Ricky Martin is the unsung hero of bringing Latino music to the mainstream popularity. He paved the way for other artists such as Jennifer Lopez and Shakira. In the late 90s Ricky Martin was biggest pop star in the world. His world wide fame, the dance music, the wild women folk attending his concerts and of course he could shake his bon bon like no one has before. Ricky Martin's music roots lay in the Spanish music sensibilities of Gloria Estefan but giving it a more a more hip-hop production and a contemporary feel. Plus it is also the charming lead man charisma which has given Ricky Martin world wide sales of nearly 50 million albums. Martin brought the house down with his 1999 Grammy awards performance and the world was waking up to a new pop sensation. Martin's music is fun, impromptu, relaxed and lightweight.

Ricky Martin - Latino Mambo King!

"The homosexual community wants me to be gay. The heterosexual community wants me to be straight." - Ricky Martin

From Teen Idol to Pop Idol

Ricky Martin is the unsung hero of bringing Latino music to the mainstream popularity. He paved the way for other artists such as Jennifer Lopez and Shakira. In the late 90s Ricky Martin was biggest pop star in the world. His world wide fame, the dance music, the wild women folk attending his concerts and of course he could shake his bon bon like no one has before. Ricky Martin's music roots lay in the Spanish music sensibilities of Gloria Estefan but giving it a more a more hip-hop production and a contemporary feel. Plus it is also the charming lead man charisma which has given Ricky Martin world wide sales of nearly 50 million albums. Martin brought the house down with his 1999 Grammy awards performance and the world was waking up to a new pop sensation. Martin's music is fun, impromptu, relaxed and lightweight.

The Early Life and Solo Work

Ricky Martin was born in San Juan in Puerto Rico but moved to NYC after finishing his school. His first brush with fame was TV roles in Mexican soap operas. In 1990, he signed with Sony Music to record his solo album. The self-titled Spanish-language album was a hit in Mexico and among the Latino community in the US. In 1993 his second Spanish-language album sold a million copies world wide. The album "Me Amarás" featured a Boney M cover "Hooray It's a Holi-Holiday".

In 1994 he was back to his TV acting with a role in the soap opera in LA. It was during his time in LA where Ricky Martin started focusing on his career as a musician. The LA music scene was a big influence and he was able blend different styles to record "A Medio Vivir" The album gained wide-spread popularity based on a smash hit single "Maria". The single was such a big hit globally that it prompted Martin to record an English version as well.

Ricky went on a world-wide tour and in 1998 his big breakthrough came when his song "The Cup of Life"/"La Copa de la Vid" was selected for the 1998 Soccer World Cup as its theme song. The song was a global smash and reached No.1 in 60 countries. The Latino sensation had arrived. His fourth album "Vuelve" went

platinum.

The Crossover Success

Buoyed by his success Martin chose to record his first English language album. It was the natural step to take after world wide acclaim and anticipation. The pressure was on Ricky Martin and Sony Music was not taking any chances. They hired several top notch producers to helm the album. Desmond Child hit-maker for bands like Aerosmith; William Orbit was also roped in who had worked with Madonna. The first single "Livin' La Vida Loca" accompanied by the famous choreographed video was a smash hit.

Many consider this song as the moment when Latino music broke into the mainstream success. It was No.1 on US charts and went platinum. The fast paced video and the live Grammy performance had ensured Ricky Martin had arrived! His next single the love ballad "She's all that I ever had" was the perfect follow-up and another massive hit. The album has sold an astonishing 7 million albums in the US alone and 22 million worldwide

The year-long world tour saw Martin in North America, Europe, Japan and of course a home coming sold out gig at San Juan, Puerto Rico

His second English-language album "Sound Loaded" in 2000 was a commercial disappointment as compared to his first. The notable single "She Bangs" and a duet with Christina Aguilera "Nobody want's to be Lonely" did not break the top 10 charts despite the seductive video featuring both the stars. The album did sell 7 million copies world wide. But his popularity started to decline as there were no new English language albums.

The New Direction

Ricky Martin hastily released the greatest hits album for his Spanish-language catalogue and an English language best of

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