Crooner returns to roots with new telenovela on Univision
Chayanne, known for singing teeny-bopper love songs in Spanish, has been highly visible
in the American media of late. He did a nearly-nude spread in Playgirl last month, was
linked to model Cindy Crawford on the cover of the National Enquirer last year, appeared
on ``Live with Regis and Kathie Lee,'' and stared seductively from a soapy shower in
People magazine's The 50 Most Beautiful People in the World 1993 issue.
But Chayanne, 26, has returned to his roots with his fifth telenovela: ``Volver A
Empezar'' (``Begin Again''), which began Sept. 19 in the United States on Univision. The
TV show is broadcast nightly from 7 to 8 p.m. ET. Chayanne plays himself, as does
his co-star, female pop vocalist Yuri. Quite a stretch, huh?
``I'm not playing a veterinarian or anything like that,'' he says from his Miami home.
``That wouldn't be very believable. It's a modern soap opera that revolves around Yuri and
myself and the friends and people that surround us behind the artistic scenes. It's very
much set in real life.''
Taping began in July, with 40 episodes filmed in Miami, the Everglades, Mexico, Jamaica
and other locales. The soap has been broadcast in Mexico since August.
``Volver A Empezar'' is old hat for Chayanne, whose first telenovela, ``Pobre Juventud,''
aired in 1986. The Playgirl pictorial was another story, though not a surprising one,
considering the People shot and the success of 1992's ``Provocame'' (``Provoke Me''). That
CD had Chayanne staring suggestively from its cover and featured mature tunes like the
title cut and the steamy ``Exxtasis''.
Chayanne says Playgirl contacted him after the People issue hit the stands in May 1993.
``They asked me if I would pose naked for them, and I said no,'' he says. ``I have never
needed to do that and don't feel as though I should start doing that now. Then they
offered an interview and photo shoot in natural settings like the beach and sports.''
Of course, not everyone was happy Chayanne kept his pants on.
``Women have asked me why didn't I take it all off, and I said, `It just leaves more to
the imagination.'''
Fans will be hearing plenty from Chayanne, though. Up next is another Spanish-language
album, the follow-up to ``Provocame'', and a much-talked-about English-language debut.
``I have to do things slowly,'' says Chayanne, who splits time between Miami and his
native Puerto Rico. ``I am learning to speak English; I've been learning for a while now.
It's difficult because I'm not in a city where the main language is English. Everywhere I
am, there is a Latin community, and I end up speaking Spanish more frequently. But the
English album should be for next year. It will happen.''
That record could set the stage for Chayanne's next move: English-language films. His
second feature, ``Linda Sara'' (``Pretty Sara''), opens in December in Puerto Rico. It's
bound to be a step up from his first flick, an early '80s teen adventure called ``Los
Chicos En Conexion Caribe'', in which he starred
as part of the Menudo-style group Los Chicos. He left that band in 1983 for a solo career,
inaugurated with 1984's ``Chayanne Es Mi Nombre'' (``Chayanne Is My Name'') album.
``All artists need to expand what they have if they want to survive in this business,'' he
says. ``The person who is a nonconformist, who fights to get ahead, succeeds.''
Was that National Enquirer mug part of the plan? Chayanne says he met Crawford at a
benefit last year in New York. They posed for a few photos together; one ended up on the
cover of the Enquirer, hinting at a romantic rendezvous. He denies it, of course, saying
he would never get involved with a married woman.
``You have to take the good with the bad, though. I guess you've arrived when you're on
the cover of the Enquirer.''
Contributed by Chayfan Melanie