Luis Miguel
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| Luis Miguel | ||
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 Luis Miguel performing in Boston
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| Background information | ||
| Birth name | Luis Miguel Gallego Basteri | |
| Also known as | El Sol, El Rey, Luismi, Micky, El Idolo, Luismi Rey | |
| Born | April 19, 1970 |
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| Genre(s) | Latin pop | |
| Years active | 1981–present | |
Luis Miguel Gallego Basteri (born on April 19, 1970) is a Mexican pop singer best known for his crooning vocals and romantic ballads. He has been the most popular singer in Latin America since the early 1980s.
He is commonly referred to as El Sol ("The Sun") and is also nicknamed "El Rey" (The King), Luismi, Micky, "El Idolo" and "Luismi Rey."
Luis Miguel has won of the some prestigious music awards, such as nine Grammys (4 Latin Grammy, 5 Grammy); a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at the age of 26. Luis Miguel holds the record as the best-selling living performing Latin artist in Mexico. Luis Miguel has sold over 52 million albums worldwide and he is the best selling Spanish-language artist in the history of Argentina, Bolivia, Mexico, Paraguay, Chile and Uruguay.
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[edit] Personality
Luis Miguel is oftentimes referred to as mysterious by the entertainment press and the public. He rarely attends award shows. When he does attend an award show, he does not use the red carpet entrance, but rather goes in through the back to avoid being seen by the press. Miguel is also known for rarely granting interviews and for refusing to answer questions concerning his personal life.
The details of his personal life are also unclear. Luis Miguel was thought to have been born in Mexico since he grew up in the state of Veracruz. However, in the early 1990s it was leaked to the press that he had actually been born in Puerto Rico during a brief stay in the island by his parents. However, although Luis Miguel recognizes that he was born in Puerto Rico, he still considers himself Mexican.
He was the son of the late Spanish singer Luisito Rey (born Luis Gallego Sánchez) and Italian-born actress Marcella Basteri. Luis Miguel's mother disappeared some time in 1987 and her whereabouts have been unknown ever since. He has two younger brothers, Sergio and Alejandro, whom he supports financially. These are some of the only details known about Luis Miguel's family life. After the Mexican press discovered that he was born in Puerto Rico and not in Veracruz, the Mexican government granted him citizenship.
[edit] Career
His career started early. At the age of 10, he appeared in public in Costa Rica. For several years, as he grew from a child into a teenager, his father induced him to watch and analyze nearly every movie, recording, and concert performance of Elvis Presley, as a learning process towards the attainment of a high degree of showmanship. His actual recording career started in 1981, when he recorded his first album, 1+1= 2 Enamorados (1+1 = 2 people in love) with the Mexican branch of EMI. Two years later, he started touring Latin American countries including Colombia, Venezuela, Chile and Argentina.
In 1985, he took part in the Sanremo Music Festival, where he won his first award with his song Noi ragazzi di oggi ("We boys of today"). That same year, he also won the Antorcha de Plata (silver torch) award in the Viña del Mar Music Festival. That led to his recording of a duet with Scottish singer Sheena Easton. The song was called Me Gustas Tal Como Eres ("I like you just as you are").
He had a short acting career in 1984 and 1985. In 1984, Miguel co-starred in the film Ya nunca más and in 1985 in Fiebre de Amor with singer Lucero as a co-star.
In 1987, he signed with WEA, which gave his career a huge push, especially with the backing of producer and composer Juan Carlos Calderón. His relationship with his parents soured soon after, with accusations of mismanagement of his career, and bad economic decisions which put his fortune in danger.
In 1988, the album Un hombre busca una mujer brought Luis Miguel unparalleled fame and popularity throughout Latin America. The album's hit single La Incondicional broke all previous airplay records and was a number one in Mexico for over two weeks.
In 1990, he made a successful transition from child singer to adult showman extraordinaire with the album 20 años and an ensuing string of sold-out shows — first in Mexico, then throughout Latin America and elsewhere in the world, where he established a reputation for hard work and for delivering some of the most extraordinary vocals to be heard in popular music.
In 1991, Luis Miguel's career soared to even greater heights and earned him the respect of a wider audience with the release of Romance, an album of romantic Mexican standards, known as boleros. Romance was the fifth-selling Spanish-language album in 1991 and the first Spanish album ever to reach the top ten in a music store in Miami.
In 1993, his album Aries won the Grammy Award for Best Latin Pop Album. Luis Miguel became the first Latin artist ever to sell out Madison Square Garden and received a special recognition in the middle of his sold-out concert.
In 1994, he released a sequel, Segundo Romance, featuring Miguel as a convincing pop tenor with mastery over timeless Spanish classics such as Solamente Una Vez and Sin Ti. The album went on to earn Miguel a Grammy Award and reached platinum status in Mexico.
That same year, Luis Miguel was personally invited by Frank Sinatra to join him on his Duets II album and to perform live in a nationally televised special in his honor along with other stars such as Stevie Wonder and Natalie Cole. This helped further cement Luis Miguels' status as one of the top artist in the world.
Luis Miguel quickly returned to the studios and released Nada es Igual, a pop album featuring Sueña (English title: Someday), the main theme for Disney's The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
In 1997 Miguel released Romances, the third album of the bolero series. Romances broke all previous records and became the fastest selling Spanish-language album in US history; it rose to #84 on the Billboard chart in its debut week. Romances earned Miguel a Eres Award and another Cronica Musical Award.
In 1999, Luis Miguel released Amarte es un Placer which earned him twenty Cronica Musical. Its hit single O tu O Ninguna placed #18 on the Billboard Hot Latin Tracks list for one week. The Amarte es un Placer Tour became the best selling tour for a Latin artist in 1999.
Following the success of Amarte es un placer, Luis Miguel released Mis romances in 2001, his fourth installment in a series of Spanish romantic standards. With this album, which sold over sixty thousand worldwide, he launched an extensive tour throughout Argentina, Bolivia and Mexico.
In 2003, Luis Miguel released his first pop album in over four years. Entitled 33, it featured a collection of ballads and up-tempo songs. Its first single Te Necesito ascended instantly to #45 on Billboard's Hot Latin Tracks list. 33 was the best-selling Latin pop album of the year. On the 33 Tour, Miguel performed at a sold-out Estadio Azteca, two sold-out nights at Asunción's Arena, and various sold-out shows at Buenos Aires', as well as other prestigious international venues such as Plaza de los Toros in Spain.
In 2004, Luis Miguel released Mexico en la Piel, a collection of traditional Mexican mariachi songs. This album was widely regarded by both critics and fans as one of Miguel's worst works; it also earned him two Grammy Awards. It sold over 95,800 units in its first week.
In 2006, Luis Miguel's Mexico en la Piel 30-show engagement Jan. 18-Feb. 27 at Auditorio Nacional in Mexico City. It is believed to be the biggest gross in the history of Mexico and one of the top global indoor grosses of all time. It also broke Miguel's 26-show run at the venue in 2004. The 101-date tour started last September (2005) in Mexico and then played Argentina, Chile and Uruguay through the end of the year before beginning the Mexican run in January. The tour's total gross was north of $95,000, which broke his own record (Amarte es un Placer in 1999) as the top-grossing tour ever by a Latin artist.
Most recently, Luis Miguel launched his own line of Chilean wine, called "Unico", and is preparing his upcoming album. "Navidad es Luis Miguel", is his New Album, the release is expecting to be the most important production of the year attending the quality of Luis Miguel Vocals.
[edit] Personal Life
Luis Miguel is regarded mostly a loner who hates the label of "heartbreaker". He has been romantically linked to actress Salma Hayek, photographer Mariana Yazbek, singer Lucia Mendez, model and television presenter Sofia Vergara, Princess Stéphanie of Monaco, MTV VJ Daisy Fuentes, singer Mariah Carey, and Cuban-American journalist Myrka Dellanos. Luis Miguel is currently dating Aracely Arámbula, a Mexican soap opera actress, who's expecting his first child.
Luis Miguel also had a relationship with Stephanie Salas, who claims that he is the father of her daughter, Michelle.
¡HOLA! magazine has announced that Aracely Arambula, partner of Luis Miguel, has officially announced that she is expecting a child who will take the name Miguel. The exclusive news contained several pictures in where Arambula appears pregnant, as well as discussing Luis Miguel's paternal behavior, and the upcoming presentation of his first Christmas album.
[edit] Discography
Discografia WEA
- (1987) Soy como quiero ser (3 million)
- (1988) Un Hombre Busca una Mujer (4 million)
- (1990) 20 años (4 million)
- (1991) Romance (12 million)
- (1992) America y en Vivo (1 million)
- (1993) Aries (3 million)
- (1994) Segundo Romance (5 million)
- (1995) El Concierto (2 million)
- (1996) Nada es Igual (4 million)
- (1997) Romances (7 million)
- (1998) Todos los Romances (Compilation)(1 million)
- (1999) Amarte es Un placer (3 million)
- (2000) Vivo (2 million)
- (2001) Mis Romances (2 million)
- (2002) Mis Boleros Favoritos (1 million)
- (2003) 33 (3 million)
- (2004) Mexico en la Piel (3 million)
- (2005) Mexico en la Piel (Edicion Diamante)
- (2005) Grandes Exitos (1 million)
- (2006) Navidades Luis Miguel
[edit] Billboard #1 Hot Latin Tracks
- "Ahora Te Puedes Marchar" (1987, Luis Miguel '87)
- "La Incondicional" (1989, Un hombre busca una mujer)
- "Fria Como El Viento" - (1989, Un hombre busca una mujer)
- Tengo Todo Excepto A Ti - (1990, 20 Años)
- Entrégate - (1990, 20 Años)
- No Sé Tu - (1992, Romance)
- "Inolvidable" (1992, Romance)
- "Ayer" (1993, Aries)
- "Hasta Que Me Olvides" (1993, Aries)
- "Suave" (1993, Aries)
- "El Dia Que Me Quieras" (1994, Segundo Romance)
- "La Media Vuelta" (1994, Segundo Romance)
- Si Nos Dejan - (1995, El Concierto)
- Por Debajo De La Mesa - (1997, Romances)
- "O tú o ninguna" (1999, Amarte Es Un Placer)
- "Te necesito" (2003, 33) -->
[edit] Trivia
- Luis Miguel produced a music video with the song "Tengo todo excepto a ti" (I have everything except you) with a short appearance of Venezuelan actress Ruddy Rodriguez.
