| Biography | Ricky Martin is a Puerto Rican singer, actor and author who is widely regarded as the "King of Latin Pop". He holds dual American and Spanish citizenship, and began his career at age 12 with the all-boy pop group Menudo. After five years with the group, he released several Spanish-language solo albums throughout the 1990s. Since the beginning of his solo career in 1991, Ricky Martin has sold over 70 million records, making him one of the best-selling Latin music artists of all time. He also acted on stage and on TV in Mexico, where he achieved modest stardom. In 1994, he appeared on the US TV soap opera General Hospital, playing a Puerto Rican singer. He ranks among the most influential Latin artists of all time.[14]
In early 1999, after releasing several albums in Spanish, Martin performed "The Cup of Life" at the 41st Annual Grammy Awards show, which became a catalyst in bringing Latin pop to the forefront of the U.S. music scene. Following its success, Martin released "Livin' la Vida Loca", which helped him attain enormous success worldwide. It is generally seen as the song that began the Latin pop explosion of 1999 and made the transition easier for other Spanish-speaking artists to move into the English-speaking market. His first English-language album (also titled Ricky Martin), sold 15 million copies and is his best selling album to date. His other studio albums include: Me Amaras (1993), A Medio Vivir (1995), Vuelve (1998), Sound Loaded (2000), Almas del Silencio (2003), Life (2005), Música + Alma + Sexo (2011), A Quien Quiera Escuchar (2015), and Movimiento (2020). In 2018, he portrayed Antonio D'Amico on The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story for which he received a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie. |