Elmer Figueroa Arce[a], better known under the stage name Chayanne, (born June 28, 1968) is a Puerto Rican Latin pop singer and actor. As a solo artist, Chayanne has released 21 albums and sold over 15 million records worldwide,[1] making him one of the best-selling Latin music artists.
Chayanne participated in two Puerto Rican telenovelas broadcast by WAPA-TV television station in the 80s. These were Sombras del Pasado with Daniel Lugo and Alba Nydia Díaz, and Tormento with Daniel Lugo and Yazmin Pereira.
Biography
Early life
Arce's nickname "Chayanne" was given to him by his mother, in honor of his love for the 1950s American television series, Cheyenne.[2]
In the late 1970s, he auditioned for Menudo, but the producers told him that he was too young to be in the group.[3] He joined another group, Los Chicos, and they produced several hit recordings, including "Puerto Rico Son Los Chicos" and "Ave Maria".[4] Los Chicos toured all over Latin America and became a major rival to Menudo when Chayanne was a member.
After Los Chicos separated in 1984, Chayanne began his career as a solo artist. He signed with RCA Víctor and released his debut album, Chayanne es mi Nombre, that year. His second album with RCA Víctor, Sangre Latina, was released in 1986.
After three years with RCA Víctor, Chayanne switched labels to Sony Music and broke out with his first self-titled album in 1987. This album featured a blend of ballads and dance tracks, a combination for which Chayanne would become famous. The album featured two hit songs, the ballad "Peligro de Amor", written by Michael Sullivan and Paulo Massadas, and a song that would cement him as an overall performer, the upbeat dance track "Fiesta en América", written by Honorio Herrero.
On November 1, 1988, Chayanne released his second self-titled album, Chayanne. This album featured several hit singles, including Herrero's "Tu Pirata Soy Yo", José María Cano's "Fuiste un Trozo de Hielo en la Escarcha" ('you were a piece of ice in the frost'), and "Este Ritmo Se Baila Así", composed by Pierre-Edouard Decimus and Jacob Desvarieux, both members of Guadeloupean band Kassav', and Roberto Livi. At the same time, Chayanne became a spokesperson for Pepsi, with the airing of the first Spanish-speaking advertising spot broadcast on national television, coast to coast, during the 1989 Grammy Awards telecast.
On August 7, 1990, he released the album Tiempo de Vals, featuring some of his best-selling singles, such as the title track (composed by José María Cano), "Completamente Enamorados" (by Piero Cassano, Adelio Cogliati, and Eros Ramazzotti), and "Daría Cualquier Cosa"[es], composed by Luis Gómez Escolar and Julio Seijas. Chayanne followed this with an album and title track that would eventually become his signature song, Provócame (1992). The album also featured the hit "El Centro de mi Corazón" (#1 U.S. Hot Latin, 1992), which was nominated for Pop Song of the Year at the Lo Nuestro Awards of 1993, while Chayanne was nominated for Best Male Pop Artist.[5] Two years later, he released the covers album Influencias (1994), which was a tribute to some of his musical influences. In 1996, he released Volver a Nacer.
In 1998, he received his second Grammy nomination with the album Atado a Tu Amor, which featured his first number-one hit since 1992, "Dejaría Todo", as well as a long-lasting hit in the title track. The hot streak continued in 2000, when Chayanne released Simplemente and the top-ten hit "Candela" and the number-one hit "Yo Te Amo". On March 19, 2002, he released Grandes Éxitos, a greatest-hits album with a few new tracks. One of those new tracks, "Y Tú Te Vas", was the number-one song of the summer for 2002, and went on to be the theme song for Venezuelan telenovela Todo sobre Camila, produced by Venevisión. The following year, Chayanne released Sincero, which featured two number-one songs, "Un Siglo Sin Ti" and "Cuidarte el Alma".
In 2005, Chayanne embarked on a tour alongside Alejandro Fernández and Marc Anthony. That same year, he released two albums, a second compilation album, Desde Siempre, with the new song "Contra Vientos y Mareas", followed by Cautivo, with hits such as "No Sé Por Qué", "Te Echo de Menos" and "No Te Preocupes Por Mí".
Chayanne's 13th album, Mi Tiempo, was released on April 10, 2007. The album debuted at number two on the Billboard Latin Albums chart, selling 17,000 copies in its first week. The lead single off the album, "Si Nos Quedará Poco Tiempo", reached number-one on the Hot Latin Songs chart.[6]
Following the album's release, Chayanne began an international tour to promote Mi Tiempo. Among the regions visited on the tour were México, Venezuela, Ecuador, Perú and the United States.[7]
On August 24, 2008, he began a series of presentations in Spain. When interviewed, he noted that the concert would be fluid, "like a musical", and "more Latin" than his previous presentations, being composed of "more pop, Brazilian, Caribbean and reggae rhythms", which he would use to "dance constantly".[7]
He gave a special performance at the Miss Universe 2003 pageant. On October 12, 2009, Chayanne released a new single titled "Me Enamoré de Ti",[8] serving as the theme song for the 2009 soap opera Corazon Salvaje. This single is featured in Chayanne's 2010 release, No Hay Imposibles.[9]
On March 14, 2015, Chayanne released a new single titled, "Tu respiración", serving as the theme song for the 2015 soap opera Lo imperdonable.[10]
In the 1980s, Chayanne participated in several soap operas and starred in the comedy series Generaciones with Luis Antonio Rivera. In 1994 he played himself in Volver a empezar along with Yuri. That same year, he also starred in Linda Sara opposite former Miss Universe, Dayanara Torres. The film was written and directed by famous Puerto Rican filmmaker Jacobo Morales. In 1998, he starred in his first Hollywood role, playing a Cuban dancer along with Vanessa L. Williams in Dance with Me. He also made a guest appearance on Ally McBeal. In the next few years he worked in other projects like the Argentine soap opera Provócame, for which he made the soundtrack of the same name.
In 2008, Chayanne played the title role (of a vampire) on the television series Gabriel: Amor Inmortal. To familiarize himself with the concept he adopted a different daily schedule, sleeping during the day and working at night.[11] He noted that the production wanted to "make things look as real as possible", but that the adaptation process was difficult.[11] The series debuted on September 28, 2008, on Mega TV.
Personal life
He is married to Marilisa Maronesa de Figueroa, with whom he has a son Lorenzo and a daughter, Isadora.[12] The family lives in Miami Beach, Florida.[13] He is uncle of Venezuelan singer [Lele Pons].
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