Luis Miguel: The Greatest Living Pop Superstar?
A Look at Latin America's Leading Male Vocalist
Jul 30, 2009
For over 25 years, one name has shone brighter than any other in the world of "Pop en Español" and that name is Luis Miguel Gellego Basteri, or Luis Miguel, as he is better known. Affectionate nicknames for the star include: "Luismi," "El Sol de Mexico" (The Sun of Mexico) and "El Rey" (The King).
Born in Puerto Rico in 1970 to a Spanish father and Italian mother, Miguel grew up in Mexico and considers himself 100% Mexican. Since the release of his first album in 1982, this former child prodigy has performed all over the world, broken records left, right and centre and shows no signs of slowing down.
Musical Beginnings
Like Michael Jackson, Luis Miguel had an extremely strict father who ruthlessly managed his early career and helped turn him into a star. From an early age, he was forced to study the style, singing, performance skills and showmanship of Elvis Presley.
According to the Musician Guide website, in 1985, he won his first Grammy for a duet with Scottish singer, Sheena Easton entitled: Me Gustas Tal Como Eres (I Like You Just the Way You Are). This was followed by more success in 1987, as his album, Soy Como Quiero Ser was nominated for Best Latin Pop Album.
From Child Star to Adult Crooner
Luis Miguel made this transition with ease in the video for one of his biggest hits.
The Answers.com website claims that the video for La Incondional was "shocking to many fans" as the star "cut his signature long hair which he had since his beginnings." This proved to be a symbolic moment in Luis Miguel's career, the moment that marked his passage into manhood.
"Luismi" Reaches Out to a Wider Audience
In 1991, Romance, a collection of Spanish-language ballads, or Boleros, saw a huge increase in Luis Miguel's popularity outside of Latin America.
The album went platinum in the US and also sold extremely well in Spain, Germany, Singapore, Japan and Australia. As mentioned on the Answers.com website, it would eventually sell over 15 million copies worldwide.
Released in 1994, Segundo Romance, the second in the Bolero series, continued this trend, again going platinum in the US. Around this time, he also became the first Latino to sell-out New York's famous Madison Square Garden.
Luis Miguel's Star Continues to Rise
In 1993, Luis Miguel duetted with Frank Sinatra on a version of Come Fly With Me, having received a personal invitation from Ol' Blue Eyes himself. The song subsequently appeared on Sinatra's Duets II album, the last album Sinatra would release in his lifetime, in 1994.
In 1996, at the relatively tender age of 26, Miguel received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the first Latin American singer to be awarded this honour, and also recorded Sueña for the soundtrack of Disney's Hunchback of Notre Dame.
Since then, Luis Miguel has continued to win awards and gain recognition around the world. To date, he has sold over 90 million records, won five Grammy Awards and four Latin Grammy Awards.
The Consumate Live Performer
Since embarking on his first tour, the 20 Años Tour, in 1990, El Rey has delighted and enthralled fans throughout the world, with his powerful, rich, heart-felt vocals and mesmerising stage presence. Those years spent studying Elvis certainly seem to have paid off.
Approximately every two years, since 1991, Luis Miguel has undertaken a series of concerts at the National Auditorium in Mexico City, where, as stated on Luismiguelonline.com, he reached the impressive milestone of 155 consecutive sold-out shows in January 2009, breaking his own previous record.
Luis Miguel Today
The only thing that has stopped Luis Miguel becoming a household name in every corner of the globe, has arguably been his refusal to sing in English. While other Latin pop stars, such as Gloria Estefan, Ricky Martin and Shakira have enjoyed enormous cross-over success, Luis Miguel said, in an interview published on the Luismiguelsite.com, that this is not something that particularly interests him:
"I think that Spanish is a good language. I like my language and I really feel proud of it. I'm not saying that I won't do it in the future, sing in English, I mean, but it's just that it's not the right time for me. Why should I do it just because everybody else is doing it?"
Luis Miguel's career has included a seemingly endless list of "firsts." As a singer and showman, there are very few acts around today that can compete with his impressively high standards of consistency and professionalism.
With his voice, charisma, sex-appeal, stage presence and ability to regularly set new records, maybe it's time the "Holy Trinity" made room for one more.
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