Luis Fonsi
Luis Alfonso Rodríguez López-Cepero (born April 15, 1978), known by his stage name Luis Fonsi (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈlwis ˈfonsi]), is a Puerto Rican singer. He is known for his soulful and dance oriented songs, most notably 2017's "Despacito".
In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Rodríguez and the second or maternal family name is López-Cepero.
Luis Fonsi
Fonsi received his first Latin Grammy Award nominations in the Record of the Year category and won Song of the Year thanks to the song "Aquí Estoy Yo". The song also won three Billboard Latin Music Awards. "Despacito" became Fonsi's biggest success, winning four Latin Grammy Awards, seven Billboard Latin Music Awards, five Billboard Music Awards and three Grammy Awards nominations. He also won one Latin American Music Award for "Échame la Culpa" with Demi Lovato.
As of 2018, Fonsi has broken six Guinness World Records and sold more than 11 million records with "Despacito",[1] whose music video was the most-watched YouTube video of all time until November 2020, with over 8 billion views.[2]
Early life[edit]
Fonsi was born on April 15, 1978, in San Juan, Puerto Rico, the oldest child of Alfonso Rodríguez and Delia López-Cepero. He has two younger siblings: Jean Rodríguez, who also is a singer, and Tatiana Rodríguez.
Growing up, Fonsi idolized the stars of the popular group Menudo,[3] and the San Juan Children's Choir.[4]
At the age of 10, his family decided to move from Puerto Rico and relocated to Orlando, Florida.[5] He attended Westridge Middle School and Dr. Phillips High School, both in Orlando. During his high school years, he participated in an a cappella group called "The Big Guys".[6] They sang at school parties and local festivals. One of the members of the group, Joey Fatone, later joined *NSYNC.
In 1995, Fonsi enrolled at Florida State University School of Music on a full scholarship,[7][8] He also joined the school's choir, the Florida State University Singers, and sang with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra.[9] Eventually, he dropped out in order to pursue a career in music.[10] Soon after, he was offered a recording contract by Universal Music Latin.[11]
Film and television appearances[edit]
In 1992, Fonsi made a brief cameo in the romance film Como Agua Para Chocolate in which he played the friend of the male lead, Pedro Múzquiz.
In 2004, Fonsi made his second acting appearance on the Mexican telenovela named Corazones al límite in which he played Roy. He also had a special appearance in 2001 on the Nickelodeon television series Taina. Fonsi joined the cast of Broadway's Forever Tango for a two-week engagement in August 2013
Personal life[edit]
In 2003, Fonsi started to become romantically interested in actress Adamari López, who, as a Univision artist and fellow Puerto Rican, constantly found herself near Fonsi.[33] That same year, Fonsi released the song "Abrazar la vida" ("To Embrace the Life"), off the eponymous album. The song would later become one of López's favorites.[33]
During 2005, Fonsi was in the middle of an international tour that was abruptly cancelled when López was diagnosed with cancer. Fonsi promised to stay by her side, and traveled with her to Mexico, Miami, and Puerto Rico for various treatment and work-related trips.[33] She had been in remission since 2006.
On June 3, 2006, Fonsi and Adamari López were married in a religious ceremony in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, attended by many celebrities including Joey Fatone, Charytín Goyco, Ednita Nazario and Carlos Ponce, as well as his brother Jean Rodríguez. On November 8, 2010, they officially divorced.[34]
Fonsi and Spanish model Águeda López were married on September 10, 2014, after three years of living together.[35] They had their first child together, a daughter, in December 2011 in Miami.[36] On December 20, 2016, they welcomed their second child, a son.[37]
Philanthropy[edit]
Since 2008, Luis Fonsi has been an ambassador of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, which fights against childhood cancer.[38] In 2017, the Billboard Latin Music Awards honored him with the Spirit of Hope Award for his humanitarian work.[39]
After Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic in 2017, the singer became one of the major helpers to raise the islands from the devastation.[40] For his contribution, he was honored with the Global Gift Philanthropy Award.[41]
He is also a supporter of spreading Latin culture around the world.[42]
Studio albums