Ricky Martin Artistfacts

December 24, 1971
Born in San Juan, Martin was a star in the Puerto Rican boy band Menudo starting in 1984 when he was 13 until 1988 when he aged out. Members of the band couldn't be any older than 16, ensuring they were always youthful.
Growing up, Martin listened to American rock music by bands like Journey, Styx and Boston. He didn't come to appreciate Latin music until later.
During his time in Munudo, Martin got to see the world and develop his skills, but there was no room for creative expression. "You were told what to wear, you were told what haircut to have, we were even told what song to sing," he told The Big Issue in 1999. "I was so confused when I left the band that I didn't know who I was. I didn't know what I liked or what I hated. I moved to New York City, looking, almost begging, for my personality to come back."
Martin didn't come out as gay until 2010 when he posted on his website, "I am proud to say that I am a fortunate homosexual man. I am very blessed to be who I am." Two years earlier, he became the father to twin boys, Valentino and Matteo, born via surrogate. He wrote that they motivated him to come out: "To keep living as I did up until today would be to indirectly diminish the glow that my kids where born with."
Most Americans learned about Ricky Martin in 1999 when he did a dazzling performance of "The Cup Of Life" at the Grammy Awards. By this time, he had already released four albums, but all were in Spanish. His breakthrough American hit was the English-language "Livin' La Vida Loca," which went to #1 in America 10 weeks after his Grammy performance.
Madonna is a big fan. After his 1999 Grammy performance, they teamed up for a duet called "Be Careful (Cuidado Con Mi Corazón)," which Madonna wrote and produced with William Orbit. It was added at the last minute to Martin's self-titled album, his first sung mostly in English.
Martin married an artist named Jwan Yosef in 2018, but they announced their divorce in 2023. They share two children together: daughter Lucia (born 2018) and son Renn (born 2019).

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