Ricky Martin is best known for his musical versatility, with his discography incorporating a wide variety of many elements, such as Latin pop, pop, dance, reggaeton, salsa, and other genres.
112 Facts About Ricky Martin
Ricky Martin 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 and Me Amaras, both of which were focused on ballads.
Ricky Martin performed the latter at the 41st Annual Grammy Awards, which was greeted with a massive standing ovation and is known as a game-changer for Latin music worldwide.
Ricky Martin has been credited for propelling the Latin pop music genre to mainstream recognition, paving the way for a large number of Latin artists to achieve global success.
Ricky Martin starred as Che in the Broadway revival of the musical Evita in 2012, which broke the theater's box-office sales record seven times.
Ricky Martin has scored 11 Billboard Hot Latin Songs number-one songs, and won over 200 awards, including two Grammy Awards, five Latin Grammy Awards, five MTV Video Music Awards, two American Music Awards, three Latin American Music Awards, three Billboard Music Awards, nine Billboard Latin Music Awards, eight World Music Awards, fourteen Lo Nuestro Awards, a Guinness World Record, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Ricky Martin is ranked among the Greatest Latin Artists of All Time, the Greatest Music Video Artists of All Time, and the Most Influential Latin Artists of All Time by Billboard.
Enrique Ricky Martin Morales was born on December 24,1971, in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Ricky Martin's mother, Dona Nereida Morales, is a former accountant; his father, Enrique Martin Negroni, is a former psychologist who previously worked as a regional supervisor for a Puerto Rican mental-health agency.
Ricky Martin's parents divorced when he was two years old, and although his mother had custody of Martin, he could move freely between his father's house in the middle-class suburb of University Gardens in San Juan, and his paternal grandmother's house nearby.
Ricky Martin has some Corsican origin through his paternal grandmother.
Ricky Martin began singing at age six, using wooden kitchen spoons as make-believe microphones; he often sang songs by Puerto Rican boy band Menudo, as well as English-language rock groups such as Led Zeppelin, Journey, and REO Speedwagon.
Ricky Martin's mother's side of the family was musically inclined and his maternal grandfather was a poet.
Ricky Martin developed an interest in philanthropy when the group became UNICEF ambassadors, often working with impoverished children in third world countries.
Finally, Ricky Martin left the band in July 1989, at age 17, hoping to rest and evaluate his career path; he stayed a few extra months after his "age-mandated retirement" came around.
Ricky Martin performed his final show with the group at the same venue where he had performed his first performance as a member.
Ricky Martin graduated from the high school, and 13 days after turning 18, he moved to New York City to celebrate his financial independence; since he was a minor during his time with Menudo, Martin was not allowed to access his own bank accounts.
Ricky Martin was accepted into New York University's Tisch School of the Arts in 1990, but before classes began, his friend invited him to Mexico City.
Ricky Martin accepted the offer, dropped out the university and moved from New York to Mexico City to perform in the play.
Ricky Martin joined the cast for the second season of the show, titled Alcanzar una estrella II.
Eager to record his first solo album and hustled by the executive, Ricky Martin signed the contract without reading its conditions and inadvertently signed a deal in which he would only be paid one cent for each album sold.
In 1994, Ricky Martin's agent encouraged him to move to Los Angeles to act in an American sitcom called Getting By.
Ricky Martin portrayed the role for two years and gained huge popularity and stardom, becoming "one of the most-talked about actors on the soap opera".
On "Maria", which was released as the second single from the album, Ricky Martin allowed himself "to go into a very Latin, African sound".
Ricky Martin created a mix of different Latin music genres instead of singing a romantic ballad, the style that he focused on it in his first two albums, while Latin pop music in general was mainly made up of it at the time.
Ricky Martin greatly enjoyed the experience, calling his time in the play an "honor" and "the role of [his] life".
Ricky Martin continued to tour after the conclusion of the show's run, and noted that his audiences were growing in both size and enthusiasm.
Ricky Martin called the experience of touring and recording at the same time "brutal and incredibly intense".
On July 12,1998, Ricky Martin performed "La Copa de la Vida" as the official anthem at the 1998 FIFA World Cup Final in France, in front of more than a billion TV viewers around the world.
In October 1998, CNN confirmed that Ricky Martin has been working on his first English language album, following the huge success of Vuelve.
The album was titled Ricky Martin and was released on May 11,1999, two weeks ahead of schedule, because of the huge interest in the disc, following Martin's performance at the Grammy Awards.
Only within three months, Ricky Martin became the best-selling album ever by a Latin artist.
In October 2005, Ricky Martin released his third English album, Life.
Finally, Ricky Martin taped his MTV Unplugged set in Miami in August 2006, performing both romantic ballads and up-tempo tropical dance songs.
Ricky Martin starred as Che in the Broadway revival of the musical Evita from March 2012 to January 2013.
Ricky Martin served as a coach on the second season of the Australian singing competition television series The Voice in 2013.
Ricky Martin continued serving as a coach on both the third and fourth seasons of The Voice Australia in 2014 and 2015, respectively.
Ricky Martin signed a concert residency, named All In, to perform at the Monte Carlo Resort and Casino in Las Vegas in 2017 and 2018.
Ricky Martin portrayed fashion designer Gianni Versace's partner Antonio D'Amico in the FX true crime anthology television series The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story, marking "the acting opportunity of his career".
Ricky Martin hosted the 20th Annual Latin Grammy Awards in November 2019, along with Roselyn Sanchez and Paz Vega.
Ricky Martin starred as the voice of villainous miniature figure Don Juan Diego in the American Christmas musical fantasy film Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey.
Ricky Martin brought him CDs of Fania All-Stars, Celia Cruz, El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico, and Gilberto Santa Rosa that slowly made him appreciate the richness of Puerto Rican culture.
Also, she once took them to a Fania All-Stars concert, which Ricky Martin is "beyond grateful" for it.
Ricky Martin expresses that thanks to her mother, those influences had a "profound effect" on his musical career.
Ricky Martin has cited Elvis Presley, the Beatles, Michael Jackson, and Madonna for teaching him "the beauty of pop".
In 1995, Enrique Lopetegui of the Los Angeles Times noted Ricky Martin's "improved vocal skills" on A Medio Vivir.
Ricky Martin has been noticed for "dance moves of his own" and his "bon-bon shaking dance moves".
Ricky Martin was ranked as the ninth best male dancer by the Evening Standard and the tenth Male Singer Who Can Dance by WatchMojo, being the only Latin entertainer on both lists.
Ricky Martin became a teen idol with his debut as a member of Menudo, and a pop icon following global fame as a solo artist.
Ricky Martin was ranked as one of the top-10 "emerging personalities" of 2010 by Google Zeitgeist, and was the eighth most searched musician on Google in 2022.
Ricky Martin is ranked as the most famous Latin music artist in the United States, according to YouGov surveys in 2023.
Ricky Martin is one of the most followed celebrities on social media, with accounts on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok.
Wax statues of Ricky Martin are on display at the Madame Tussauds wax museums in San Francisco, Sydney, and Orlando.
The reviewer commented that Ricky Martin is "an example of mixing business with casual" and has "always had a personal sense of style".
Ricky Martin was ranked at number 16 on the list of "the 50 Hottest Men of All Time" by Harper's Bazaar in 2018, being the only Latin man on their list.
Ricky Martin has been noted for looking younger than his age, with Billboards Chris Payne describing him as "ageless".
Ricky Martin declared that "there was chemistry with them" and he "wasn't fooling anyone".
Ricky Martin explained that he chose surrogacy to become a parent for being "intriguing and faster" than adoption, which was complicated and could take a long time.
Ricky Martin dated Puerto Rican economist Carlos Gonzalez Abella from 2010 to 2014, as his first relationship with a man after coming out as gay.
Ricky Martin confirmed their relationship on April 18,2016, and they made their red carpet debut as a couple at the amfAR Inspiration Gala.
Ricky Martin later revealed that he met Yosef on Instagram and they "were talking for like six months without [him] hearing his voice".
Subsequently, Ricky Martin went to London, where Yosef was living, and they met each other.
Ricky Martin was raised Catholic but he said is not "the person who would ever look down upon one religion".
Ricky Martin expressed that he admires and likes Buddhist philosophy, but does not subscribe to the religion, since if he does, he cannot "be of anything else"; he does not want to be limited in certain aspects and follow a religion's specific rules.
Ricky Martin tries to remain "open to everything" and makes "a concerted effort to always find new teachings and new paths" everywhere he goes and in every situation he finds himself in.
Ricky Martin began practicing yoga after a trip to Thailand in 1997.
Ricky Martin began practicing meditation following a trip to India.
In March 2001, Ricky Martin purchased a 7,082-square-foot house in Miami Beach for $6.4 million; he sold the unit for $10.6 million in 2005.
Ricky Martin sold the property in 2012 for $12.8 million, incurring a loss.
Ricky Martin owns a property in Puerto Rico and a private 19.7-acre island in Brazil.
Ricky Martin purchased the latter for $8 million in 2008.
Ricky Martin has been regarded as the "King of Latin Pop" by various publications, such as the Grammy Awards, Billboard, Rolling Stone, Time, People, Vogue, The Independent, Entertainment Weekly, Entertainment Tonight Canada, NBC News, and ABC News.
Ricky Martin is known as one of the most influential artists in the world.
Ricky Martin was ranked among "25 musicians who broke barriers" by Stacker in 2019, while in 2020, Spin ranked him at number 27 on the list of "most influential artists of the past 35 years", as the only Latin artist on their list.
Ricky Martin is known as the pioneer in getting Latin pop music genre to mainstream recognition.
Jim Farber from Daily News noted that Ricky Martin "provides a textbook example of how to mix Latin beats with pop tunes and rock intonations".
St Louis Post-Dispatch critic Kevin C Johnson stated that Martin took "the music to places Jon Secada, Selena and Santana never could".
Ricky Martin mentioned that even "Gloria Estefan at her peak, failed to muster up the kind of hype and hoopla surrounding Martin".
Ricky Martin expressed that writing the book was "one of the reasons" he decided to come out earlier that year.
Ricky Martin stated that writing his memoir allowed him "to explore the different paths and experiences" that have led him to be who he is, noting that it "was not easy but allowed for an incredible spiritual journey".
Ricky Martin expressed that the book was inspired by his "personal life, with fantasy added to it", as well as "a lot of cartoons".
Ricky Martin endorsed the 2012 Viva Glam campaign with rapper Nicki Minaj, which raised $270 million for the Mac AIDS Fund.
In October 2020, Ricky Martin announced that he would launch his company, Ricky Martin Music Lab in partnership with music engineers Jaycen Joshua and Michael Seaberg.
Ricky Martin is centered around a new audio technique called "Orbital Audio", that "creates a new type of immersive, headphone listening experience".
Ricky Martin used the technique on his EP Pausa, while several artists including Bad Bunny, Residente, Myke Towers, and A$AP Rocky are going to work with the company.
Ricky Martin is going to expand the technique "beyond the music industry and tap into the movies, sports and, most notably, the wellness and meditation space".
In January 2005, following the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, Ricky Martin visited Thailand to assess the needs of the minor survivors who were "extremely vulnerable to traffickers".
Later that year, the Ricky Martin Foundation signed an alliance in partnership with Habitat for Humanity to construct 224 homes for the tsunami-affected families.
In January 2010, along with many celebrities, Ricky Martin operated the charity telethon Hope for Haiti Now to raise donations for the 2010 Haiti earthquake.
In 2016, Ricky Martin visited Syrian refugees in Lebanon and played with the children and talked to them in an informal refugee camp.
On January 20,2001, during the first inauguration of George W Bush, Martin performed "The Cup of Life" and danced with him.
Ricky Martin stuck up his middle finger while singing the president's name in his 2003 song "Asignatura Pendiente" at a concert.
At the 2010 Billboard Latin Music Awards, Ricky Martin expressed his disagreement with the Arizona SB 1070 bill, a proposed law that would have required police officers to request documents from individuals whom they suspected to be illegal immigrants.
Ricky Martin campaigned for the 44th president of the United States Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012, and thanked him for an "outstanding presidency" in 2016, while calling him "an amazing leader".
Ricky Martin performed his hits during the "Hillary Clinton: She's With Us" concert at the Greek Theatre on June 6,2016.
In May 2021, Ricky Martin demonstrated his support for the Ni una menos movement, condemning femicides and violence against women in Puerto Rico, while calling authorities to protect women.
Ricky Martin further expressed that no woman should fear for her safety and urged authorities to take steps in order to prevent these acts.
Ricky Martin went on the cover of the American LGBT-interest magazine The Advocate in July 1999.
Ricky Martin is currently considered to be a gay icon, with PinkNews labeling him "a strong advocate of LGBT rights" who "expressed support for equal marriage" since coming out.
In 2019, Human Rights Campaign then-president Alphonso David expressed that Ricky Martin "has used his international stage to advocate for LGBTQ people around the world" with his "unique voice and passionate activism".
Ricky Martin expressed support for same-sex marriage during an interview on Larry King Live in 2010.
Ricky Martin has then delivered speeches about LGBT rights at the United Nations Homophobia Conference, the GLAAD Media Awards, and the Human Rights Campaign.
Ricky Martin raised his voice to support gay marriage in Puerto Rico before its legalization in 2015.
In March 2016, Ricky Martin met with Chilean LGBT rights group Fundacion Iguales to learn about the challenges LGBT citizens face there.
In June 2020, Ricky Martin performed his song "Recuerdo" with Carla Morrison for a virtual event, Can't Cancel Pride: Helping LGBTQ+ People in Need, to raise visibility and funds for LGBTQ+ communities.
Ricky Martin appeared at the virtual event in the following year as well.
In February 2021, Ricky Martin was named national spokesperson for the onePULSE Foundation, a non-profit organization that focuses on managing "the design and construction of the permanent national memorial and museum dedicated to the Pulse nightclub tragedy".
In 2007, Ricky Martin was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, located at 6901 Hollywood Blvd.
Ricky Martin is ranked among the Greatest Latin Artists of All Time and the Greatest Hot Latin Songs Artists of All Time by Billboard, while his album Vuelve was placed at number five on Billboards Top 20 Latin Albums Of All Time in 2018.
Ricky Martin is the first and only artist with Spanish-language entries on Billboard Hot 100 in three decades.
Ricky Martin owns the record as the artist with most top 20s on the US Latin Pop Airplay chart, with 51 songs, and is the runner-up of most top 10s.
Ricky Martin is the fourth artist with the most number one songs in the history of the Hot Latin Songs chart.