| Luis Fonsi | |
|---|---|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Luis Alfonso Rodríguez López-Cepero |
| Born | April 15, 1978 |
| Genres | Latin pop, Rock en Español |
| Instruments | Voice, Piano & Guitar |
| Years active | 1998–present |
| Labels | Universal Music Latin Entertainment |
Luis Alfonso Rodríguez López-Cepero, more commonly known by his stage name Luis Fonsi, (born April 15, 1978 in Puerto Rico) is a Latin Grammy winning Puerto Rican singer and composer.
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Born in Puerto Rico, Fonsi and his family later moved to Orlando, Florida, during Fonsi's early childhood. Around the time he was ten years old, Fonsi began to dream about becoming a member of Menudo, a Latin American boy band. While not being able to pursue that dream, he did, however, participate in many local boy bands, including one, Big Guys, where he met, and befriended, future *NSYNC member Joey Fatone.
In 1995, Fonsi enrolled at Florida State University to study music. He also joined the school's choir and sang with the Birmingham Symphony Orchestra.[1]
In April 2005, Fonsi had a brief return to the singing stage, when former Menudo member Ray Reyes invited him and another Puerto Rican, Adamari López, to a concert which was held at San Juan's Roberto Clemente coliseum. The press widely covered what El Vocero titled as Fonsi's moment as a Menudo, when he took the stage and joined the members of El Reencuentro to sing some of their old hits.[2]
His stage name Fonsi is actually a nickname that is derived from his middle name Alfonso (alFONSo). The "i" was added to complete the name.
Instead of choosing to keep a pattern of trying to find stardom in the United States with a boy band, Fonsi chose to better prepare himself for a future, stable career inside show business. He went to Florida State University to study vocal techniques. Meanwhile, he began to record demo tapes in Miami. While he was at FSU, he was overheard singing by a university music department president, who offered him a contract with a large recording company.
In 1998, Fonsi recorded his first CD, Comenzaré (I Will Begin). Comenzaré became an instant hit in Puerto Rico and across Latin America, with Fonsi conquering such markets as Colombia, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Mexico, and Venezuela. His 2000 follow-up, Eterno, was equally successful. Around this time, Fonsi also recorded a duet with Christina Aguilera for her 2000 Spanish-Language album, Mi Reflejo. By then, Fonsi's fame had reached Europe, as he became a celebrity in Spain as well. Also in the year 2000 Fonsi participated in Jubilee 2000, where he sang to Pope John Paul II. That same year Ednita Nazario won a Latin Grammy for a song composed by Fonsi. He also collaborated in honor of the victims of 9-11 at the White House, along with other artists.
During 2001, a re-mix of Comenzaré and Eterno was launched, while Fonsi worked on his next album, 2002's Amor Secreto. At about the same time, some media outlets began to comment about an alleged, adulterous romance between him and a very famous married Puerto Rican singer, who had just happened to separate from her husband and bought a home close to Fonsi's Orlando property. The scandal did not last too long, however, and Fonsi soon released an album in English, Fight the Feeling, also released in 2002.
Fight the Feeling did not sell well in the United States. It is expected, however, that Fonsi will sometime in the future make a second attempt at a crossover: because he has lived most of his life in Orlando, he is fluent in English as well as in Spanish. In 2004 Luis recorded a duet with Emma Bunton (Spice Girls) for her second studio solo album, Free Me. The song "Amazing" is a ballad taken from a mature, sophisticated and classy 60s style lounge/pop music album which includes orchestrated and bossanova numbers.
His fifth CD, Abrazar la Vida, sold very well, which opened new markets in Europe. "Quien te Dijo Eso?" reached high positions on music charts. His sixth CD, Paso a Paso, launched him into international markets. "Nada es Para Siempre" reached #1 on the music chart, and was a nominee for the Latin Grammy Awards. In 2006, he contributed on a tribute cd to Victor Yturbe "El Piruli" singing the classic bolero Historia de un amor. Fonsi was one of several artists selected to perform in "KQ Live Concert" on September 27, 2008, organized by KQ 105 FM, the event included several renowned artists from Puerto Rico and other Latin American locations.[3]
Luis Fonsi cracked the Billboard Hot 100 for the first time in September 2008 with his song "No Me Doy Por Vencido", debuting at number 98 and peaking at number 92. It reached #1 on the Billboard Hot Latin Tracks, his biggest hit to date. On October 10, 2008, Fonsi presented a private concert to 700 winners of a promotional contest presented by Pepsi.[4] On December 11, 2009, Fonsi performed in Oslo, Norway at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert honoring winner Barack Obama.[5]
Luis Fonsi latest album "Tierra Firme" is available June 28, 2011 which includes international hits "gritar" plus "respira" and "claridad". Luis celebrates his album release with an autograph signing at hardrock cafe in Los Angeles on June 30. First 200 guest will get to meet Luis and receive a gift.
In 2004, Fonsi made his acting debut in a Mexican telenovela named Corazones al límite in which he played Roy. He also had a special appearance in 2001 in the Nickelodeon television series Taina.[6] He has stated that he would like to continue with his acting career, though he has denied that he will work someday with his now ex-wife Adamari López on a soap opera.
By 2003, Fonsi began to become romantically interested in actress Adamari López, who, as an Univision artist and fellow Puerto Rican, constantly found herself near Fonsi.[2] That same year, Fonsi released the song "Abrazar la Vida" ("To Embrace the Life"), off the eponymous album. The song would later become one of Lopez's favorites.[2]
In 2004, rumors were reported by magazines, television news shows, and newspapers that he and Lopez had committed to marry each other. During 2005, Fonsi was in the middle of an international tour that would have had him away from home for many months; the tour was abruptly cancelled when Lopez was diagnosed with cancer. Fonsi promised her to stay by her side, and has traveled with her back and forth between Mexico, Miami, and Puerto Rico for various treatment and work-related trips.[2] She has been in remission since 2006.
On June 3, 2006, Fonsi and Adamari López were married in a religious ceremony in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico attended by many celebrities including Joey Fatone, Charytín, Ednita Nazario, and Carlos Ponce, as well as his brother — aspiring singer Jean Rodriguez, who goes simply by Jean as his professional name. Officially, on November 8, 2010 they divorced.[7]
Fonsi is also the Spanish-language spokesman for the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee.
Fonsi and Spanish model Águeda López had their first child together, a girl they named Mikaela, on December 20, 2011 in Miami.[8]
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