Kaleth Morales

Widely regarded as the leader of the Nueva Ola vallenato subgenre, Colombian singer-songwriter Kaleth Morales was born on June 9, 1984, in Valledupar, Cesar. The son of musician Miguel Morales, he began writing songs during his teenage years and went on to pen many successful singles for artists such as Los Diablitos ("Novios Cruzados"), Los Gigantes del Vallenato ("No Seré Tu Payaso"), Luifer Cuello ("No Aguanta"), and Silvestre Dangond ("Me la Juego Toda") before launching his own music career with the release of the hit single "Vivo en el Limbo" in 2004. Inspired by a woman he met during his time as a medical student in Cartagena, the song reached the top of the Colombian charts and was included in his major-label debut for Sony BMG, La Hora de la Verdad (2005). The album was incredibly successful, not just in Colombia but also in the neighboring countries of Ecuador and Venezuela, and was promoted through a national tour that finished with a show at Bogotá's El Campín soccer stadium. On August 24, 2005, his promising career was tragically cut short after he suffered a fatal car accident while driving from Cartagena to Valledupar. Único, his first posthumous album, saw the light in November of that year and was followed by the compilation Kaleth Morales en Guitarra in 2006.