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Ricky
Martin
 From
Menudo cutie to the leading-edge superstar of the
new millenium's Latin Invasion, Ricky Martin has thrilled
fans around the world and across the generations.
In honor of the release of "Almas de Silencio" his
first Spanish album in several years, LaMusica.com
is pleased to treat you to our Rickystravaganza selected
from our 8 years of coverage of one of our very, very
favorite artists. We've got interviews, reviews, and
much more....enjoy!
More than a billion viewers in 187 countries around
the world were stunned by the sheer force of Ricky
Martin's eye-opening performance of "The Cup Of Life"
at the 1999 Grammy Awards ceremony; "La Copa de la
Vida," the official song of the World Cup France '98,
had been a #1 single in more than 30 countries, but
was basically known only to Latino audiences in the
United States at the time.
Although Ricky Martin became a star in the eyes of
U.S. audiences that night, he was already a superstar
internationally, having sold more than 15 million
records at the time and selling out arenas during
his tours of Asia, Europe and Latin America. His story
began long before his solo career.
Ricky Martin was born and raised in San Juan, Puerto
Rico. He started appearing in television commercials
at the age of six, and studied acting and singing
throughout his school years. He wanted to join the
singing group Menudo but was rejected because he was
too young. In 1984, a "mature" Ricky joined the mother-of-all-boy-bands.
He was twelve. His life would never be the same.
After five years of nonstop work, tours, recording,
and rehearsing with the group, Ricky left in 1989,
traveling first to New York, to study and reflect,
and then to México, where he worked as an actor
and a singer. His first solo album earned him eight
gold records in México, Chile, Argentina, Puerto
Rico, and the United States. After releasing his second
album, "Me Amarás", Ricky moved to Los Angeles,
where he became an American television heartthrob
in his role as "Miguel" on "General Hospital." He
went on to appear as "Marius" in the Broadway production
of "Les Misérables." His third album, "A Medio
Vivir," was produced by Robi Rosa and KC Porter (Bon
Jovi, Boyz II Men, Richard Marx, Patti LaBelle), sold
more than 600,000 in six months, and was certified
gold by the RIAA on October 27, 1997. Vuelve repeated
that success and was RIAA-certified gold on July 7,
1998.
After the smash success at the Grammys, Ricky released
his English language album "Ricky Martin". The breakout
single of the CD, "Livin' La Vida Loca" quickly became
one of the year's hottest hits. The song's Spanish
and English versions topped charts around the world
and firmly established Ricky as a bona-fide international
superstar.
His followup album "Sound Loaded" was released in
2000 and contained the hit "She Bangs". Ricky took
a break after that and is expected to return to the
recording scene with a new CD in 2003.
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