Enrique Martín MoralesRicky Martin (I) - Biography (born December 24, 1971), better known by his stage name Ricky Martin, is a Grammy Award and Latin Grammy Award-winning Puerto Rican pop singer who rose to fame, first as a member of the Latin boy band Menudo, then as a solo artist since 1991. He has sold more than 55 million albums around the world., charting 21 top-ten hits on the U.S. Latin Charts, ten of which reached number one, and a total of over 30 hit singles.

Early life

Martin was born on December 24, 1971, in Hato Rey, Puerto Rico, to his mother, Nereida Morales, who was an accountant; his father Enrique Martín Negroni, was a psychologist. He is the only child of this union. His parents divorced when he was two. Both remarried. He has two older half brothers on his mother's side (Fernando and Angel) from a previous marriage and three younger half siblings from his father (Eric, Vanessa and Daniel). Though no one in his family was connected to show business, Martin was drawn to the spotlight as a child and had many friends.

Career

Menudo

At the age of 12, Martin auditioned for the band Menudo, a Latin pop group composed of young Puerto Rican adolescent musicians who were rotated out of the group as they advanced into their teen years. He was turned down. At age 13, he auditioned a third time and became a member. When Martin was 17, he left the group and returned to Puerto Rico to complete high school.