Biography Ricky Martin

Enrique Ricky Martin was born on Christmas Eve of December 24, 1971, in San Juan, Puerto Rico. His parents, Enrique a psychologist, and Nereida Morales, an accountant, got divorced when Ricky Martin was 2 years old. Although the divorce itself wasn't hard on little Ricky, it was trying to split his time between his parents that had a greater effect on him once he grew older.

Ricky Martin attended Colegio Sagrado Corazon grade school, and although he was an average student, was above average when it came to performing and being charming. Ricky would perform on the streets, participate in plays, and sing in the school chorus, where it was evident early on that he had the talent and fascination to captivate an audience.

When he was six, he began acting in television commercials. Shortly afterward, he took professional singing and acting lessons, which paved the way for his auditions for Menudo. In 1984, when he was 12 years old, he became a member of Menudo. For the next five years, he was the lead singer of the group, helping it to become an international sensation. Once he outgrew Menudo in 1989, he went back home to Puerto Rico, where he completed high school. After graduation, he moved to New York, where he simply relaxed for several months.

Martin landed a spot with the Latin boy group Menudo in 1984 at the tender age of 12, and for the next five years he maintained a grueling regime of recording work and tours. In 1989, when Menudo was at the peak of its success, Martin opted out and moved to New York, hoping to achieve solo success. After a year of unemployment, frustration led the aspiring entertainer to Mexico. Soon after being cast as a regular in the Mexican soap opera Alcanzar una Estrella II, Martin began dividing his time between acting and music. His first two Spanish albums, 'Ricky Martin' (1992) and 'Me Amaras' (1993), achieved gold status in several countries. This success led Martin to move once again, this time to Los Angeles in 1994 where he divided his time between his third Spanish album, 'A Medio Vivir' and as bartender Miguel Morez on the US soap, General Hospital.

Following a few months of inactivity, he began to work his way back into the entertainment industry. He returned to Mexico, where he acted on stage for a year before returning to the music industry. In 1991, he released his self-titled debut album, which he co-wrote with his fellow Menudo alumnus Robi Rosa, who would become a regular collaborator over the course of Martin's career often credited as Ian Blake. The album became a sizable hit on the Latin charts. Two years later, he followed it with the Juan Carlos Calderon-produced Me Amaras, which was an even bigger hit, launching him to superstar status in Latin America.

In January 1994, he joined the cast of the soap opera General Hospital, playing Miguel Morez. His recurring role was so successful that it landed him a role on Broadway, where he played Marius in Les Miserables. He left General Hospital to perform in the production and stayed with the play for about a year.

In 1995, he released his third album, A Medio Vivir, a record that had a harder rock edge, yet also featured such Latin styles as flamenco and cumbia. In early 1998, he released his fourth album, Vuelve. His first English-language pop album which like his first long-player also happened to be titled Ricky Martin was released in the spring of 1999; it made him an international superstar thanks to blockbuster singles including "Livin' la Vida Loca" and "She's All I Ever Had." A year later, Martin sizzled again with the release of Sound Loaded.