Residente Biography

René Pérez Joglar, known by his stage name Residente, is a rapper, writer and producer from Puerto Rico. He is known as the founder and lead singer of the successful group Calle 13. He is the proud owner of 24 Latin Grammy awards. After over a decade of glory with his band, he pursued a solo career and released his debut eponymous album in 2017.

Calle 13

The band was formed in 2004, by the two stepbrothers, Residente and Visitante (multi-instrumentalist) and their half-sister Ileana Cabra Joglar. They gained popularity with the release of their first album, which earned a Platinum certification. Furthermore, their 2007 album, Residente o Visitante topped the Latin Albums chart and brought 2 Grammy Awards. Since then, Calle 13 released 3 more acclaimed albums, however without reaching the commercial success of the first ones. Over the course of their existence, Calle 13 collaborated with important artists in the Latin industry, such as Juanes and Nelly Furtado.

Solo Breakthrough

In June 2015, after a successful European tour, Residence began working on his first solo album. He travelled the world to find inspiration and collaborators. “I collaborated with talented artists, artists that the musical industry doesn’t know” he declared. The songs approach subjects such as unity and equality. Simultaneously, the rapper directed a documentary about his struggling childhood and his musical journey. Residente’s self-titled album spawned 2 singles so far, Somos Anormales and Desencuentro. 

Photo source: NYTimes