Spanish Biography: Ricky Martin

Spanish II Biography

Jake Wiggins

Ricky Martin

Enrique Jose Martin Morales was born on December 24, 1971 in Hato Rey, which is a small peninsula found near San Juan. Everyone around him noticed his early interest in the performing arts. As a young boy, he participated in many choir activities and plays. Starting at age 6, Ricky began acting in several local television commercials. He auditioned several times for a spot on teen pop group Menudo before he was finally accepted in 1984. He was 12 years old. Ricky spent 5 years with Menudo and went on several national tours. During his time with the group, they released several albums and had a few hit singles.

In 1989, Ricky had reached the group’s age limit of 18 and so he left the group to pursue his dreams of being a solo artist. He believed that New York was the best place for him to get his start, so that’s where he went. However, the search for stardom turned into more of a struggle. There were very few opportunities that approached Ricky while he was in New York. This being said, he was unemployed for almost a year. Deciding to leave New York, Ricky flew down to Mexico, where success awaited him.

When Ricky moved down to Mexico, he auditioned around for a few months trying to get his talents seen by the entertainment industry. Ricky got his start in a play, where a producer in the audience took notice to his acting and offered him an opportunity to have a role in a popular Mexican soap opera called “Alcanzar una estrella.” Ricky’s singing on the show was so popular that, in 1990, he got signed by Sony Discos, which was Sony Entertainment’s Latin label. A year later he released his debut album, Ricky Martin, which was a success and had a few high-selling singles. His next album was not as significant as the first, so Ricky decided to move up to Los Angeles and join the cast of the sitcom ‘Getting By’ and later the popular ‘General Hospital.’

Around the peak of his acting career, Ricky Martin began his...