Chayanne

Elmer Figueroa Arce, better known as Chayanne, was born in Puerto Rico on the 29th of June in 1968 and is the third of five siblings. He recently married the Venezuelan Marilisa Maronese, with whom he had a baby who is almost 3 years of age who was named Lorenzo Valentino.

Like any other adolescent, Chayanne was delighted to ride motocycles, play tennis, and enjoy a good book; furthermore he is a tireless fighter and self-disciplined, thanks to which he has become an example for all his generation.

Chayanne is indebted for his stage name to his mother and a North American TV series. He debuted as a singer at ten years of age, becoming a part of the group "Los Chicos" (the boys), one of the most acclaimed groups originating in the decade of the 80s, causing a true frenzy among the adolescents.

Professionally, he has recorded 14 albums/CDs, 5 of these with Los Chicos and 9 others as a solo performer. In 1987 he recorded for the first time with Sony Music International (CBS Records) an album/CD entitled "Chayanne," among whose songs the major hits were "Tu Pirata Soy Yo" (I am Your Pirate), "Este Ritmo se Baila Asii" (This Rhythm is Danced Like This), and "Fuiste un Trozo de Hielo en la Escarcha" (You Were a Chunk of Ice in the Frost).

In 1989 he recorded his second album/CD (for Sony) also entitled "Chayanne," among whose songs the major hits were "Fiesta en America" (Party in America), "Violeta" (Violet), "Te Deseo" (I Wish), and "Para Tenerte Otra Vez" (In Order to Have You Again). This album was also recorded in Portugese and resulted in several hits in the Brazilian market. This recording was found worthy of a nomination for the Grammy awards in 1989 under the category "Best Latin Pop Performance."

In this same year he signed an exclusive contract worldwide with the Pepsi-Cola company, and recorded the first commercial that came out in Spanish without subtitles primarily in the United States, Latin America, and Europe during the beginning of the Grammy Awards (1989). Then he recorded another commercial for Pepsi, this time in English.

Other recordings of his include: "Sangre Latina" (Latin Blood), "Tiempo de Vals" (Waltz Time), "Provocame" (You Turn Me On), "Influencias" (Influences), "Volver a Nacer" (To Be Born Again), and most recently, "Atado a Tu Amor" (Tied to Your Love), which received a nomination for the Grammy Awards in 1998 in the category "Best Latin Pop Performance."

Jennifer Lopez

Jennifer's mother, a kindergarten teacher, and her father, a computer analyst, nurtured her ambitions early on by enrolling the young star-to-be in dance lessons. It was as a dancer that her career really started: she started in musicals and soon graduated to the small screen (TV).

Lopez later beat out thousands in a national dance in order to earn herself a place as one of Rosie Perez’s Flygirls on the 80's comedy show In Living Color.

Lopez was able to turn her success as a Flygirl into more television work, and appeared in a series of new but short-lived sitcoms. Despite the setbacks, she was still able to move on to better things - this time on the big screen. Landing a part in Gregory Nava’s critically acclaimed Mi Familia helped get Lopez into the eyes of the right people.

In 1995, she appeared in Money Train alongside Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson and in 1996, she had a role as Miss Marquez in the forgettable movie Jack.

1997 was a defining year for Lopez. Her role as the lead in Selena put her well in the public eye. Selena was very successful and propelled Jennifer Lopez into the spotlight. The film also allowed Lopez to showcase her singing talents and also introduced her to Ojani Noa, who she married but later divorced.

Later that year, Lopez continued her rise to fame in Anaconda and Oliver Stone’s U Turn. 1997 also saw Lopez get listed in People Magazine’s 50 Most Beautiful People!

In 1998, Lopez turned it up a notch in Out of Sight with George Clooney. This box-office hit helped confirm that she was here to stay. But she was not content with movie stardom... Later that year, Lopez took the Billboard charts by storm with If You Want My Love. Lopez made herself a sex symbol with her moves in that video and she's been gaining ground ever since.

Ricky Martin

Born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Ricky Martin’s first taste of stardom came in grade school when he acted in school plays and sang in the choir. As a young boy Ricky appeared in numerous television commercials and immersed himself in singing lessons. At the age of 12, Ricky landed a spot with the Latin boy group of the 80’s, Menudo. For five years, Ricky maintained a grueling regime of recording work and tours.

It wasn’t until 1989 that he decided to move to New York and go solo with his career. A year went by with no work for the aspiring entertainer. This misfortune led him to Mexico, where he became a cast on the soap opera Alcanzar una Estrella II. While in Mexico, Ricky completed his first two Spanish Albums, “Ricky Martin” and “Me Amaras”. Each achieved gold status in several countries. Having this great success, Ricky decided to return to the states. In 1995, he would see a breakthrough in his professional career, with the release of “Medio Vivir”, an album that combined Latin styling with a rock orientation. More success would turn his way when he was awarded the prestigious role of Marius in the Broadway production of Les Miserables. February 1999 was when Ricky established himself as a household name in America.

This was due to his electrifying performance of his smash hit, “La Copa de la Vida” at the Grammy Awards show. International superstar Ricky Martin detonated the Latin Pop explosion, paving the way for other Latin Pop stars like Jennifer Lopez, Enrique Iglesias, Luis Miguel, and Mark Anthony. Ricky Martin appears to be handling his success with great style, however this Latin heartthrob’s success is far from over. The Ricky Martin fever will continue to burn in the music industry, as long the Latin Sensation is out there singing and shaking his “Bon Bon”.

 

Gloria Estefan

In an industry increasingly dominated by disposable artists and short-term careers, Gloria Estefan continues to thrive and firmly command the ardent praise of fans worldwide. With the release of "Greatest Hits, Volume 2," she ascends to a rarified plateau that affirms her status as one of pop music's true and enduring originals.

"As an artist, you dream about accumulating enough successful music to someday do just one greatest-hits album, but to reach the point where you're releasing your second collection of hits is beyond belief," Estefan says. "I'm so proud and so grateful to have reached this point."

In addition to providing diehard fans with a nicely woven collection of Estefan's best-loved English-language hits from the past nine years, "Greatest Hits, Volume 2" also effectively illuminates the most creatively plush period of the artist's career to date. It also leaves the listener appropriately enthusiastic about the next phase of Gloria's musical career, thanks to the inclusion of the three sterling new tunes: "You Can't Walk Away From Love," "Out Of Nowhere," and "I Got No Love." "These are songs that allow me to remain true to the sounds and musical concepts that I've developed over the last few years, while also experimenting with a lot of fresh, new ideas," she says.

For added zest, "Greatest Hits, Volume 2" also features a new-millennium take on the Miami Sound Machine classic "Conga." Renamed "Y-Tu-Conga," the evergreen tune has been masterfully reinvented into an underground house anthem by none other than Gloria's son, Nayib, with club veteran Little Louie Vega. "There weren't all the various current types of dance music back when we first did 'Conga,' so there weren't any different versions of the song," Gloria notes. "So, the song was ripe for remixing. Nayib has always thought it should be done, so he decided to go into the studio and give it a try. He's been working as a DJ part time, and that's put him in close touch with the sounds that are cutting-edge. I think he's done an amazing job of bringing 'Conga' up to date, while retaining the original essence of the song. "And I'm not just saying that because I'm his mother," Gloria adds with a prideful smile. The remixed version of "Conga" provides the perfect bridge between Estefan's salad days and the new tunes that hint at where the artist is headed in the future.

Among the hottest cuts on "Greatest Volume 2" is the energetic pop-disco anthem "Out of Nowhere." Produced by Emilio Estefan Jr. and Randall Barlow, the track showcases a decidedly different style of belting from the venerable performer. "The vocals are far more layered than on anything I've ever recorded before," she says. "It was a chance to play with texture, as well as create different vocal personalities. It's a playful track, kinda sexy. It was a blast to record. And I love that it's reminiscent of 'Conga,' in terms of the percussive feel of the verse and the speed of lyric delivery. It has a nice wrap-around feeling. It just swirls around you."

Estefan also enjoyed experimenting on "I Got No Love," another new composition, CO-written by longtime Estefan collaborator Jon Secada. "I'm crazy about the R&B vibe of that song," Gloria says. "It's a little more raw, street than people might be used to hearing from me. I love the idea of working on relatively empty tracks, wherein you have to really come up with some fresh vocal ideas. There's some really nice vocal layering on this song, which I think works well within the rhythmic context that Jon, Emilio and Sebastian Krys, (one of the song's CO-producers) created."

 

Enrique Iglesias

With the November 1999 release of Enrique, his fourth album but first on Interscope Records, Enrique Iglesias became one of pop music's biggest stars. The platinum-certified Enrique spun off his first two #1 pop smashes: "Bailamos" which hit #1 in late summer 1999, and "Be With You" (a.k.a. "Solo Me Importas Tu"), which topped the pop chart in summer 2000 for three weeks and was also #1 on Billboard’s Dance Club chart. As evidence of Iglesias’ worldwide appeal, Enrique has also sold more than three million copies outside the U.S., with the album a spectacular success in countries as diverse as Canada (quadruple platinum), Germany (platinum) and Taiwan (gold).

The album’s next single will be "Sad Eyes," written by Bruce Springsteen. In the meantime, "Could I Have This Kiss Forever," which first was heard on Enrique, has been recorded as a duet with superstar Whitney Houston for her 2000-released Greatest Hits album. Enrique and Whitney also filmed its popular music video together.

Renowned for his live performances (seen by hundreds of millions during the most recent Super Bowl halftime extravaganza), and following an extensive world tour supporting Enrique, Iglesias will next be seen and heard on stage with a European jaunt that launches August 23 in Oslo, Norway, and concludes September 23 at the Algarve Festival in Portugal. He will then return for further U.S. dates.

Of his heralded concert performances, the Washington Post has written: "It’s not just Enrique Iglesias’ smoldering good looks that make millions of women swoon over the ‘sexiest man in the world.’ …He [has a] gift for delivering romantic Latin ballads convincingly and dramatically.… [Iglesias is] a particularly engaging, charismatic performer" (Jan. 28, 1999). The Los Angeles Times concurred: "For the most compelling and consistently satisfying live show in Latin pop, look no further than Enrique Iglesias. He’s the real thing…thanks to the most effective weapon available to the live performer: the human touch" (March 13, 1999).

The path to this sort of Enrique-mania began in Madrid, Spain, where he was born on May 8, 1975. Living in Miami since he was seven, he began his career in 1995 with the release of his first album, songs for which he’d been writing and arranging secretly since he was 16--with not even his family aware of his aspirations. Enrique Iglesias sold more than a million copies in its first three months on store shelves (he earned his first gold record in Portugal in a scant seven days). To date, Iglesias’ eponymous debut has sold more than six million units worldwide. Its follow-up, 1997’s Vivir, has enjoyed global sales of more than five million discs.

He supported Vivir by embarking on his first world tour (backed by sidemen for Elton John, Bruce Springsteen and Billy Joel). The international jaunt traveled to 78 venues in 16 countries, visiting stadiums with capacities of more than 50,000. In the U.S., Iglesias performed at 19 arenas. A total of 720,000 people attended the planet-spanning concerts and the critically acclaimed road trip was an immense commercial success. He set off on his second world tour, in support of Cosas del Amor, in February 1999. The first tour ever sponsored by McDonald’s, Iglesias offered more than 80 performances.

Iglesias was already a major star singing in Spanish before Enrique became his first English-language album. 1995’s Grammy-winning Enrique Iglesias and 1997’s Vivir are each RIAA-certified platinum in the U.S., with 1998’s Cosas del Amor gold and nearing platinum. The singer-songwriter sold more than 13 million albums of his first three releases– in a mere three years. In the Americas, Europe and Asia, songs such as "Si Tu Te Vas," "Por Amarte," "Experiencia Religiosa," "Trapecista," "No Llores Por Mi," "Enamorado Por Primera Vez," "Solo en Ti," "Miente," "Revolucion, " "Esperanza" and "Nunca Te Olvidare" reached #1 on various charts in the U.S. and 18 other countries.

Iglesias racked up 132 platinum records, 251 gold albums and scores of awards. Among the latter are the 1996 Grammy for Best Latin Performer; 1996’s Artist of the Year for Billboard, 1998’s American Music Award for Best Latin Artist, 1997’s Billboard Album of the Year for Vivir; a World Music Award for Best-Selling Artist; eight Premio Lo Nuestro Awards; two ACE Performer of the Year Awards; and ASCAP prizes for Best Composer of 1996 and 1997.

Then came Enrique and "Bailamos." Will Smith caught an Iglesias show in L.A. and made a special request of him to contribute to the soundtrack for Smith’s film "Wild Wild West" (released jointly by Overbrook Records, Smith’s label, and Interscope Records). Fusing full-throttle dance beats with Latin rhythms and Iglesias’ characteristically rich, seductive vocals, "Bailamos" (pronounced "By-LA-Mos" and translated as "We Dance") was bootlegged by U.S. radio stations playing European versions well before its official release, and it quickly became the #1 most-requested track in several of the largest markets in the country, including Los Angeles, New York, Miami and Dallas.

Upon its official debut, "Bailamos" shot to the top and so has Iglesias. As a co-writer, he won yet another ASCAP award for the song. An international artist in every sense of the word, he was named both Favorite Latino Artist at the 2000 Blockbuster Entertainment Awards and Male International Artist of the Year at the CCTV-MTV Music Honors in Beijing, China.

With Enrique, he has now recorded in four languages--Spanish, Portuguese, Italian and English. An inveterate consumer of any and all music that comes his way, no matter its origins, he is deeply grateful for the musical education afforded by his immersion in three cultures--Latin, European and American.