What is Ricky Martin's Net Worth?
Ricky Martin is a Puerto Rican pop musician, actor, and author who has a net worth of $130 million. After a long and successful career, Ricky Martin has earned the moniker "King of Latin Pop." With over 70 million record sales worldwide, he is one of the most commercially successful Latin artists. Martin's work in the late 90s is credited with bringing Latin pop into the mainstream of US music culture. Outside of acting, Martin has achieved considerable success as an actor.
When Ricky Martin quite literally exploded onto the American mainstream music scene with his now legendary performance of "La Copa de la Vida" at the 41st Grammy Awards in 1999, he'd already established himself as a popular artist in multiple other arenas. As a member of the boy band, Menudo, he toured incessantly throughout his teen years, and recorded eleven albums. He retired from the group when he was seventeen, and was accepted to NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, but chose to defer his acceptance to tour with a new musical in Mexico. His performance in the musical led to roles on two popular Mexican telenovelas, and the launch of his solo career. His first two albums with his new record label, Sony Music, were quite successful, and in addition to solid sales, he also launched an acting career in the US, appearing on the sitcom, "Getting By", and landing a recurring role on "General Hospital". Between 1995 and 1999, his star rose exponentially. His third album was a massive hit in multiple countries. He was invited to star in the Broadway cast of "Les Miserables" as Marius Pontmercy, and received rave reviews. His fourth album, "Vuelve", released in 1998, proved to be the turning point. It went Platinum in the United States, sold 8 million copies worldwide, and earned him a Grammy nomination for Best Latin Pop Album. This nomination led to the aforementioned performance that changed everything. (And he won the Grammy, too.) Since then, he has released a string of successful English and Spanish language hits, and appeared on Broadway in the acclaimed revival of "Evita" as Che.
Early Life
Enrique Martin Morales was born on December 24th of 1971 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. His father was a psychologist, and he was raised in a Roman Catholic household alongside four brothers and one sister. Enrique's parents divorced when he was just two years old. His passion for singing began at an early age, and by the age of six, he was singing along to his favorite pop songs – both Latin and English. Enrique's grandmother was a poet, and he was inspired by her to start writing his own songs.
By age nine, Enrique began to appear in commercials for soft drinks, toothpaste, and other products. Before the age of 11, he had starred in 11 Puerto Rican commercials. His auditions eventually led him to try out for the Latin boy band Menudo. Although he was only 12 years old, Enrique was accepted into the band after exhibiting his impressive dancing and singing skills.
Enrique soon discovered that the band's strict management and tiresome schedule were not to his liking, although he loved having the chance to perform on stage. By 1987, record sales began to decline, and two years later Enrique left the group as a 17-year-old. Because he was still a minor, Enrique didn't have access to his bank account until he graduated from high school in Puerto Rico. Once he turned 18, he moved to New York City to rest and enjoy the money he had earned during his time in Menudo.
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