Ricky Martin--King of Latin Pop (I)

　　He swings the world with Hot Latin Music. His debut English album sold more than 15 million copies. Numerou s fans love his amazing voice and ardent dance. Who is he?

　　(RM: Ricky Martin)

　　RM: Who am I? I am the drums…I am the horns…I am th e percussion…

　　Ricky Martin was born in Puerto Rico, and began his music career at 12 in a boys' group. Later he moved to New York, hoping to achieve solo success.

　　RM: Lot of steps. Progression. I started in 1992 wi th a solo career and it was mainly romance. Then I star ted playing with sounds and ideas. And all of a sudden, "Maria", which is a song I know that I will always be p erforming.

　　General Meaning of the Song, Maria: She's the one t hat always turns me on. An angel fallen from heaven. Sh e's the one that always drives me wild… An angel in dis guise. Search for a special place to hide. As she conqu ers all my emotion. Maria…)

　　Released in 1995, this song constituted a turning p oint in Ricky Martin's music career. Its Latin styling combined with a rock orientation brought him great succ ess. From here, he found his unique way.

　　RM: And then "the Cup of Life". We had the opportun ity to mix music and sports.

　　This theme song of the 1998 World Cup became a worl dwide smash hit. Ricky Martin was popular overnight.