If you were alive in the 1990s you know who Ricky Martin is and have undoubtedly heard (or danced to) his inescapable hit "Livin' la Vida Loca." Although he rose to meteoric success in the United States in the last decade, Martin was famous at a young age in South America as the lead singer of pop band Menudo. Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico Martin caught the performing bug at a young age, singing in school choir and acting in television commercials at the tender age of six. Martin became a member of Menudo at age twelve and left the international sensation after five years to complete high school.In 1991 Ricky Martin released a self-titled debut album that he co-wrote with Menudo alum Robi Rosa; the album was a hit on the Latin pop charts. Martin's sophomore album, 1993's Me Amaras produced by Juan Carlos Calderon, became an even bigger hit in Latin America. Then a superstar in his own neck of the woods, Martin set his sights on becoming famous in the United States. Martin scored a spot on popular soap opera General Hospital, and his returning role as Miguel Morez was a runaway success, landing him a role as Marius in Broadway's production of Les Miserables.Ricky Martin returned to music with the release of his third album in 1995, A Medio Vivir, which was more experimental than his past work, blending rock with Latin flamenco influence. After releasing his fourth album Vuelve in 1998, Martin debuted his first English-speaking pop album in 1999. The self-titled album included hits "Livin' La Vida Loca" and "She's All I Ever Had" and made Ricky Martin an international phenomenon. A second English-language album, Sound Loaded, was released a year later, followed by 2001's collected hits album La Historia, 2003's new Spanish-language album Almas del Silencio, and 2005's return to English-language pop Life.
