Chayanne’s Hot Like Cayenne!

By Tiffany M. Harper
Latin Music Magazine

HERE’S A BOOMERANG of explosive energy and pure talent. Since childhood, Chayanne has wrangled an artistic career replete with professional accomplishments that have led to megastardom. Each of six prior hits has taken him up a rung on the ladder of success. Now, with the launch of his seventh album on Sony Music International, Chayanne is unquestionably headed to the top. Atado a Tu Amor, followup to the romantic pop album Volver a Nacer, has hit the charts with musical libertad, movimiento, and a pop fusion that combines the sounds of the Caribbean, rhythm-and-blues, rock, and ballad.

STAR START
Every great star has a beginning, and Chayanne’s is almost as fascinating as his present.  Born in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico, Elmer Figueroa shared life with his mother, father, two brothers, and a sister. Shortly after his birth, Elmer Figueroa was rebaptized and christened with the name Chayanne, after a popular ‘60s television show. After a few years, the Figueroa family moved to San Lorenzo, where Chayanne’s professional musical career began.

“The first seven years of my life were the only years that I did not work,” Chayanne remembers. “My life seems like it has always been filled with family, school, sports, and music.”

His first contacts with the world of music came from his brothers and sister. His sister played the guitar and his brothers played the accordion in the church choir. When Chayanne could, he went along when they went to music lessons and to church, and soon, he became another voice in the church choir.

At age 10, he accompanied his sister to an audition for a youth group named Los Chicos. “When they saw me, they asked if I wanted to audition as well,” he says. “I said okay, and I did. When I realized it, I was part of the group. We had a lot of success in Puerto Rico, the Caribbean, and Central America.”

The group worked nonstop, touring, and the experience provided an opportunity to learn about the music industry, develop his talents, and position himself as a rising star. In 1983, after five years of success, the members of Los Chicos went their separate ways, and facing uncertainty, Chayanne did some soul-searching. Later, he would call those years his “dark period.” Chayanne knew what he wanted to do with the rest of his life, but he didn’t know how to do it.

“I knew that my life, my future, and my profession were in the world of music. Not for one moment did I think about dedicating myself to something else,” says Chayanne. “If I would have had to abandon my career, I would not have known what to do. This (music) is my life and what I feel. I would not have changed it for anything.”

ACTING PLUS MUSIC
So, Chayanne ventured into acting, appearing in telenovelas and movies in Puerto Rico.

Then, in 1989, he released his first album, Chayanne, on the Sony Music International label. With tracks like Fiesta en America, the album took the Americas by storm. As a followup to this first hit, the second album, also entitled Chayanne, confirmed that the singer was fast becoming one of the most important new artists on the scene.

Tiempo De Vals, Provocame, and Influencias solidified Chayanne’s talent and amplified his success internationally, as his name became a household word throughout many parts of South America, especially Argentina and Chile. With Volver a Nacer, Chayanne took his career to new heights. Songs like Baila Baila, Solamente Tu Amor, and Guajira demonstrated how the talent and success of this international superstar had been molded to perfection over the years since his beginnings with Los Chicos.

Chayanne has sold more than 4.5 million copies of his records worldwide, and he has won more than 20 platinum and 50 gold records. He was the first Latin artist to do a commercial in Spanish (with subtitles) on English television, broadcast during the 1989 Grammy awards. In 1993, Chayanne was named one of the 50 most beautiful people in the world, and in ‘94, Playgirl did a cover story on him that captivated all and validated his honor from the year before.

HOT SALSA
After a three-year absence, Chayanne is now stronger than ever on both the silver screen and in the recording studio. His Hollywood debut in the sizzling salsa tale that has been described as the West Side Story of the ‘90s, alongside recording artist Vanessa Williams, earned Chayanne an ACE award nomination and drew the admiration of America’s mainstream audiences and the world.

“It’s fabulous carrying both careers,” he says. “My profession is acting and singing. ‘Dance With Me’ has had great success in all of Latin America, in Asia, in Europe, and in the United States. It has taken me to places that I have never visited.  Americans that see me in Latin America say, ‘oh yeah, Dance With Me.’ It’s like the actor is helping the singer, and the singer helps the actor and that sums up a career.”

On the coattails of the successful duet with Vanessa Williams, You Are My Home (Refugio de Amor), from the movie soundtrack, Sony Music International and Chayanne released Atado a Tu Amor. Atado a Tu Amor is an intricate production that is a compilation of Chayanne’s extensive career. All the themes on the album seduce the listener with surprising naturalism and rhythm that indubitably se queda pegado al alma.

Chayanne, who sings each ballad with conviction and mastery, admits that this is his best and most mature album. “Each song has something special that grows with the development of the melody. I am very proud of this album because each song is a world in which I try to transform all the emotions that surround it.”

Atado a Tu Amor offers the public a complete definition of Chayanne, the singer. It offers surprising interpretations, such as the rendition of ‘60s French interpreter Marie Laforet’s La Player and Enamorado, which was produced by Estefano from the Carlinhos Brown hit A Namorata.

From the beginning, Chayanne’s innate artistic ability has secured his spot at the top of the genre. Past and present successes suggest a future filled with a never-ending ride of success. Atado a Tu Amor is just the beginning.

Typed by Chayfan Lois Rita