I first heard Livin’ La Vida Loca when I was 8 and fell head over heels in love with Ricky Martin. I know I was too young, but can you blame me? Even though it’s been 17 years , I think I’ll always love the man a little. So on his 44th birthday, come take a walk down memory lane with me to celebrate the man who gave us ‘Maria‘.
Enrique Martín Morales began his career with the pop group Menudo. He was only 12 and had to audition thrice to be accepted in the band (producers thought he was too short). He lead the band for four years before leaving it to pursue a solo career.
In 1990, he signed up with Sony Discos and released his first album, titled after himself. The album featured the hit songs ‘Fuego Contra Fuego‘ and ‘El Amor de Mi Vida‘ and has sold half a million copies worldwide.
Me Amaras, Martin’s second album came out in 1993 and once again went on to be certified Platinum.
After the success of his second album, Martin moved to Los Angeles to further pursue his acting career. He went on to act in several shows including the General Hospital where he played Miguel Morez, a singer bartender who gets signed up by L&B Records.
The man with a killer smile and swivelling hips, came out with his third album A Medio Vivir in 1993. The album was a tribute to his earlier life and about celebrating his Latino heritage. Believe it or not, the producers were sceptical about the song ‘Maria‘ as it was vastly different from his original work. Not surprisingly, the album became a major hit and sold more than 3 million copies.
Ricky Martin’s success in the music world opened up avenues for him in the acting world too. He was offered the role of Marius Pontmercy in Les Miserables which ran for almost two months.
In 1998, he released his fourth album ,‘Vuelve’, whose success awarded him with a chance to sing at the 1998 FIFA World Cup. Ricky Martin went on to win the Best Latin Pop Album award at the Grammys, a feat that made the world sit up and notice the Puerto Rican.
The Grammy win proved to be a turning point in the singer’s life. He came out with his first English album. It had the iconic song, Livin’ La Vida Loca, which is Ricky Martin’s biggest hit till date. Selling 22 million copies worlwide, the album is also one of the highest selling albums ever.
In the next few years, he released three more albums, all of which attested to the man’s talent. Like me, several young girls and boys fell in love with the man. Even though his sexuality had been the talk of the town for several years, this was the time when they were actually being given some serious thought.
After years of avoiding questions about his sexuality, the singer came out in 2010 through a post on his personal website. He credited his sons who were born through a surrogate in 2008 for providing him with the strength required for such a declaration. This announcement was followed up with the release of his autobiography titled ‘Me‘ , which became an instant best-seller.
2012 saw Martin’s comeback to television. He starred as a Spanish Teacher on Glee and took up the role of a coach in The Voice Australia and later The Voice Mexico.
The next year saw the release of his single “Adrenalina‘ with Jennifer Lopez and Wisin. The year after, he returned to the World Cup stage with the single ‘Vida‘ , after almost sixteen years.
This year, Ricky Martin released his tenth album and showed the world that some things do truly get better with time. Adios, the lead single from the album, was the embodiment of all things sexy. Like its predecessors, this album too topped all Pop Charts worldwide.
A man who can sing in four languages is no ordinary man. If I was unable to convince you of his greatness, I leave you with the song that started it all- Livin’ La vida Loca!