He has gained international recognition after covering songs by artists including Elijah Blake, Trey Songz, and Omarion on YouTube. His version of "Flor Pálida" caught the attention of singer Marc Anthony, which led him to sign an agreement with Magnus, the salsa star's record label.
In 2018, he accompanied Romeo Santos as a vocalist on three of his international tours, including the world tour Golden.
In 2022, Luis released his first salsa album, the self-titled Luis Figueroa. The album spawned three consecutive Top 10 hits on the Billboard Tropical Airplay chart and earned him his first Latin Grammy Award nominations for Best Salsa Album and Best Tropical Song. It solidified his status as one of the leading voices and rising stars of the salsa genre.
Early years
During his upbringing, he was captivated by music based on its origins in Aibonito, Puerto Rico. He started playing the guitar, drums, piano and singing at a young age. His vocal performance led him to have early recognition in the Puerto Rican musical community, collaborating with artists such as Johnny Rivera, La India, and Domingo Quiñones.
Musical career
As a teenager, he was a contestant on the talent shows Star Search, in 2003, and American Idol, in 2007.
In 2007, he began studying at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. The following year he began to upload covers of songs to YouTube . His version of Luke James's "I Want You" was seen by one of the song's co-authors, Nasri Atweh, the lead singer of the Canadian group Magic!. Atweh invited him to travel to Los Angeles and work with him on songwriting and music production.
In 2015, while in Málaga, Spain, he found out through Atweh that his YouTube videos had been viewed by Anthony.[3] The following year, Luis signed with Magnus Media, Anthony's entertainment company. The night of the signing, he received an award from Premios Juventud for his cover of "Flor Pálida",[4] which the two performed together live on Univisión television network.[5]
He spent six months[when?] in Mexico filming the musical-themed series Guerra de ídolos. He played the fictional urban artist Diego Santillán and sang the show's theme song, “Tequila Pa’la Razón".
In 2017, he performed at the Billboard Latin Music Awards on Telemundo, which was televised internationally across Latin America. That same year he released his single "Hopeless"[6] under the Magnus Media label. He then accompanied Romeo Santos as a vocalist on three of his international tours, including the Golden Tour in 2018.[7]
In 2018, he collaborated with Norwegian EDM artist Matoma, on the single "Telepatía".
"La Especialista" and debut cover-album Canciones del Alma
In 2019, he released his first single with Sony Music Latin, "La Especialista",[8] which peaked at number 27 on the BillboardLatin Pop Airplay chart and spent a total of 8 weeks on the charts.[9]
In February 2020, he released the cumbia fused single, "Te Deseo",[10] as an official pre-release for his debut album. The single peaked at number 24 on the Latin Pop Airplay chart and spent 11 weeks on Billboard charts.
In April 2021, he released a cover of "Hasta el Sol de Hoy". The original song was written by Oscar Domingo Derudi. A 1993 recording featured Edgar Joel along with Figueroa's uncle Anthony Colón on lead vocals. Figueroa's cover was released an acoustic version and a salsa version. It was the first single from his debut, full-length cover album Canciones del Alma which was released in May 2021. In an interview he gave to SounDarts.gr he said that "[he] wanted to take the opportunity for people to get to know [him] a little bit through songs that they are familiar with. Also, [he] wanted them to really see and hear [him] to the capacity that [he] can use [his] voice. [He] think[s], there was no better moment for this to be the first album and something that people would really get to listen to because the familiarity of the songs is what is gonna get their attention".[11]
In addition to April 2021, Figueroa was featured on the Billboard: Latin Artist on the Rise article highlighting his accomplishments thus far. Figeuroa joined Anthony's Pa'lla Voy Tour in October, November and December that year as a special guest.
In May, he released his debut album Canciones Del Alma with 10 tracks that comprised Figueroa's "deepest memories of family, musical growth, and key songs that shaped his career". The album debuted at #2 in album sales in Puerto Rico.
Figueroa received his first number #1 on Billboard Tropical Airplay with "Hasta el Sol de Hoy" on July 27, 2021. His follow up single "Si Tu Me Dices Ven" became his second consecutive #1 when it topped the Mediabase Tropical Chart in late November.
The Canciones del Alma visual album was released on YouTube in November 2021 which included songs "Tù con Él", "Qué Hay de Malo", "Historia de Un Amor" and more following a TV special that premiered on Telemundo Puerto Rico.
Luis Figueroa (2022)
In anticipation for the release of his first salsa project of all new material, Figueroa released the lead single "Todavía Te Espero" in late March 2022. The song, written by himself and ICON, reached number 3 on Billboard Tropical Airplay, number 1 on the Mediabase Tropical chart and number 15 on Billboard Latin Airplay. Luis Figueroa was released on May 19, 2022. Billboard described the album as a “Quality product rooted in romance and hard-hitting syncopations, Luis Figueroa has not only discovered his sound but also has embraced it. Figueroa is marking his territory in the tropical genre". "Vienes" was released as the second single, following the success of "Todavía Te Espero". The song hit the Top 10 of Billboard Tropical Airplay and number 1 on the Mediabase Tropical chart. "Vienes" was also an international success reaching top 10 on the tropical charts in Panama, Ecuador, Dominican Republic, and Colombia. He performed the song live on Premios Juventud in Puerto Rico and sang in the tribute medley for El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico.
In June, Figueroa was selected by the National Puerto Rican Day Parade in New York City as a Rising Star. The same weekend he performed in the New York Salsa Festival at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. He was nominated for Best Tropical Artist for the 2022 Heat Latin Music Awards. The Latin GRAMMY nominated song, "Fiesta Contigo" (co-written with Yoel Henriquez & Efraín “E_Flat" Gonzalez) became his third straight top 10 hit from the album on the Billboard charts. He performed the song live at the Latin GRAMMY premiere ceremony in Las Vegas and it reached number 1 on the Mediabase Tropical chart in late January 2023.
Luis Figueroa was selected by Billboard Magazine as one of "The 22 Best Latin Albums of 2022 So Far". He was also chosen by editors as a new contenders for the Latin GRAMMY. Later that year, Figueroa toured as a special guest on El Gran Combo De Puerto Rico's 60th Anniversary U.S. tour. He performed as part of Anthony's Viviendo concerts in San Juan, Puerto Rico at the Choliseo receiving "rave reviews"[12] from press and fans. For the second year in a row he finished top 10 on the Billboard Year End Tropical Airplay Artist chart.
Figueroa ended the year by releasing the holiday song "La Clave".[13] Described as a "tropical-urban Caribbean fusion celebrating the traditions of Christmas".[14] The song was used in a national Christmas campaign in Puerto Rico and became his sixth straight entry on the Billboard Tropical charts.
Voy a Ti (2023)
Voy a Ti was nominated for Best Salsa Album at the 24th Latin Grammy Awards and Best Tropical Latin Album at the 66th Grammy Awards.[15] It also received three nominations for Premio Lo Nuestro, including Tropical Album of the Year. The first single, "La Luz", became his sixth consecutive top 10 hit on the Billboard Tropical Airplay chart. His song "Bandido" topped the chart for two consecutive weeks and was the only salsa song in 2023 to reach number one on the Billboard charts. "Bandido" also held the number one position in Puerto Rico for seven consecutive weeks.[16] The song "A Escondidas" earned him the record for the most top 10 hits in the 2020s on the Billboard Tropical charts as of March 2024.[17] Figueroa was honored by the New York]] International Salsa Congress with their Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions to the genre.
Coexistencia (2024)
His latest album Coexistencia released on May 24, 2024. Coexistencia received two Latin GRAMMY nominations for Best Salsa Album and Best Tropical Song for the single "Llorar Bonito". "Llorar Bonito" topped the Mediabase Tropical chart and reached number 3 on Billboard's Tropical Airplay chart. The album features "Nadie La Conoce" with Gente de Zona.
Contributions as a composer
As a songwriter, he has collaborated with artists such as Sebastián Yatra and Lary Over. Including on the urban pop hit "Por Perro",[18] which has amassed more than 600 million views on YouTube[as of?] and peaked at number 16 on Billboard's Latin Pop Songs chart.[19] "Por Perro" has also been certified Quadruple Platinum by RIAA and was nominated for Video of the Year at the 2019 HTVHeat Latin Music Awards.
Eddie Santiago is a salsa singer from Puerto Rico. He is one of the great figures of this musical genre, with popular songs such as “Me Haces Falta Tú" on Soy el Mismo, “Lluvia" on Sigo Atrevido, “Mía" on Invasión de la Privacidad y “Tú me quemas" on Atrevido y diferente.
Marco Antonio Muñiz, known professionally as Marc Anthony, is an American singer and actor. He is the top selling salsa artist of all time. A four-time Grammy Award, eight-time Latin Grammy Award and twenty-nine-time Lo Nuestro Awards winner, he has sold more than 12 million albums worldwide.
Linda Bell Viera Caballero, known professionally as La India, is a Puerto Rican singer and songwriter of salsa, house music and Latin pop. La India has been nominated for both Grammy and Latin Grammy Awards, winning the Latin Grammy Award for Best Salsa Album for the Intensamente La India Con Canciones De Juan Gabriel album.
Jorge Manuel López, also known as Giro Lopez, is a Puerto Rican salsa musician.
N'Klabe is a Puerto Rican salsa group formed in 2003.
Todo a Su Tiempo is the second studio album by American recording artist Marc Anthony, released by RMM Records on May 31, 1995. The album was produced by Sergio George, who was also involved with production of Anthony's debut studio album, Otra Nota. The album comprises five new compositions, three of which were written by Omar Alfanno, and four cover versions. Eight singles were released from the album, all but one of which topped the Billboard Tropical Songs chart.
Contra la Corriente is the third studio album released by American singer Marc Anthony on October 21, 1997, by RMM Records. The album was produced by Puerto Rican musician Angel "Cucco" Peña, with most of the songs written by Panamanian composer Omar Alfanno. The album was well received by critics who praised the vocals of Anthony as well as the songs. The album produced six singles, four of which peaked on the top ten on the Hot Latin Tracks chart. Promoted by a sold-out concert in Madison Square Garden, Contra la Corriente became the first salsa album to reach number one on the Top Latin Albums chart and to chart on the Billboard 200.
Arthur Hanlon is an American pianist, songwriter and arranger who is widely known in the Latin music realm and has had multiple hits on the Billboard charts. Born to Irish-American parents, he hails from Detroit, Michigan, but found his calling in Latin music and has received widespread recognition in that realm, becoming the first pianist to reach the Billboard Latin airplay charts in more than a decade and the first to have a No. 1 on Billboard's Tropical Airplay chart. Arthur’s most current work includes a series of collaborations all under the Sony label. He is an exclusive Yamaha Pianos artist.
"Da la Vuelta" is a song written by Emilio Estefan and Kike Santander and performed by American singer Marc Anthony. Produced by Anthony, Estefan, and Ángel "Cucco" Peña, it is a salsa track which deals with the singer letting go of his former lover. It is one of the three Spanish-language songs to be included on Anthony's 1999 self-titled album and was released as a promotional single in the same year.
"A Puro Dolor" is a song recorded by Puerto Rican band Son by Four. It was written by Omar Alfanno and released as the first single of the second studio album of the band in 2000. Two versions of the track were produced by Oscar Llord for the album; one as a salsa and the other as a ballad. The ballad version was arranged by Alejandro Jaén.
"Y Hubo Alguien" is a song by American singer Marc Anthony from his third studio album, Contra la Corriente (1997). The song was written by Omar Alfanno, with record production being handled by Ángel "Cucco" Peña. It was released as the first promotional single from the album in 1997. A salsa song which combines elements of R&B, it describes a man who has found love again after his former lover left him. The song was inspired by a fight Alfanno had with his partner and pitched the song to RMM, but was turned down. Anthony offered to record the track after Alfanno presented it to him.
Flor Pálida is a song written and performed by Cuban singer-songwriter Polo Montañez. It was recorded for his second and final studio album Guitarra Mía (2002). It is the tenth track on the album. On the review of the album, Newsreview.com editor Christine G.K. LaPado-Breglia praised the song as "so beautiful, with its plaintive violin and heart-stirring vocals".
"Olvídame y Pega la Vuelta" is a song written and recorded by Argentine sibling duo Pimpinela from their 1982 self-titled album. Pimpinela recorded an English-language version of the song titled "Get Out of My Life, Now!" as well an Italian version titled "Te puoi scordare per sempre di me" and in Portuguese titled "Siga seu rumo". In 2005, a reggaeton remix was made for the song. Digital media About en Español included it in the list of the best "heartbreak songs."
Jean Carlos Rodríguez López-Cepero, also known as Jean, is a Puerto Rican singer, the younger brother of Luis Fonsi. Rodríguez has released a handful of solo albums and mixtapes, hitting number one on Billboard's Latin Pop Airplay chart with the single "Duele" in 2006. As a member of the production duo Coastcity, he co-produced the Spanish-language version of "Hey Ma" by Pitbull, J Balvin and Camila Cabello in 2017; the Spanish-language video passed 400 million views on YouTube, and the song was nominated for a Latin Grammy.
"Te Conozco Bien" is a song by American singer Marc Anthony from his second studio album, Todo a Su Tiempo (1995). The song was written by Omar Alfanno, with production being handled by Marc Anthony and Sergio George. It was released as the first promotional single from the album on May 30, 1995. A salsa song, it sees the singer express certainty that someone is regretful. The song was awarded the Billboard Latin Music Award in 1996 for "Hot Latin Track of the Year" in the Tropical/Salsa field and was nominated for the Tropical Song of the Year award at the 8th Annual Lo Nuestro Awards in the same year. It was a recipient of the ASCAP Latin Award in 1996. Commercially, the song peaked at number seven on the Hot Latin Songs chart and number one on the Tropical Airplay chart in the United States. It was the best-performing song of 1995 on the latter chart. The song was covered by Puerto Rican singer Ángel López as a ballad on his studio album Historias de Amor (2010).
"Contra la Corriente" is a song by American singer Marc Anthony from his third studio album of the same name (1997). It was released in 1998 by RMM and served as the album's fifth single. The song was written by Omar Alfanno, with co-production handled by Ángel "Cucco" Peña and Anthony. "Contra la Corriente" is a salsa song, that lyrically recalls a "good love from the past."
Luis Figueroa is the second studio album by Luis Figueroa. It was released on May 19, 2022, through Sony Music Latin. The album is the first studio Salsa album of Figueroa composed entirely of newly written and recorded songs.
Voy A Ti is the third studio album by Luis Figueroa. It was released on May 18, 2023, through Sony Music Latin. Following the success of his previous self-titled album, this record continues to modernize the salsa genre by integrating urban components, bringing a fresh sound to the music. The album was nominated for Best Tropical Latin Album at the 66th Grammy Awards and Best Salsa Album at the 24th Latin Grammy Awards. It also received three nominations at the 2024 Premio Lo Nuestro, including Tropical Album of the Year.
Coexistencia is the fourth studio album by Luis Figueroa, released on May 24, 2024, by Sony Music Latin and Magnus Media LLC. Continuing to push the boundaries of salsa, the album blends urban and rock elements to revitalize the tropical genre. With themes of love and loss, Coexistencia takes listeners on an emotional journey through different eras, solidifying Figueroa's position as a leading voice in the tropical music scene.
Canciones Del Alma is the first studio album by Puerto Rican-American singer-songwriter Luis Figueroa, released on May 28, 2021, by Sony Music Latin and Magnus Media LLC. More than a production about his musical roots, Canciones Del Alma showcases Figueroa's distinctive voice. The arrangements are influenced by pop, bolero, jazz, and acoustic music. The album also returns the singer to his tropical roots with two re-imagined salsa versions of “Hasta El Sol de Hoy” and “Si Tú Me Dices Ven”.
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