Ricky Martin
Poster: Peter Leonard 06/05/2006
Puerto Rican pop star Ricky Martin is set to bring his dynamic stage performance to Spain this month (unfortunately, the scheduled Málaga concert has been cancelled). Here he talks about his latest album, Life. Released last October, Life is clearly Ricky Martin’s most eclectic, cross-sectional work. “I wanted to start from zero, like if it was the first album I had ever recorded, so I could offer a new sound.” Collaborating with a "dream team" of writers, producers, and artists, Ricky co-wrote many of the songs on Life and played a direct role in the record's production. “I met great producers and composers, young people who wanted to give it their all. We took risks, we dared to go into musical areas we’d never been before, and I think that’s the reason why there’s a lot of spontaneity on the record. We’ve created music without following any rules."Life, the album, came about because I believe that life is not one-dimensional. After spending time in silence, away from the stage, I had the time to travel and exchange ideas with people from all over the world - Brazil, Thailand, India, Egypt - and from all walks of life. Being influenced by all these cultures in a creative process I've learned how connected we all are. I have been able to focus on simple things that make life powerful. In each song on my album, we describe, through lyrics or music, stories that not only represent my personal experiences, but also scenarios that I have witnessed. As I produced this album, I simply allowed life to happen. This album is the result of those experiences.”Ricky travelled to India to record the string arrangements for the album, and also trained in Capuera, a rigorous Brazilian martial arts form, in preparation for a worldwide promotional tour to coincide with its release."I believe this album is global. My dream is to unite lifestyles with my music. That's why I went from rock to Middle Eastern sounds, from Asian to hip-hop, from pop to reggaeton, making it easy for people from all over the world to relate."Life was the first Ricky Martin album in two years, following Almas del Silencio (Souls of Silence), which in turn was the artist's first Spanish-language album since 1998’s Vuelve and the first album in any language since Sound Loaded in 2000. He has sold more than 20 million albums worldwide. The Livin' La Vida Loca single in 1999 enabled him to become the first solo Latin male artist of the SoundScan era to hit number one on the Hot 100; and he won a Grammy (best Latin pop performance) for Vuelve.
