Luis Miguel life and biography

Luis Miguel Gallego Basteri is a Mexican singer. He is widely known only by the name Luis Miguel and is often referred to as "El Sol de México" (The Sun of Mexico).Beginning his musical career in his childhood, Luis Miguel has won four Latin Grammy Awards and five Grammy Awards.

An adolescent singing sensation and teenage Grammy Award-winner, Luis Miguel went on to record a series of successful albums that made him the preeminent Spanish-language singer of the millennium. His traditional bolero albums of the 1990s not only defined him as the standard-bearer of contemporary Latin music, but helped him to set both sales and concert records as well. A romantic crooner with matinee-idol looks, Miguel also branched out into film roles and sent the tabloid press into overdrive with his relationship with pop star Mariah Carey. Setting his own standards for Latin music, however, Miguel bucked the trend toward crossover success with his music, consistently refusing to record his songs in English. "I am doing a good thing by giving more Spanish to the world," he explained to Billboard. "Spanish can express 'I love you' in so many ways. Onstage, I need to believe what I am saying and to feel that the audience is really feeling what I am singing."

Luis Miguel Gallego Basteri was born on April 19, 1970, in San Juan, Puerto Rico, to parents of Italian and Spanish heritage; during most of his career, however, the singer was based in Mexico. His musical training began early, as his father was a guitarist, and when he was 12 years old, Miguel recorded his first album as a vocalist. The young singer came to international prominence with a duet recorded with Scottish pop star Sheena Easton in 1984. The track, "Me Gustas Tal Como Eres" ("I Love You Just the Way You Are"), won the singers the Grammy Award for Best Mexican-American Performance. That same year, Miguel also collected prizes at music festivals in Chile and Italy. While still in his teens, the singing sensation recorded six Spanish-language albums, highlighted by 1987's Soy Como Quiero Ser (I Am as I Want to Be) and the following year's Un Hombre Busca una Mujer (A Man Looking for a Woman) , both of which earned gold and platinum sales awards throughout Latin America.

Miguel made the transition into adulthood with the 1990 album 20 Años (20 Years), which reflected his age at the time of its release. A collection characterized by romantic, mid-tempo ballads, the album's glossy production values and impeccable arrangements called to mind Miguel's English-language contemporary Luther Vandross, who was then dominating the American record charts with a similar sound. 20 Años set the tone for Miguel's achievements for the next decade. Commercially successful, the release set a slew of sales records throughout Latin America. Six of its singles entered the charts in Mexico simultaneously, and the album sold more than 600,000 copies in its first week. After its release, Miguel was recognized as the leading male vocalist in Latin America.

Miguel turned to more traditional material for three of his albums during the 1990s, releasing a series of acclaimed albums in the bolero style. A genre characterized by romantic and sentimental themes delivered in a passionate, yet generally languid style, bolero perfectly suited Miguel's own distinctive vocal delivery. The first of his bolero albums, 1991's Romance, not only earned dozens of sales awards throughout Latin America, it received a gold record in the United States as well. The follow-up, 1994's Segundo Romance (Second Romance), was equally popular. As Hispanic applauded, "Miguel's voice is pleading and seductive. Segundo Romance is another irresistible winner from the talented vocalist." The album went on to set another record for Miguel, entering the Billboard album chart in the top 30 upon its debut. It was the highest position for a new Spanish-language release up to that time, and a sign of Miguel's international appeal beyond the Latin American market. A third album, Romances, completed the singer's bolero cycle in 1997.

With Miguel's phenomenal success came criticism. While he invoked passionate responses from his mostly female concert crowds, his precise singing style and musicianship earned him a reputation from some reviewers as a predictable, old-fashioned crooner. A 1994 Billboard review of a Miami concert concluded, "So while the present burns brightly for Luis Miguel--and deservedly so--his future might become a bit dimmer if the only thing he has to offer fans is an occasional dollop of nostalgic romance." A 1998 concert review in the Los Angeles Times offered a similar sentiment, commenting that "Miguel treads a dangerous pop-rock path that can easily sidetrack into corniness. The performances were highly energetic, but the songs per se didn't offer much more than a few catchy choruses and disco-like synth effects." Even his detractors admitted, however, that Miguel's albums had set the standard for quality in Latin music with their crisp arrangements and superb vocals.

In addition to the criticism of his music as staid and florid, Miguel also faced pressure to join the trend toward recording in English that swept the Latin music scene in the late 1990s. After Ricky Martin and Marc Anthony achieved major success in the United States with English-language releases, many eagerly awaited Miguel's first release aimed at the American market. Despite pleas from his record company to follow the crossover wave, however, Miguel insisted on sticking with his own musical vision. "I love my language, and I am proud of Spanish," he told Billboard in 1999. "Now is not the right time for me to sing in English--maybe in the future, who knows?" Instead, Miguel pushed his artistic boundaries by acting in the movie Fiebre de Amor, appearing on the soundtrack as well.

In addition to the bolero albums, Miguel continued to record a series of successful romantic-themed releases in the 1990s, including Aries in 1993 and Nada Es Iqual (Nothing Is the Same) in 1996. Like his previous works, the albums cemented Miguel's commercial status while receiving mixed critical receptions. A 1996 Los Angeles Times review admitted that "there is no better singer in Latin pop," upon the release of Nada Es Igual, but nonetheless insisted that "such corny, one-dimensional visions of love are hard to swallow." It seemed impossible for Miguel to please both his fans and the critics, but for the moment, he seemed content to set new sales records.

Another romantic album, Amarte Es un Placer (Loving You Is a Pleasure) was released in 1999. Miguel had also produced the album, which featured his trademark smooth vocals combined with top-notch production efforts. While some critics were disappointed in the effort--with the Los Angeles Times commenting that "this guaranteed blockbuster continues Latin pop's disheartening search for the glossiest production imaginable"--the album won Miguel another set of Grammy Awards. At the first-annual Latin Grammy Awards ceremony in September of 2000, the singer took home awards for Album of the Year, Best Pop Album, and Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.

By the end of the 1990s, Miguel had earned dozens of sales awards for his albums--with an estimated 35 million sold by 2000--while achieving numerous concert records as well. In addition to his success in Latin America, Miguel also gained a sizable audience in Spain and the United States. In the latter country, the tabloid press took an avid interest in Miguel's relationship with pop superstar Mariah Carey, eagerly reporting the details of his gift-giving habits to the acclaimed diva after their meeting in late 1998. While the couple guarded their privacy, Carey told USA Today that "It's really interesting for me to be in a place where there are thousands of girls running up to him, speaking in Spanish, and I'm not the focus of attention.... It's nice to be with someone who's secure with who they are."

Miguel attracted criticism for his refusal to appear at the Grammy Awards in 2001, which some industry observers attributed to arrogance. The charge was particularly damaging to the singer's reputation, considering that the separate Latin Grammy Awards had just been established specifically to increase awareness of Spanish-language music among a broader audience in the United States. "By pulling out at the last minute, he not only made his point but also compromised the image of Latin music to TV viewers worldwide," carped Billboard's Leila Cobo. "Frankly, if Luis Miguel finds the Grammys so contemptible, he simply should not submit his music for consideration (as some labels have done). In this way, not only would he show some integrity, but he also would open the field to other competitors and the show to other performers."

With the Grammy controversy just the latest in a series of tempests, Miguel brushed aside the critics and continued to be embraced by audiences around the world. Taking an active role as producer and songwriter in addition to offering his own singular voice, Miguel has fashioned his own place as Latin America's most popular male singer. Deferring crossover ambitions to concentrate on his Spanish-language releases, Miguel also continued to define Latin pop on the contemporary music scene.

In 2003, Luis Miguel released his first pop album in over four years entitled 33, indicative of his age. The album, which featured a collection of ballads and uptempo songs climbed to number 1 on Billboard's Latin Charts earning Luis Miguel two Billboard Awards as well as Grammy and Latin Grammy award nominations. On the 33 Tour, Luis Miguel filled the largest halls in the U.S., toured throughout Latin America and in Chile where his album 33 sold 2.5 million copies (more records than any other artist in the history of Chile).

He also performed at Mexico's sold-out National Auditorium, and various sold-out shows at Buenos Aires, as well as other prestigious international venues such as Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas in Spain. That same year, Prince Felipe of Spain presented him with a special award for being the best-selling foreign artist in his country's history, and hosted a special party in his honor in Madrid.

In 2004, Luis Miguel released his Mexico En La Piel. The album, which was a collection of traditional Mexican mariachi songs went on to sell three million copies worldwide. He launched his Mexico En La Piel Tour in 2005. In 2006, Luis Miguel performed thirty sold out shows between January 18 and February 27 at the National Auditorium in Mexico City. The 123-date tour started in September 2005 in Mexico which then stretched to Argentina, Chile and Uruguay.

In 2005, Luis Miguel released Grandes Exitos, his first greatest hits album, that featured his greatest songs he recorded during all his career, including two never-released singles: "Misterios Del Amor" and "Si Te Perdiera".

On May 6, 2008, Luis Miguel released Cómplices, produced by him and written by Spanish composer Manuel Alejandro. It sold almost 350,000 copies in the first 24 hours. The first single, "Si Tú Te Atreves" was released on April 7, 2008, the second single of the album was "Te Desean". His Complices Tour began in Seattle, Washington on September 3, 2008.

Luis Miguel released his new self-titled studio album on September 14, 2010. Its first single "Labios de Miel" is a smooth Latin pop song. His new world tour started on November 4, 2010 in the city of Lima, Peru and will go through the United States, South America, Mexico and Spain among other countries.

Luis Miguel is also known by his high-grossing tours and his outstanding live performances. His Amarte Es Un Placer Tour had a length of 8 months during 1999–2000 and run through 8 countries in two continents. The tour consisted of 105 concerts and was attended by approximately 1.5 million fans. It was the highest-grossing tour ever made by a Latin artist, as well as the most extended. These two records have been broken by his Mexico En La Piel Tour of 2005–2007, with a total of 124 concerts, over 1.4 millions spectators, and grossing over $95 million.

Discography:
1982: Un Sol
1982: Directo Al Corazón
1983: Decídete
1984: Ya Nunca Más
1984: Palabra De Honor
1984: Meu Sonho Perdido
1985: Fiebre de amor
1986: Canta in italiano
1986: Tambien es Rock
1987: Soy Como Quiero Ser
1988: Busca Una Mujer
1990: 20 Años
1991: Romance
1992: América & En Vivo
1993: Aries
1994: Segundo Romance
1995: El Concierto
1996: Nada Es Igual
1997: Romances
1998: Todos Los Romances
1999: Amarte Es Un Placer
2000: Vivo
2001: Mis Romances
2002: Mis Boleros Favoritos
2003: 33
2004: Mexico En La Piel
2005: Mexico En La Piel: Edición Diamante
2005: Grandes Éxitos
2006: Navidades
2008: Cómplices*2009: Cómplices: Edición Especial
2009: No Culpes a La Noche
2010: Luis Miguel

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