He also lost his father to cancer.Īs a teenager, Juanes and his guitar playing drifted toward heavy metal, influenced greatly by Metallica and other bands of that ilk. During his upbringing in Colombia he also became steadily acquainted with the grief endured by his fellow countrymen: His cousin was executed by kidnappers, and a close friend was killed by gunmen. His passion for the instrument led him to learn traditional Latin sounds such as boleros, tangos, and cumbias as well as Colombian folk music styles such as vallenato and guasca. After again hitting number one on the Latin Pop Album chart with 2019's Más Futuro Que Pasado, Juanes showcased his influences on the 2021 covers album Origen.īorn Juan Esteban Aristizábal Vásquez on August 9, 1972, in Carolina del Príncipe, Antioquia, Colombia, Juanes began to learn how to play guitar at age seven, taught by his father and older brothers. It took home the Latin Grammy for Best Rock/Pop Album. Conceptual in origin, each of its songs was released with a corresponding thematic video, creating an expanded narrative. His 2017 chart-topping outing Mis Planes Son Amarte, was the first complete audio-visual album.

Each recording since that time has expanded his fan base and creative reach. By the time he returned with his fourth album, La Vida.Es un Ratico (2007), Juanes had such a global presence, Universal chose to release 'Me Enamora,' the lead single, to media outlets in 77 countries it became a number one hit in 14 of them, setting the stage for another cycle of commercial success. He tirelessly toured in support of the album, and by 2005 he had begun topping the singles chart in non-Spanish-speaking countries such as Germany, Italy, and Switzerland. When he returned with his third album, Mi Sangre (2004), Juanes again garnered all kinds of commercial success and critical acclaim. It also notched charting hit singles (six), Grammy nominations (eight), Grammy awards (five), and various other accolades. In the United States alone, the album rode the Billboard Latin chart for two straight years, remaining in the Top Ten for a record-breaking 92 weeks. After his debut album, Fijate Bien (2000), won him the Grammy for Best New Artist (the first of two-dozen including 20 Latin Grammy Awards and two Grammys), Juanes broke through to global success with his second offering, Un Día Normal (2002). Whereas many of his Spanish-language contemporaries undertook English-language crossover campaigns at one point or another in their careers, Colombian singer/songwriter, guitarist, and author Juanes won global appeal exclusively in his native language and became perhaps the biggest and most important popular Latin music artist in the world in the early 21st century.

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