Historical Figure
Ricky Martin
b. 1971
Puerto Rican singer and actor (born 1971)
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Biography
Enrique "Ricky" Martín Morales is a Puerto Rican singer, songwriter and actor. He is known for his musical versatility, with his discography incorporating a wide variety of many elements, such as Latin pop, dance, reggaeton, salsa, and other genres. Born in San Juan, Martin began appearing in television commercials at age nine and began his musical career at twelve, as a member of Puerto Rican boy band Menudo. He began his solo career in 1991 while in Sony Music Mexico, gaining recognition in Latin America with the release of his first two studio albums, Ricky Martin (1991) and Me Amaras (1993), both of which were focused on ballads.
Timeline
The story of Ricky Martin, told in moments.
Born Enrique Martin Morales in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Started appearing in TV commercials at nine. Auditioned for the boy band Menudo three times before being accepted at age 12.
Performed "La Copa de la Vida" at the Grammy Awards. The audience stood and danced. His English-language album Ricky Martin debuted at number one. "Livin' la Vida Loca" became the anthem of the "Latin Pop Explosion."
Came out publicly as gay on his website. "I am proud to say that I am a fortunate homosexual man." He'd been asked directly by Barbara Walters in 2000 and dodged the question. Said the silence had been suffocating.
Married artist Jwan Yosef. They have four children via surrogacy. Twins Valentino and Matteo were born in 2008, Lucia in 2018, Renn in 2019.
In Their Own Words (4)
...the most uncomfortable and saddest times of my life. I thought my emotions were evil because that’s what they told me. You’re not supposed to feel like this.
On his internalized homophobia in “American Crime Story: How Ryan Murphy Transformed Ricky Martin’s Real-Life Pain into Stunning TV” in Vanity Fair (2018 Jan 18), 2018
Superman has got nothing on me because my kids gave me that perspective...They don’t know what they did for me. Maybe they’ll find out now and will read about it when they are big. They’ll understand what they did for me. If they gave up their piggy bank, then I have to give mine.
On how his children provide him inspiration in “RICKY MARTIN ON HIS HUMANITARIAN WORK AND WHY HE FEELS BIGGER THAN SUPERMAN” in Hola Magazine (2017 Nov 8), 2017
Being Ricky Martin back then and what I was feeling were not compatible...I was the sex symbol and I needed to dance and I needed to make girls crazy and I couldn't say that I was gay. It was a struggle.
On struggling with his homosexuality and public persona (as quoted in “Ricky Martin: 'I thought homosexuality was evil'” in The Guardian; 2011 May 6), 2011
I won’t stop singing in Spanish...It’s my mother tongue. [It’s] important to let people know more about Latin culture and exchange a little bit — it’s what I’ve been doing for seven years, since I released my first solo album.
On continuing to sing in Spanish despite releasing English-language albums (as quoted in “Flashback: Ricky Martin Drives American Talk Show Hosts ‘Loca’ in 1999” in Rolling Stone (2017 May 27), 1999
Artifacts (15)
The construction of identities in 21st-century celebrity culture : gender, heteronormativity and postfeminism
Vivimos en un mundo globalizado en el cual, durante las dos últimas décadas, el creciente impacto del mundo de las celebridades está conectado con el auge de la influencia de los medios de...
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