| Barrio Boyzz | |
|---|---|
| Background information | |
| Origin | New York City, United States |
| Genres | Latin pop, Contemporary R&B, Pop, Contemporary Latin, New Jack Swing, Adult contemporary |
| Years active | 1991–2001 |
| Labels | EMI Records, EMI Latin, SBK Records |
| Associated acts | Selena |
| Past members | |
| Angel Ramirez David Davilla Hans Giraldo Louie Marrero Robert Vargas |
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The Barrio Boyzz were a Latin pop group. The group were made up of Puerto Rican Americans and Colombian Americans who grew-up in New York City. They gained popularity during the 1990s, especially when they became label-mates with the Mexican-American singer-songwriter Selena, and landed their first Billboard number-one song entitled "Donde Quiera Que Estes" (Where Ever You Are) in 1993, from the album of the same name.
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The group was formed in 1991 when they were introduced to each other by manager Joe Jacket (of New Kids on The Block), who was looking to create a mainstream Latino group.[1] After auditioning to Charles Koppelan, the CEO of EMI Records, they were then signed to SBK Records, a pop sub-division of EMI.[2] They initially wanted to crossover as mainstream American pop singers, similar to Gloria Estefan, Jon Secada, and Selena.[3] The following year, they released their debut album, "Crazy Coolin'", which they toured in middle and high schools across New York City, and made motivational speeches.[2] Their single "Muy Suavemente", charted on the Billboard Latin Charts; its accompanying music video was shot in the barrios of New York City, sticking to their heritages.[2] Their follow-up album "Dondequiera Que Estes" (1993) peaked on Billboard Latin Pop Albums at number-seven, whereas the album peaked at number-fifteen on the Billboard Top Latin Albums.[4] The duet, with Selena, peaked at number-one on three Billboard charts in 1994[5][6] as Selena and the Barrio Boyzz promoted the song during her Amor Prohibido Tour. The song helped the Barrio Boyzz crossover to Southern United States[7] Their next album, "Una Vez Mas" peaked at number three on the Latin Pop Albums,[8] while managing on the top twenty of the Billboard Top 50 Latin Albums. Their crossover album, "How We Roll", an all-English language album, was released in 1995.[9] The group continued to chart on Billboard until the release of Destiny in 2000. The group released their last studio album, "Destino" in 2001, before the band broke up. On 5 April 2005, during the benefit concert Selena ¡VIVE!, the Barrio Boyzz reunited and sang "Dreaming of You" along with Colombian-American singer Soraya,[10] who died of breast cancer within a year.[11]
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