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| Chayanne |
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Elmer
Figueroa Arce, better known as Chayanne, was born in Puerto Rico on
June 28, 1968, and is the third of five siblings. He recently married
the Venezuelan Marilisa Maronese, with whom he had a baby who is almost
three years old, named Lorenzo Valentino.
Like any other adolescent, Chayanne loved riding motorcycles, playing
tennis, and enjoying a good book. He is a tireless fighter and very
self-disciplined, thanks to which he has become an example for all his
generation. Chayanne is owes his stage name to his mother and a US television
show. He made his singing debut when he was only ten, becoming a part
of the group Los Chicos (the boys), one of the most highly acclaimed
groups in the 1980s, causing a true frenzy among the adolescents of
the day.
Professionally, he has recorded 14 albums/CDs, five with Los
Chicos and nine others as a solo performer.
In 1987 he recorded for the first time with Sony Music International
(CBS Records), an album/CD titled Chayanne, among whose songs the major
hits were Tu pirata soy yo ("I'm Your Pirate"), Este ritmo
se baila así ("You Dance This Beat Like This"), and
Fuiste un trozo de hielo en la escarcha ("You Were a Chunk of Ice
in the Frost").
In 1989 he recorded his second album/CD (for Sony) also titled Chayanne,
among whose songs the major hits were Fiesta en América ("Party
in America"), Violeta ("Violet"), Te deseo ("I Want
You"), and Para tenerte otra vez ("To Have You Again").
This album was also recorded in Portuguese and resulted in several hits
in the Brazilian market. This recording was deemed worthy of a nomination
for the Grammy awards in 1989 in the Best Latin Pop Performance category.
That same year he signed an exclusive contract worldwide with the Pepsi-Cola
company, and recorded the first commercial that came out in Spanish
without subtitles primarily in the United States, Latin America, and
Europe during the beginning of the Grammy Awards (1989). Then he recorded
another commercial for Pepsi, this time in English.
Other recordings of his include: Sangre latina ("Latin Blood"),
Tiempo de vals ("Waltz Time"), Provócame ("Turn
Me On"), Influencias ("Influences"), Volver a nacer ("To
Be Born Again") and, most recently, Atado a tu amor ("Tied
to Your Love"), which also received a nomination for the Grammy
Awards in the Best Latin Pop Performance category, in 1998.