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Ricky Martin
From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist
Ricky Martin, in full Enrique Martín Morales, is a Puerto Rican singer and songwriter, born on 24 December 1971 in San Juan. At nine he was already appearing in television commercials, and at twelve he joined the Puerto Rican boy band Menudo. In 1991 he began a solo career with Sony Music Mexico, with the ballads of Ricky Martin in 1991 and Me amarás in 1993, which made him known in Latin America.
Music and breakthrough
His third album, A medio vivir from 1995, took him to Europe. The song María blended Latin styles and became his first international hit. With Vuelve from 1998, which yielded Vuelve and La Copa de la Vida, he won his first Grammy. He sang La Copa de la Vida at the 41st Grammy Awards. In 1999 came his first English-language album, Ricky Martin, with the single Livin' la Vida Loca, which topped the Billboard Hot 100 and the UK chart. Later releases included Almas del silencio in 2003, MTV Unplugged in 2006 and A quien quiera escuchar in 2015, which won a Grammy.
Influence
His success in the late 1990s is regarded as the start of the Latin explosion. He is seen as someone who brought Latin pop to the general public and cleared the way for many other Latin American artists. His music combines Latin pop, dance, reggaeton and salsa. He also acted in the soap opera General Hospital and received an Emmy nomination for The Assassination of Gianni Versace.
Listening
Discography
Studio albums
- 1991Ricky Martin
- 1993Me amarás
- 1995A medio vivir
- 1998Vuelve
- 1999Ricky Martin
- 2000Sound Loaded
- 2003Almas del silencio
- 2003Almas del silencio
- 2005Life
- 2011Música + alma + sexo
- 2015A quien quiera escuchar
Mentioned in other articles
- Pro Tools and the DAW Technology
In 1999, Ricky Martin's Livin' la Vida Loca became the first number 1 hit to be recorded and mixed entirely in Pro Tools.