Martin, Ricky

views updated

Ricky Martin

Singer, actor

On the edge of the new millennium, Puerto Rican pop sensation Ricky Martin—almost by himself—gave Latino music an international face. An electrifying perfor-mance at the 1999 Grammy Awards launched Martin into worldwide super-stardom. As Entertainment Weeklys Andrew Essex reported, “his leather-pants, electro-pelvis version of “La Copa de la Vida single-handedly goosed a very dull [Grammy] telecast, earning him a standing ovation.” It earned him a legion of fans, as well, who quickly snapped up copies of Martin’s CDs the next day.

Born Enrique Martin on December 24, 1971 in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Ricky was not an over night success. Martin, the only child of Enrique Martin, a psychologist and Nereida Morales, an accountant who were divorced when Martin was two, began his climb into stardom at age eight by acting. In 1983 at age 12, Ricky—after auditioning three times—was finally accepted as a member of the Latin boy band, Menudo. Menudo’s manager, Edgardo Diaz, told Time, “He [Martin] was small, not a big singer, and his voice was not so good then. But we thought he could learn a lot by being with the group.” For the next five years Martin toured dozens of countries with Menudo, including Spain, Italy, Guam, and Japan.

At least one ex-member of Menudo has publicly described his experience with the group as, in Essex’s words, “abusive, exploitative, and unsavory.” In spite of this, Essex continues, “[Martin] focuses on the lessons Menudo instilled in him: ‘I learned what discipline was. For me, it’s been easy to forgive.’” However, Martin did tell People’s Peter Castro and Lynda Wright that, “our [the band’s] creativity was stifled we were told [the songs we wrote] were no good.”

And because Martin constantly was on tour, his family relationships—especially with his father—suffered. As Martin recalled in People, “When my dreams started coming true, my parents started fighting. I had everything I ever wanted, but my family was falling apart.” His father, Martin continued, “wanted me to choose between him and my mother. How do you ask a child that?” Castro and Wright wrote that in 1985, “[Martin] so resented his father that he changed his name from Enrique [to Ricky].” It would take almost ten years forfather and son to repair their relationship.

Acting, Accidents, and Albums

In 1988, Martin left Menudo, graduated high school, and moved to New York City. In 1992, Martin moved again, this time to Mexico City where he restarted his acting

For the Record…

Born Enrique Martin on December 24, 1971 in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Began acting at age eight; joined Latin pop band, Menu-do at age 12, 1983; was dismissed from Menudo, 1988; released first album, Ricky Martin, 1992; released second album, Me Amaras, 1993; resumed acting on the popular soap opera, General Hospital and on Broadway in “Les Miserables,” 1994; released third album, A Medio Vivir, 1995; provided voice for Hercules in the Spanish language version of the Disney film, Hercules, 1997; released fourth album, Vuelve, which included the smash hit, “La Copa de la Vida,” 1998; performed at 1999 Grammy Awards; released his first English-language album, Ricky Martin, 1999

Awards: Best New Latin Performer, Billboard Video Awards, 1993; Best Actor, Heraldo Award, 1993; Grammy Award for Best Latin Pop Performance, 1999; Best Selling Latin Artist, World Music Awards, 1999.

Addresses: Record Company —C2 Records/Columbia Records; Management —Angelo Medina Enterprises, 1406 Georgetti Street, Santurce, Puerto Rico, 00910; Fan Club —Ricky Martin International Fan Club, P.O. Box 13345, Santurce Station, San Juan, Puerto Rico.

career. Martin earned a Heraldo—the Mexican Academy Award for his work in the film adaptation of Alcanzar una Estrella (Reach for a Star), a Spanish or soap opera. Also, in 1992, Martin signed to Sony and released his first solo album, Ricky Martin. Sony Music CEO Tommy Mottola saw the future of Latin pop music telling Time’s Christopher John Farley, “The heart and soul of the music will be able to break down barriers easily. It’s undeniable.” Also undeniable was Martin’s burgeoning popularity. After a sold out tour of South America and being named Billboard Video Awards’ Best New Latin Artist of 1993, Martin released his second album, Me Amaras and moved to Los Angeles, California.

In 1994 Martin earned a role on the ABC soap opera, General Hospital. Martin told Hispanic magazine reporter Rosie Carbo that, “For me, General Hospital, has been an incredible way of learning and growing as an actor. I look at it as a training school that’s going to help my acting career [however], I think this will even help me in my musical career.” Martin’s confidence continued to grow with his performance as “Marius” in the Broadway play, Les Miserables. Martin also continued to record music and in 1995 released his third album, A Medio Vivir.

As Martin began to grow ever more popular, he became aware of being stereotyped. As he told Essex, “It’s all about breaking stereotypes. For me, the fact that people think Puerto Rico is Scarface, that we ride on donkeys to school—that has to change.” Martin began to break stereotypes by becoming Puerto Rico’s national tourism spokesman, by voicing “Hercules” for Disney’s Spanish-language version of the 1997 animated film, Hercules, and by releasing his fourth album, Vuelve. Vuelve hit number one in 22 countries on the strength of the smash single, “La Copa de la Vida” (The Cup of Life). In 1998 this single became the anthem for soccer’s World Cup, thus raising Martin’s international popularity. It also became the anthem for Governor Pedro Rossello’s campaign to have Puerto Rico named United States’ fifty-first state. However, Martin did not authorize the use of the song. Martin’s manager Angelo Medina told Billboards Karl Ross, “Music doesn’t choose sides. It belongs to every-one.” And that’s the message Martin wanted American audiences to embrace. However, it would take a memorable performance by Martin at the 1999 Grammy Awards for the United States to open its arms.

Created a “Loca” Audience

Martin performed “La Copa de la Vida” (The Cup of Life) at the1999 Grammy Awards. Martin told Billboards John Lannert and Carrie Bell, “[I was] glad to let 2 million people all over the world in different cultures know who I am and what kind of music I make.” Audiences were glad too. About two hours into a boring show, Time’s David E. Thigpen wrote, “[Martin] performed the musical equivalent of CPR.” Martin’s performance—and leather pants—gave the Grammy audience something to remember. Joey Guerra of the Houston Chronicle quoted one record store manager as saying, “Ever since he appeared on the Grammies, [Martin’s albums have been] blowing out the door. I don’t know what those leather pants did. It just like turned everybody on.” According to Rolling Stone Martin’s Grammy appearance, “increased sales of Vuelve by 500 percent.” In May 1999, Martin released Ricky Martin —his first English-language album. Reporters, fans, and critics alike asked Martin why he had apparently left behind his Latin roots. As Entertainment Week’s David Browne commented, “The danger of leaving behind one’s home turf, especially for world-music artists lies in the loss of [their] identity.” However, as Martin told USA Today’s Arlene Vigoda, “I will never stop singing in Spanish, but this a communications business, and it’s all about getting closerto cultures.” Martin further stated when he accepted the 1999 World Music Award for Best Selling Latin Artist that, “To create music is to unite countries.” Ricky Martin, however, retains a Latin quality while also showing Martin’s diversity, including a duet with pop music icon, Madonna. But, as St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporter Kevin C. Johnson commented, “before anyone can accuse Martin of selling out by singing in English, there’s a Spanish version of ‘Livin’ La Vida Loca’ and ‘Bella, ’ where Martin flip-flops between the two languages.”

Confronted Sex Symbol Image

However, it was not merely a number one hit single that created such a successful album, but Martin’s image as a leather-pants-wearing sex symbol. When asked by Rolling Stone’s David Wild if he felt comfortable with that image, Martin replied, “Sex symbol is equal to no credibility. That’s something I don’t want to fight with. Sexuality and sensuality are completely different things. Sensuality is something that you’re born with. Am I sensual? Well, a lot of people say I am. But sexuality is something I leave for my own mirror. I don’t share that with anyone.” Martin continued his worldwide tourthrough-out the summer of 1999, telling Vigoda, “I need the immediate reaction I get from performing my music.” Vigoda further quoted Martin as saying, “I want to do this forever. I don’t want to be the hit of the summer, and hopefully, with a lot of humility, we can talk in 10 years and I’ll still be here.” Little Judy of LaMusica.com, for one, seems to think he will: “Martin is much more than a pop idol. In possession of natural talent and quiet intelligence, he is a young man discovering his soul as an artist. What he learns and shares with the world in the future, is what art, in the truest sense of the word, is all about.”