Luis Fonsi Biography

Luis Alfonso Rodríguez López-Cepero, known by his stage name Luis Fonsi, is a latin singer, songwriter, and actor. His most popular single is Despacio, featuring Daddy Yankee.

Early Life 

Luis was born in Puerto Rico and studied music at the Florida State University. During his childhood, he was a member of the school’s choir and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. He used to admire the popular band Menudo. At the age of 10, he and his family moved to the U.S. There he became part of a group called Big Guys, with whom he sang at various local events. During his college years, Luis studied, and eventually got a degree, Vocal Performance. Additionally, he began recording demos, until he was discovered by Universal Music Latino.

Breakthrough and Success

In 1999, Luis Fonsi released his debut album, Comenzare. It was an utter success and reached number 11 on the Billboard Top Latin Albums chart. Moreso, it was a best-seller in Puerto Rico and Latin America. One year later, his next single Eterno achieved even greater results. Furthermore, the now popular Luis recorded a duet with Christian Aguilera. He also composed a Grammy awarded song for Ednita Nazario.

In 2003, the latin artist topped the Billboard charts with his fifth album, Abrazar la Vida. The next album, Paso a Paso, was the one which truly made Luis an internationally recognized singer. One of the singles, Nada es Para Siempre, received a Latin Grammy nomination. Another noteworthy single is No Me Doy Por Vencido, from Luis’ 2008 album Palabras del Silencio. It made its way into the Billboard Hot 100, became Latin Pop Song Of The Decade. Moreover, it spent 21 weeks on the top spot of the Hot Latin Songs Chart. In 2009, Luis Fonsi won the Latin Grammy for his song Aqui Estoy Yo and, two years later, he was designated by Billboard the Leader of Latin Music’s New Generation.

Photo credits: Telemundo