b. Luis Alfonso Rodr¡guez L¢pez-Cepero, 15 April 1978, San Juan, Puerto Rico. As a very small child Fonsi sang in the Children's Choir of San Juan and began studying singing and music theory. His family moved to the USA when he was aged 10 and he was then raised in Orlando, Florida. There, he sang in a vocal group, the Big Guys, while still in high school. (Another member of that group was Joey Fatone, who would later go on to a career as a singer with *NSYNC.) At Florida State University, Fonsi studied singing formally, singing in a choir with which he toured the USA and also visited the UK. Meanwhile, he was recording demos, one of which was heard by a recording company executive. This led to a recording contract and his 1999 debut, Comenzare, which blended elements of traditional musical forms with contemporary sounds sold very well in Puerto Rico and some Central and South American countries. It reached number 27 on Billboard's Top Latin Albums chart and from it came several successful singles, including "Si Tu Quisieras", "Perd¢name" and "Me Ir‚".
Following this early success Fonsi was invited to appear in concert in San Juan with Olga Ta¤on, an event that drew approving attention, and he also appeared at a pop concert, La Noche De Estereotempo, where he more than held his own with stars including Yolandita Monge and Gilberto Santa Rosa. Fonsi's next release, Eterno, reached the Top 10 with yet more hit singles, notably "Imaginame Sin Ti'. Fonsi's first albums were sung in Spanish, something that led to his gaining fans in Spain, but after the chart topping Amor Secreto he recorded 2002"s Fight The Feeling in English. Although planned as a move towards much wider recognition the album sold poorly in comparison to what had gone before.
For 2005's Paso A Paso, Fonsi returned to his musical roots, opting for an earthier sound, eschewing the somewhat syrupy backings of yore. The lead single, "Nada Es Para Siempre", proved to be extremely successful, so much so that on its release the album went straight to the number 2 spot and was nominated for a 2006 Billboard Latin Music Awards as Male Latin Pop Album Of The Year. Fonsi formed an attachment to actress Adamari Lopez that led to their marriage in mid-summer 2006, a few months after the actress was diagnosed with cancer.
DISCOGRAPHY: Comenzare (Universal Latino 1998)***, Eterno (Universal Latino 2000)***, Amor Secreto (Universal Latino 2002)***, Fight The Feeling (MCA 2002)***, Abrazar La Vida (Universal Latino 2004)***, Paso A Paso (Universal Latino 2005)****.
COMPILATIONS: Remixes (Universal Latino 2001)***, Exitos: 98:06 (Universal Latino 2006)****.
VIDEOGRAPHY: Live (Universal Latino 2004).
FILMOGRAPHY: Ocho Puertas (2003).

Encyclopedia of Popular Music
Copyright 2008 by Muze Inc.; all rights reserved.

Imaginame Sin Ti
by Luis Fonsi

Imaginame Sin Ti
by Luis Fonsi