From womanizer to gay icon: Ricky Martin is one of the most successful musicians ever. At the age of 50, he has been in show business for a good four decades.
“Upside, inside, out”: swaying hips in loosely fitting lederhosen, expressive arm movements, a seductive look – this is how Ricky Martin became a superstar in 1999 with “Livin ‘la Vida Loca”.
Despite his young age, the Puerto Rican was already an old hand in show business. Today, before his 50th birthday on Christmas Eve, he looks happier and more balanced than back then, at the height of his career.
On the one hand, this has to do with the fact that the prototypical Latin lover is now a family man – a role that he likes: «I always said: I want to open the door and see lots of children running towards me when I leave work every day come home, ”he told People magazine a few months ago.
On the other hand, he got rid of a long-time burden by publicly declaring his homosexuality in 2010. He has been married to the Syrian-Swedish artist Jwan Yosef for about four years. They had written messages on Instagram and only met personally after six months. Martin liked one of Yosef’s works, as he tells in interviews – and even more a photo of the artist.
The couple have four children: 13-year-old twin brothers, an almost three-year-old daughter, and a two-year-old boy. Martin told People that he had to sing the nursery rhyme Baby Shark 27,000 times a day. Little Lucía criticizes him when he makes the wrong hand movements.
His thing is more the hip swings that made Martin a global sex symbol. It started early: at the age of twelve he was accepted into the Puerto Rican boy group Menudo. As a child – in a large, middle-class family with divorced parents in the capital of the Caribbean US suburb, San Juan – he had already had roles in commercials.
Menudo was founded in 1977 and was immensely successful with a changing line-up until the 1990s. Much like the Beatles, the five teenagers who sang in Spanish were greeted by screaming female fans around the world. When they appeared on Oprah Winfrey’s show in 1984, the US talker called the youngest, Martin, “the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.”
He stayed in the band for five years. He then lived in Mexico for a while, played in telenovelas and recorded his first solo albums. He got a role in the US soap opera “General Hospital” and instead of just singing ballads, he also started singing something danceable.
The single “María” from his third album – the 1995 “A medio vivir” – was his first hit in Europe. “The Cup of Life”, the official song of the 1998 World Cup, was even more successful. Martin performed it at the 1999 Grammys. After the rousing performance, it has now also been celebrated in the USA.
This was followed in the same year by the first English-language album, “Ricky Martin”, and the ultimate breakthrough to superstar with “Livin ‘la Vida Loca” (roughly: to lead a wild life). That also paved the way for a global Latin pop explosion with stars like Jennifer Lopez, Shakira and Enrique Iglesias. “Without a doubt, he opened the doors to a whole generation of Latino artists,” said his compatriot Bad Bunny in the MTV documentary series “Behind the Music”.
After the devastating tsunami, he flew to Thailand in early 2005 to help with his foundation. He was holding a baby there that his family had lost. The experience moved Martin to make a decisive decision, as he told MTV: “I said: Okay, I definitely have to become a father as soon as possible.” A few years later, in 2008, a surrogate mother gave birth to twins Matteo and Valentino.
One thing clouded Martin’s happiness for a long time: There was constant public speculation about his sexual orientation; he said he was confused and afraid. It was not until 2010 that he was ready to admit that he was gay – partly with the consideration that his children shouldn’t have to lie for him. “I am proud to say that I am a happy homosexual man,” he wrote on his website. A little later his autobiography “I” appeared.
In the “People” interview, Martin described the reactions to his coming-out as the “tsunami of love”. It felt great. Today Martin is a gay icon and enjoys the role. He wanted to heal, he told MTV – his own soul as well as others.
He is now also politically active. In July 2019, Martin – along with the other Puerto Rican music stars Bad Bunny and residents – attended mass protests in San Juan. This led to the resignation of the governor Ricardo Rosselló, who was accused of corruption, among other things.
Martin is busy, appears in films and musicals, is a coach in casting shows in various countries and has invested in new, immersive audio recording technology.
When he was unable to tour during the pandemic, he went into the studio and recorded an EP with quiet music called “Pausa” (break). But now he wants to press the tube again. From September to November Martin was on tour with Enrique Iglesias in North America. The next EP should be called «Play» and be less quiet. After the pandemic, it was time to play again, he said in “People”.
“We’ve been locked at home for a year and a half,” said Martin. “It’s time to go out again and feel alive.” So back to «Vida Loca».