United States (double Platinum). In 2003 Arjona released '' Lados B'', his second compilation album, including songs that were "not so commercial", and that he wanted to give a second chance at radio airplay. The album contained songs from all his past studio albums. Critical reception for the album was mixed. Birchmeier noted that it was "a misleading entry point into Arjona's catalog." Despite this, the album received a Gold certification in Mexico.

On 6 December 2005, Arjona released his tenth studio album, '' Adentro''. This was Arjona's first collaboration with Tommy Torres. In an interview, the singer commented that he first "tested" Torres by sending him the "hookiest and darkest tracks" on the album, " Acompañame A Estar Solo" and "Iluso". Torres said that he "went all out on the first demo, hiring a full band that included a string orchestra", which grabbed Arjona's attention. The album was critically acclaimed, with Evan C. Gutiérrez from Allmusic giving it four stars out of five and commenting that "Be it for the stripped, natural production value, the confident performance of Ricardo Arjona, or his relevant-as-ever lyricism, he's got both his loyal fans and the execs at Norte smiling. While the instrumentation, performance, and overall sonic palette of this project are minimalist and unassuming, there is a depth and brilliance to them. The listener's ear does not tire or want for more, humble as ''Adentro'' is." Arjona further commented that ''Adentro'' was "a very representative and tremendously complete album," adding that "having different producers made it rich in possibilities."

''Adentro'' became Arjona's second studio album to chart on the Billboard 200, reaching No. 126. It reached No. 3 on the Top Latin Albums and No. 2 on the Latin Pop Albums charts. Five singles were released from ''Adentro'': the lead single, " Acompañame A Estar Solo" (No. 7 on Latin Songs, No. 1 on Latin Pop Songs), " Pingüinos En La Cama" featuring Spanish singer Chenoa (No. 44 on Latin Songs, No. 19 on Latin Pop Songs); " Mojado", featuring American Tejano/ Norteño band Intocable (No. 34 on Latin Songs, No. 30 on Latin Pop Songs), " A Ti" (No. 14 on Latin Songs, No. 3 on Latin Pop Songs), and " De Vez En Mes" (No. 49 on Latin Songs, No. 16 on Latin Pop Songs). The album sold more than a million copies worldwide."Arjona se considera ‘un tipo de éxito’"
. Prensa.com. Retrieved 2 October 2011.

2006–2007: Adentro Tour and ''Quién Dijo Ayer''

In 2006, Arjona started the first leg of his world tour, named the ''Adentro Tour''. The tour resumed in 2007 for a second leg, in which he visited more countries. Approximately two million people attended the performances. The tour was officially closed on 14 September 2007 on the mainland city of Barquisimeto, Venezuela, during the International Fair, in front of more than 100,000 people. On 21 August 2007, Arjona released his fifth compilation album, '' Quién Dijo Ayer''. The album is a two-disc set which contains, on the first disc, new versions of past hits, some of them including featured artists such as Marta Sánchez on "Tarde (Sin Daños a Terceros)" from '' Sin Daños a Terceros''; Panteón Rococó on "Si El Norte Fuera el Sur", from the album of the same name; Marc Anthony on "Historia de Taxi", from ''Historias''; Eros Ramazzotti on "A Ti", from '' Adentro'', and Sandro on "Realmente No Estoy Tan Solo", from ''Historias'', and which was the last song recorded by the singer, who died on 4 January 2010."Hoy respira mejor que nunca"
La Gaceta. Retrieved 28 March 2012. Arjona's manager told Argentinian newspaper '' Clarín'' that " he singerhad the idea of inviting Roberto androfor his album, he androshowed enthusiasm and manifested the same degree of appreciation to Arjona. It seemed to him that he rjonawas an artist who proclaims the same values he proclaimed." The second disc contained remastered versions of the hits on the first disc, but in their original versions. It was the second time Arjona collaborated with Torres.

The album became a critical and commercial success. Jason Birchmeier commented that "while only a couple of the new versions depart stylistically from the originals, the contemporary productions breathe new life into these songs, which should be well known by longtime fans", and reaching double Platinum in Argentina and the United States, and Platinum in Mexico. The record was additionally certified Gold in Colombia, Chile and Venezuela."Ricardo Arjona presenta `¿Quién dijo ayer?' en Colombia y Venezuela"
. adnmundo.com. Retrieved 3 October 2011. Two singles were released from the album. The first, " Quién", a previously unreleased song produced by Torres, failed to reach the top 20 on Latin Songs, standing at No. 21, but reached No. 4 on the Latin Pop Songs chart. Arjona commented that "'Quién' is a story with the hurry of the desperate, is the flashback of those who end up loving alone.""Arjona lanza canción con más poesía romántica"
El Mercurio Online. Retrieved 2 May 2012. " Quiero", the second single, reached No.12 on the Latin Songs chart, and No.8 on the Latin Pop Songs chart.

2008–2010: New label, ''Quinto Piso'', world tour and ''Poquita Ropa''

After spending the majority of his career with Sony, and Sony BMG, Arjona signed a long-term deal with Warner Music Latina in September 2008.Cobo, Leila (22 September 2008)
"Ricardo Arjona Signs With Warner Music Latina"
''Billboard''. Retrieved 23 March 2012. Iñigo Zabala, chairman of Warner Music Latin America, said "He's an artist that fits perfectly with our company," and that "We are a label that has a major catalog of songwriters and quality pop and rock from the likes of Maná, Alejandro Sanz, Laura Pausini, and now, Arjona." Arjona announced his eleventh studio album, '' 5to Piso'', on 18 November 2008. The album was preceded by the first single, " Cómo Duele" on September, which reached No. 2 on Top Latin Songs and No. 1 on Latin Pop Songs. He moved approximately 200,000 copies of the album in the first month at retail, and it went Platinum in Mexico, the United States, Spain, Argentina, Venezuela, Colombia, Guatemala, and several other countries."Arjona logró estos reconocimientos por las altas ventas que su nuevo disco."
''Univisión''. Retrieved 30 April 2012. It debuted at No. 1 on Top Latin Albums, becoming his second chart-topper on that list, and sold more than one million copies worldwide. The album received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Latin Pop Album and a Latin Grammy Award nomination for Best Singer-Songwriter Album. The album received positive critical response. Birchmeier gave it three-and-a-half stars out of five, saying that "More typical than exceptional for Arjona at this point in his career, ''5to Piso'' isn't as grand an album as his past few... Yet it's a great album all the same, particularly the opening run of songs that culminates with ' Cómo Duele', and it finds Arjona still at the top of his craft."

While Warner Music released his new studio album, Sony Music released a compilation album, '' Simplemente Lo Mejor''. This led to speculation that the labels were in a fight to win Arjona's fanbase and sales. ''Simplemente Lo Mejor'' contained hits from past albums, namely '' Sin Daños a Terceros'', '' Si El Norte Fuera El Sur'', among others. This compilation went Gold in Mexico, and Platinum in Argentina. " Sin Ti... Sin Mi" was released as ''5to Pisos second single, and reached No. 4 on both Top Latin Songs and Latin Pop Songs charts. On 24 April 2009, Arjona started the Quinto Piso Tour. The tour included 123 shows in the United States, Spain,Arjona visita España para empezar gira promocional
''El Universal (Mexico)''. Retrieved 11 September 2011 (Spanish) Argentina,
''RPP Perú''. Retrieved 11 September 2011 (Spanish) Guatemala, Colombia, Venezuela and Mexico, among many other countries in Latin America, and ended on 18 June 2010.

The ''Quinto Piso Tour'' was one of the most successful tours made by a Latin artist, with more than one million attendees from 19 countries.
. ''Prensa Libre''. Retrieved 15 September 2011 (Spanish) He received in 2010 the "Latin Tour of the Year" ''Billboard'' Latin Music Award for the tour. On 26 February 2010, he participated in the 2010 Viña del Mar International Song Festival as one of the top performers. His performance was followed by Colombian singer Fanny Lu. One hour after Lu's performance, a 8.8 magnitude massive earthquake affected the south-central regions of Chile. On social networks, Arjona was jokingly blamed, with remarks such as "earthquakes go where he goes", making reference also to the earthquake felt in Mexico after the singer arrived.(24 March 2012)
"Arjona es blanco de bromas en redes sociales por culpa de terremotos"
. La Extra (México). Retrieved 29 March 2012. After the tour, Arjona announced his twelfth studio album, '' Poquita Ropa'', which was released on 24 August 2010. It was preceded by the genre-mixing track " Puente", an ode to Havana

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