Biography

Luis Alfonso Rodríguez López-Cepero (born April 15, 1978), known by his stage name Luis Fonsi, is a Puerto Rican singer, songwriter and actor.

Early life

Fonsi was born on April 15, 1978 in San Juan, Puerto Rico, the oldest child of Alfonso Rodríguez and Delia "Tata" López-Cepero. He has three younger siblings: Jean Rodríguez, who also is a singer, Tatiana Rodríguez and Ramon do Salotti.

As a child, Luis Fonsi showed signs that music was going to direct his life – as a child, he imitated the stars of the popular group Menudo, and joined the San Juan Children's Choir.

After living on the United States mainland for one month, Fonsi spoke English without a hint of an accent. He entered the Dr. Phillips High School, and participated in a group called "Big Guys." They sang at school parties and local festivals. One of the members of the group, Joey Fatone, later joined NSYNC.

In 1995, Fonsi enrolled at Florida State University to study music. He also joined the school's choir and sang with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra.

Because music was such an important part of his life, Fonsi attended Florida State University School of Music on a full scholarship, majoring in Vocal Performance. He also joined the university's choir, which let him travel and perform throughout the world, and recorded demo tapes in Miami. Soon after, he was offered a recording contract by Universal Music Latin.

Career

In 1998, Fonsi recorded his debut album, Comenzaré (I Will Begin). The record peaked at number 11 on Billboard's Top Latin Albums chart and contained the singles "Si Tú Quisieras," "Perdóname," "Dime Como," and "Me Iré". Comenzaré became an instant hit in Puerto Rico and across Latin America, with Fonsi conquering such markets as Colombia, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Mexico, and Venezuela. His 2000 follow-up, Eterno, was even more successful. Around this time, Fonsi also recorded a duet with Christina Aguilera for her 2000 Spanish-language album, Mi Reflejo. On May 1, 2000, Fonsi performed at the Great Jubilee Concert for a Debt-Free World, an outdoor concert in Rome, attended by Pope John Paul II. That same year, Ednita Nazario won a Latin Grammy Award for a song composed by Fonsi. He also performed, with other artists, at the White House in honor of the victims of the September 11 attacks.

In 2002, Fonsi was the opening act for Britney Spears' Dream Within a Dream Tour in the US and Mexico.

His fifth CD, Abrazar la vida, sold very well, which opened new markets in Europe. "¿Quién Te Dijo Eso?" reached number one on the Billboard Latin charts. During his time in the studio for the next album, Fonsi recorded "Amazing", a duet with Spice Girl Emma Bunton for her 2004 album Free Me. His sixth CD, Paso a Paso, debuted at number one and launched him into international markets. "Nada Es Para Siempre" also reached number one on the music charts, and was a nominee for the Latin Grammy Awards. In 2006, he contributed to El Piruli, a tribute album honoring Víctor Yturbe, singing a classic bolero, "Historia de un Amor."

His seventh CD, Palabras del Silencio, debuted and stayed in the number one position for many weeks. Luis Fonsi cracked the US Billboard Hot 100 for the first time in September 2008 with his song "No Me Doy por Vencido", debuting at number 98 and peaking at number 92. It reached number one on the Billboard Hot Latin Tracks chart, one of his biggest hits to date. "No Me Doy por Vencido" became Billboard's "Latin Pop Song of the Decade," and spent 21 weeks at number one on the Hot Latin Songs chart.

In November 2009, Luis Fonsi was awarded a Latin Grammy Award for "Song of the Year" for his composition "Aquí Estoy Yo".

On December 11, 2009, Fonsi performed at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Oslo, honoring recipient President Barack Obama.

In 2011, Fonsi released the album Tierra Firme, and went on tour to promote it throughout Latin America.

On July 9, 2011, Billboard named Fonsi "Leader of Latin Music's New Generation".

In 2014, Fonsi released his album 8, a reference to his eighth career album. He then did a tour named "Somos Uno" in 2014–15. He also mentioned that acting would be on his career path and that he wouldn't mind acting with Mexican actors and actresses.

In January 2017, "Despacito" featuring Daddy Yankee was promoted and released. The music video has reached two billion views on YouTube, with the song becoming number one in nearly every Latin Billboard chart. In April 2017, the song was given an English remix featuring Canadian singer Justin Bieber. The remix featuring Bieber reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 for the week ending May 27, 2017, becoming both Fonsi and Yankee's first number one on the chart, and Bieber's fifth. Bieber promoted the remix at one of his shows in Puerto Rico, inviting Fonsi onto stage to perform the duo with him.

Acting career

In 2004, Fonsi made his acting debut on the Mexican telenovela named Corazones al límite in which he played Roy. He also had a special appearance in 2001 on the Nickelodeon television series Taina. Fonsi joined the cast of Broadway's Forever Tango for a two-week engagement in August 2013.

Personal life

In 2003, Fonsi began to become romantically interested in actress Adamari López, who, as an Univision artist and fellow Puerto Rican, constantly found herself near Fonsi.That same year, Fonsi released the song "Abrazar la vida" ("To Embrace the Life"), off the eponymous album. The song would later become one of López's favorites.

During 2005, Fonsi was in the middle of an international tour that was abruptly cancelled when López was diagnosed with cancer. Fonsi promised to stay by her side, and traveled with her to Mexico, Miami, and Puerto Rico for various treatment and work-related trips. She has been in remission since 2006.

On June 3, 2006, Fonsi and Adamari López were married in a religious ceremony in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico attended by many celebrities including Joey Fatone, Charytín Goyco, Ednita Nazario, and Carlos Ponce, as well as his brother, aspiring singer Jean Rodríguez, professionally known as "Jan". On November 8, 2010, they officially divorced.

Fonsi and Spanish model Águeda López had their first child together, a girl, in December 2011 in Miami. They were married on September 10, 2014, after three years of living together.

Discography

Main article: Luis Fonsi discography

Studio albums

• Comenzaré (1998)
• Eterno (2000)
• Amor Secreto (2002)
• Abrazar la vida (2003)
• Paso a Paso (2005)
• Palabras del Silencio (2008)
• Tierra Firme (2011)
• 8 (2014)

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