Biography:

Ricky Martin is unquestionably the leading Latin Music figure of his generation.  His instinctive understanding of rhythm, passion for performing, willingness to take creative risks and natural charisma has led Martin down a musical path of artistry and superstardom. Possessing an ability to completely captivate audiences with his stage presence, Martin is an artist fiercely proud of his Puerto Rican roots, but also capable of crossing artistic borders by fusing that cultural sound with universal music elements. It is exactly that career-self portrait of Latin rhythmic roots and global popular music that Ricky Martin presents in his long awaited unplugged album. Recorded in the traditional acoustic format of the iconic MTV series, RICKY MARTIN: MTV UNPLUGGED boasts lush orchestration and arrangements, while still capturing Martin’s entrancing performance energy. With the stripped down production applied to many of Martin’s famed Spanish language hits and three enticing new tracks, listeners are able to fully appreciate Martin’s ability as a vocalist and his enjoyment in guiding fans through the razor-sharp band’s presentation of Latin rhythms.  This departure from elaborate production and joy in simpler music is immediately evident on the album’s first single “Tu Recuerdo,” a beautiful ballad where the Puerto Rican “cuatro” – an instrument indigenous to the island- takes the lead. In that unique aural environment, Ricky duets with the engaging Spanish flamenco singer María del Mar Rodríguez (better known as La Mari, from the popular group Chambao) and his producer and long-time friend Tommy Torres.  The exploration of the island’s native sounds continues with the standout jam session on “Pegate” where Martin and the band immerse themselves in the enjoyment of the of Puerto Rico’s plena musical style. When the sum parts of the album’s diverse musical explorations are combined, RICKY MARTIN: MTV UNPLUGGED adds up to a career landmark album that both redefines Martin’s musical range and reconfirm his role as the leading Latin music ambassador. Career Path & Previous DiscographySince his earliest days as a performer, Ricky Martin has always known that in order to have an enduring career, his musical evolution must never end. That is why he has honed his creative spirit by exploring the diversity of Latin music genres. Knowing that music has no boundaries has fed his artistic growth and inspired his voice to become a vehicle of diverse expression. With perseverance and hard work over the course of a two decade career, Martin has become one of the world’s top- solo artists, having sold more than 55 million albums. “Ricky Martin”  In 1991, Martin unveiled his self-titled first album Ricky Martin. With hits such as “El Amor de Mi Vida,” “Fuego Contra Fuego” and “Dime Que Me Quieres” capturing the attention of critics and fans, it is the first taste of Martin’s music with traces of global character. “Me Amarás”
It was with that global vision and the hand of the famous producer, Juan Carlos Calderón that Martin recorded his second album Me Amarás. Boasting the hits “Entre el Amor y los Halagos,” “Que Día es Hoy” and the title track “Me Amarás,” Martin completed his second extensive tour of Latin America in support of the album. “A Medio Vivir”In 1995, Martin joined forces with the songwriter/composer Robi Draco Rosa and producer K.C. Porter to create his third album: A Medio Vivir. The hit single "María" and the ballads “Te Extraño, Te Olvido, Te Amo,” “Fuego de Noche, Nieve de Día” and “Volverás” have now became repertoire favorites for Martin. Without question, this is the album that laid the groundwork for Martin’s fast-approaching international superstardom. It was also at this time in his career that Martin took to Broadway, playing “Marius” in the beloved show “Le Miserables.” Martin’s run in the production was met with eleven weeks of sold-out houses and critical praises for his performance.  “Vuelve” In 1998 Marin returned with his fourth album Vuelve. It was with this effort that Martin was catapulted to the forefront of international world pop music, as the single "La Copa de la Vida" (“The Cup of Life”) became the theme for the 1998 World Cup in France and quickly reached #1 on the charts in more then 60 countries across the globe. Millions of fans also embraced additional famed tracks as “Perdido Sin Ti,” “La Bomba” and the title track “Vuelve”.  GRAMMY BreakthroughIn one of the defining historical examples of stealing the show, Ricky Martin left the audience of the 41st Annual GRAMMY Awards completely breathless, became the instant talk of the music industry, and single-handedly launched a Latin pop revolution in the United States. Declaring Ricky’s rendition of La Copa de la Vida as “a spectacular GRAMMY performance,” the New York Times said the appearance “put a match to the tinder of the pop-music world” and instantly established Martin as “the symbol of Latin culture’s new mainstream status in the United States.”That night, Martin also garnered the award recognition to back up the excitement generated by his performance, as he took home a GRAMMY Award for Best Latin Pop Performance for Vuelve. “Ricky Martin” (first English Album) Following the path established by Vuelve and his-post GRAMMY reception, Martin released his first English album in 1999 with the again self-titled Ricky Martin.  The world-wide hit “Livin' La vida Loca” redefined global pop music success and spearheaded album sales of over 17 million copies. Martin again reached out to fans directly with a groundbreaking tour performing 250 concerts in 80 cities across 35 global countries. “Sound Loaded” For his second English album, Martin worked once again with producer Desmond Child and once again delivered multi-platinum success. Released in 2000, the singles “She Bangs,” “Nobody Wants to be Lonely” with Christina Aguilera and “Loaded” became worldwide hits. “Almas del Silencio”In 2003, showing loyalty to his Spanish language fan base, Martin releases Almas del Silencio - a production on which he worked with a wide-range of friends, composers, and musicians to pay tribute to the richness of Latin music. The album reached #1 on the Billboard charts and produced the hits “Tal Vez,” “Jaleo” and “Todo Queda en Nada”. “Life” With the production of Life in 2005, Martin explores his interests in spiritual richness and international travels. With elements of Middle Eastern music, African sounds to the emergence of Latin Urban and Reggaeton, Martin delivers an album that the press says is brimming with “confidence and musical diversity”. Supporting new hits such as “Drop it On Me,” “I Don’t Care” and “It’s Alright,” the “Una Noche con Ricky Martin” tour performs to capacity audiences through Latin America, Europe, The Middle East, and United States. AccomplishmentsIn an almost two decade career, Ricky Martin has received numerous international awards, including most recently, the prestigious “Person of the Year” recognition from the Latin recording Academy for both his  artistic excellence and extensive philanthropic work. A sampling of his other awards include: GRAMMY and LATIN GRAMMY awards, MTV Asia Awards, the MTV European Music Award, a World Music Award, an American Music Award, and multiple Premio Lo Nuestro, Latin Billboard, Premios Alma and Blockbuster Awards, among others.  Humanitarian WorkConvinced that being both a musician and a humanitarian have made him stronger, Ricky Martin continues his extensive work as a philanthropist. His most passionate agenda is to bring justice, education, and protection to children around the World.  Spearheading this fight for children’s rights is the artist’s personal foundation – The Ricky Martin Foundation  For more information, please visit bothwww.rickymartinmusic.com and www.rickymartinfoundation.org