Américo is a Chilean singer-songwriterr of cumbia and tropical ballads. The son of bolero singer Melvin "Corazón" Américo, he was born Domingo Johnny Vega Urzúa on December 24, 1977, in Arica, Chile. Américo began his career as a child, recording the album La Plegaria de un Niño (1988) at the age of eleven. Later on, he continued performing as a singer for various music groups throughout Chile. In 1997, he joined the tropical music group Alegría, a very successful project with whom Américo toured extensively and recorded 11 studio albums. Following his departure in 2002, he released the album Por una Mujer in 2004, and soon started the group Américo y La Nueva Alegría. In 2007, he participated in the popular TV show ¿Cuánto Vale el Show?, which brought him back to the spotlight in Chile. This was followed by the highly successful release of the album Así Es (2008), which went triple platinum in Chile. That same year, he followed it up with the album A Morir, which was even more successful and hit the top of the Chilean charts. Touring extensively throughout Latin America, Américo picked up a devoted fanbase throughout the region, which helped the release of albums such as Yo Soy (2010) and Yo Sé (2011). 2013 saw the release of Américo de América, another successful solo album that reached Number 1 in Chile thanks to hit singles such as "Sueño Imaginado" with Francisca Valenzuela and "Lágrimas de Amor." Over the next few years, Américo joined the singing competition show La Voz Ecuador as one of the vocal coaches, performed Pope Francis’s visit to Chile in 2017, and collaborated closely with a new generation of Latin artists, including Jessi Uribe (2020's "Desde Que Te Fuiste"), Rocío Quiroz (2021's "Y Yo Me Voy"), and Amorina Alday (2022's "Hacé Lo Que Quieras"). From 2023 onward, Américo kept expanding his catalog while leaning into bigger cross-border moments: he opened the year with the album Cumbia Despechada (2023), led by the title track featuring Gino Mella, and also took an unusual media step by joining Radio Bío Bío’s coverage of Lollapalooza Chile 2023 as a commentator. In 2024, he doubled down on Argentine ties through collaborations, releasing “Entre el Odio y el Amor (En Vivo)” with Ke Personajes, “Amándonos” with Ráfaga, and a revamped version of his classic “Te Vas” alongside Vicentico. The anniversary thread became the centerpiece of 2025: he marked 15 years of A Morir with the celebratory album 15 Años A Morir (2025), featuring guest-driven reinterpretations like “El Embrujo” with Abel Pintos, and brought the project to arena and theater stages in Santiago (Movistar Arena) and Buenos Aires (Teatro Ópera).
