Ricky Martin

As he explained to ABC, the Martins traveled from Spain to Puerto Rico in 1779.

He also has some Corsican origins through his paternal grandmother.

Martin grew up Catholic.

The people closest to him called him "Kiki" (a nickname that comes from Enrique).

He 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.

His mother's side of the family was musically inclined and his maternal grandfather was a poet.

Martin later reflected on his time spent with his family as a child: "Every time I find myself in front of an audience, be it twenty people or one hundred thousand, once again I feel the energy that consumed me back at the family gatherings of my youth."

He attended Colegio Sagrado Corazón, a bilingual Catholic grade school in University Gardens since fourth grade and was an "average" student there.

When he was nine years old, he began appearing in television commercials for products such as soft drinks, toothpaste, and fast food restaurants, including Orange Crush and Burger King.

In a year and a half, he starred in 11 commercials.

After achieving moderate fame in his country for his appearances in television commercials, Martin auditioned for membership in Menudo.

Martin performed the latter at the 41st Annual Grammy Awards.

Enrique "Ricky" Martín Morales (born December 24, 1971) is a Puerto Rican singer and songwriter.

He is known for his musical versatility, with his discography incorporating a wide variety of many elements, such as Latin pop, dance, reggaeton, salsa, and other genres.

Born in San Juan, Martin began appearing in television commercials at age nine and began his musical career at twelve, as a member of Puerto Rican boy band Menudo.

Enrique Martín Morales was born on December 24, 1971, in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

His mother, Doña Nereida Morales, is a former accountant; his father, Enrique Martín Negroni, is a former psychologist who previously worked as a regional supervisor for a Puerto Rican mental-health agency.

His parents divorced when he was two years old, and although his mother had custody of Martin, he could also 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.

In an interview with People, he told the magazine that he "never had to make decisions" about who he loved more, and he was "always happy".

Martin has two older maternal half-brothers, Fernando and Ángel Fernández, two younger paternal half-brothers, Eric and Daniel Martín, and a younger paternal half-sister, Vanessa Martín.

Martin has Spanish heritage of Basque and Canarian descent.

Formed in Puerto Rico in 1977, Menudo members were usually replaced when they hit 16 to keep the band "full of fresh-faced members".

Although the executives enjoyed his dancing and singing at his first two auditions, Martin was rejected because he was too short.

By the third audition, his persistence impressed executives, and in 1984, 12-year-old Martin became a member.

Martin's success in the late 1990s is generally seen as the beginning of the "Latin explosion".

He 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.

He 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 (1991) and Me Amaras (1993), both of which were focused on ballads.

As an actor, Martin took a role in the hit soap opera General Hospital (1994–1996), while his portrayal of Antonio D'Amico in The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story (2018) garnered him an Emmy nomination.

Martin's third album, A Medio Vivir (1995), helped him rise to prominence in European countries.

The chart-topping single "María", incorporated a mixture of Latin music genres and became his first international hit.

His international success was further solidified with his fourth album, Vuelve (1998).

The album, which earned Martin his first Grammy Award, spawned songs "Vuelve" and "La Copa de la Vida".

His first English album, Ricky Martin (1999) became his first US Billboard 200 number one.

The lead single "Livin' la Vida Loca" topped both the Billboard Hot 100 and the UK Singles Chart.

Martin has since released several successful albums, including Almas del Silencio (2003) and MTV Unplugged (2006), as well as Grammy Award winner A Quien Quiera Escuchar (2015).

Notable singles in this period include "She Bangs", "Nobody Wants to Be Lonely", "Tal Vez", "Tu Recuerdo", "La Mordidita", "Vente Pa' Ca", and "Canción Bonita".

His philanthropy and activism focus on LGBT rights and fighting against human trafficking; in 2004, he founded The Ricky Martin Foundation, a non-profit, non-governmental organization that focuses on denouncing human trafficking and educating about the crime's existence.

He also starred as Ché in the Broadway revival of the musical Evita in 2012.

Martin is one of the best-selling Latin music artists of all time, having sold over 70 million records worldwide.

He has scored 11 Billboard Hot Latin Songs number-one songs, and won 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.