Me

he’s holding....” What could I possibly do? Who in their right mind could refuse these types of invitations? In the midst of all that madness, “Livin’ La Vida Loca” turned out to be everything that Sony Music had hoped for and more. At that time, the company was having financial troubles and they needed more than a good hit—they needed a home run. With the promotional push that they gave “Livin’ La Vida Loca,” they expected something explosive, and the result was more on the lines of nuclear. Seeing their salvation within arm’s reach, they wanted to go as far as possible, so they created an aggressive and extensive global promotion campaign. The only problem was that the one person who would ultimately have to bring it to fruition would be me. And although it was exhausting, I can honestly say I never complained. I gave myself entirely to the task and lived the whole thing like a dream.
    Oftentimes people ask me what I think made the success of “Livin’ La Vida Loca.” Even though part of it was that the world was ready for something new, more than anything, I think that all of the pieces were perfectly in place. I had a wonderful agent, an excellent record label, and a fantastic production team, and all of us were tapped into the same frequency and the same mantra of winning as we moved forward. And in addition to that, I had a great album in my hands; when I listen to it today, I realize what an amazing production it really is, and in the end, that’s really what is most important: the music . Music can transcend borders and break down barriers between people and cultures. In this case, it spoke for itself.
    I would go so far as to say that during the process of recording the song we actually made magic. For “Livin’ La Vida Loca” I had the good fortune of working once again with Draco Rosa and Desmond Child. Although I had made several records, I quickly realized that working with Desmond Child is working at an entirely new level. Desmond is a musical giant: He has sold 300 million records; he has worked with Aerosmith, Bon Jovi, Cher, all the greats. When it comes to recording, Desmond has a certain dynamic and unique sense of focus: He somehow turns the process of recording into something structured and systematic, which gave us great calm, because this way we didn’t get tired and could allow the creative process to flow. We would start the day by doing vocal warm-ups. Then we would eat something. Then we would do some recording. Then we’d go out for a stroll. And then we’d come back for a cup of coffee. Every day I knew what to expect, and that helped me a lot because I could focus my thoughts on my creativity, as opposed to wasting them on the uncertainty of what’s going to happen tomorrow, or the day after. It was also the first time Draco ever worked with Desmond, and there was something about that collaboration among the three of us—the cosmos, the moment, the risks that were taken—that made for extraordinary results. And even today “Livin’ La Vida Loca” is one of the songs I am most proud of.
    When I think back on the months that followed the album’s release, what I remember is work, work, and more work. The wave that had started to grow with “María” and “La Copa de la Vida” transformed into something gigantic. I had to gather all my strength to make videos, go on a promotional tour, put on a show, and dedicate myself day and night to promote it. We planned three months of shows and events in Japan, Thailand, Australia, France, England, Spain, Puerto Rico, the United States, Canada, and, of course, Mexico. Since my fans were all over the planet, we ultimately made it a world tour that lasted over a year, with two hundred and fifty shows in eighty cities and thirty-five countries.
    That year, “Livin’ La Vida Loca” was nominated for four Grammy Awards, putting me at the forefront of the phenomenon that was baptized “the Latino Boom.” It was no longer just about the advancement of my own career; it was now about the new and unexpected presence of Latin music on the global stage. My life would never be the same again.

THE LATIN POSTER BOY
    AFTER THE GRAMMYS it almost seemed like overnight everyone in the United States had awoken and heard the name Ricky Martin for the first time, which was a bit odd, especially when you take into account that Vuelve had earned a platinum record in the United States, with more than 1 million copies sold,