A serial hitmaker who started his music career as early as the age of 12, Martin is credited for series of hit songs with the most popular being Livin’ La Vida Loca, Nobody Wants to Be Lonely, and She’s All I Ever Had, which peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard chart on September 2, 1999. Having sold over 85 million albums, it really is no use pointing out how huge a brand Martin is worldwide, as the Latin singer is known to have a wide range of fans comprising of those with Spanish and non-Spanish origins.
Besides being a very talented musician, Ricky Martin has also enjoyed a fairly successful career as an author and actor who has made a couple of appearances on several TV shows such as The Love Boat, Barefoot in Paradise, and General Hospital.
For all his contributions to the entertainment world, Ricky Martin can boast of having 189 awards to his name. He continues to make entertaining and best-selling songs in both Spanish and English today.
Biography and Profile Summary
| Age/Date of Birth: | 51 years old (24 December 1971) |
|---|---|
| Height: | 5 feet, 10 inches (1.82m) |
| Ethnicity/Race: | Spanish, of Basque and Canarian descent |
| Nationality: | Puerto Rican, American |
| Wife or Girlfriend: | Jwan Yosef (m. 2017) |
| Parents: | Father: Enrique Martín Negroni Mother: Nereida Morales |
| Net Worth: | $120 million |
Ricky Martin’s Fact Card
How He Became A Music Star
Enrique Martin Morales, popularly known by his stage name Ricky Martin, was born on December 24, 1971, in San Juan, Puerto Rico, to Nereida Morales (mother) and Enrique Martín Negroni (father) who eventually divorced each other a few months after his second birthday.
Growing up, he was raised mostly by his father and maternal grandmother. He is an American by nationality but hails from a long ancestry that consists of Spanish, Basques and Canarian. Martin first developed a serious interest in music at the age of 6 and soon began writing songs and performing them at family gatherings.
His father, taking note of how talented Martin had become, enrolled him into a TV commercial audition which paved the way for young Martin to feature in several TV commercials for toothpaste, eatery, and soft drink brands.
He launched his music career professionally in 1984 when he joined an all-boy band Menudo following Ricky Melendez’s exit from the group. He actually auditioned three times with Menudo before making it as a member of the group in 1984. Later that year, he would mark his recording debut on the song titled Rayo De Lunaz from their 16th studio album Evolucion. He would go on to record 11 albums with the group before eventually deciding to go solo in July 1989 after his 5-year stay with the group.
Determined to take his music career to a whole new level, Martin released his debut solo studio album in 1991 titled Ricky Martin under the imprint of Sony Discos. Two years afterwards, he released his second studio album produced by the legendary Juan Carlos Calderón, titled Me Amaras.
The music artist met relative success going this path as he released several Spanish-language solo albums throughout the 1990s.
However, his big break eventually came in 1998 following the release of his 4th studio album Vuelve which caught the attention of FIFA, leading to Ricky writing a song titled, La Copa de la Vida for the 1998 World cup; a song which he eventually performed on July 12, 1998, at the world cup final held in Stade De France.
Besides that huge milestone, Vuelve also helped Martin win his first Grammy Award at the 41st Grammy Award (held in 1999) for Best Latin Album. He also got to perform one of his hit songs “The Cup of Life” at the Grammys show, a performance that launched him further into global stardom. He was credited for bringing Latin pop to the forefront of the US musical scene and had the rest of the world wanting to know more about him and his songs.
He soon released “Livin’ la Vida Loca“, which was what began the Latin pop explosion of 1999 and made the transition easier for other Spanish-speaking artists to move into the English-speaking global market.
Awards and Recognition
Over the course of his career, Martin has won big both in Latin and English music circles. In 1999, the star won his first Grammy Award for Best Latin Album. In 2016, he added another Grammy to his collection, this time for Best Latin Pop Album for his tenth studio album, Quien Quiera Escuchar.
He has also won such awards as Latin Grammy Awards, 5 MTV Video Music Awards, American Music Awards, World Music Awards, MTV Video Awards. He has also been nominated for Emmy Awards, thanks to his TV expertise.
How Ricky Martin Came Out of The Closet
March 29, 2010, would always be remembered as the day Ricky Martin, in his volition, shocked the whole world by declaring on his official site that “he is a fortunate homosexual man”. According to him, his decision to make his sexuality known publicly was reached during the writing of his autobiography which made him recognize the importance of telling his truth to the whole world irrespective of what anyone thinks. He went on to say that he has become stronger over the years and can weather any storm that might follow his coming out.
Before the big reveal, Martin was reportedly in an unsteady relationship that lasted 14 years with Mexican TV host Rebecca de Alba. During that time, they had spoken of starting a family but it never really happened. Martin had also considered surprising her with a marriage proposal. However, things didn’t finally pull through.
What We Know About His Current Partner
His first known gay relationship was with Carlos González Abella whom he mentioned while giving his acceptance speech at the 22nd GLAAD Media Awards in 2011. The relationship went well until in January 2014 when they called it quits without sharing their reasons with the public.
The Latin singer is currently married to Syrian-Swedish painter Jwan Yosef who he was engaged to in November 2016. The two tied the knot in January 2018 after dating for nearly two years.
Does He Have Children?
The two are parents to 4 children all born via surrogates. They comprise of twin boys Valentino and Matteo born to only Ricky Martin in 2008 via a surrogate. Their third child Lucía Martin-Yosef (the first fruit of their union) was birthed on December 31, 2018, while their 4th child named Renn Martin Yosef was born on October 29, 2019. It is not known if the duo would expand their family but while giving a speech in 2019 during Human Rights Campaign National Dinner, Martin revealed that he and his partner love a big family. So there are odds that the couple would still have more kids.
| Profile Summary | |
|---|---|
| First Name: | Enrique |
| Last Name: | Morales |
| Also Known As: | Ricky Martin |
| Sex/Gender: | Male |
| Profession: | Singer-songwriter |
| Famous For: | "The Cup of Life" |
| Colleges/Universities Attended: | N/A |
| Educational Qualifications: | N/A |
| Religion: | Christianity |
| Birthday & Zodiac |
|
| Age/Date of Birth: | 51 years old (24 December 1971) |
| Zodiac Sign: | Capricorn |
| Birth Place: | San Juan, Puerto Rico |
| Nationality: | Puerto Rican, American |
| Ethnicity/Race: | Spanish, of Basque and Canarian descent |
| Country of Residence: | United States of America (USA) |
| Physical Attributes |
|
| Height: | 5feet, 10inches(1.82m) |
| Weight: | 82kg(181lbs) |
| Eye Colour: | Dark Brown |
| Hair Color: | Dark Brown |
| Other Body Measurements: | N/A |
| Relationships | |
| Marital Status: | Married |
| Spouse/Partner: | Jwan Yosef (m. 2017) |
| Family and Relatives |
|
| Father: | Enrique Martín Negroni |
| Mother: | Nereida Morales |
| Children: | 4 children - Lucia Martin-Yosef, Valentino Martin, Renn Martin-Yosef, Matteo Martin |
| Siblings: | 4 brothers - Fernando, Daniel, Eric and Ángel Fernández Morales 1 Sister - Vanessa Martín |
| Other Relatives: | N/A |
| Net Worth | |
| Estimated Net Worth: | $120 million |
| Salary: | N/A |
| Source of Wealth: | Showbiz |
