Ricardo Arjona

Edgar Ricardo Arjona Morales, better known by his artist name Ricardo Arjona, was born in Jocotenango, Guatemala, on January 19, 1964. He was attracted to the world of music from an early age, even taking part in singing competitions, as he did at the age of 12 when he won the Festival Infantil Juventud 74 with the song "Gracias al Mundo", composed for him by his father. He went on to study architecture and engineering, and also became a promising basketball player, even joining the national team on a tour of Central America. But in the end, the call of music was too strong: he managed to sign with a branch of Polygram and released his very first album Déjame Decir Que Te Amo in 1985. However, it was a little later with the track "Con Una Estrella En El Vientre" that he really made a name for himself locally, and followed this up in 1988 with a second album entitled Jesús, Verbo No Sustantivo. Like its two predecessors, and despite good reviews, Del Otro Lado del Sol failed to enter the charts in 1991. It was really with Animal Nocturno (No. 10 in Argentina, No. 3 in Chile and No. 13 in the American Latin music charts), and above all with Historias (No. 1 in Argentina and Chile) that Ricardo Arjona achieved international success. The next three albums were devoted to consolidating the artist's American breakthrough: Sin Daños a Terceros reached No. 6 in the American Latin music charts in 1998, while Galería Caribe reached No. 1. The 7 albums that followed easily confirmed the singer's position on the Latin music scene, all reaching No. 1 in Argentina. Five of them also reached No. 1 in Mexico and the United States, including Independiente in 2011, which placed several singles in the Latin Billboard charts, including "El Amor" (No. 1), the duet with Gaby Moreno "Fuiste Tú " (No. 2) and "Te Quiero" (No. 1). From 2020 onwards, the albums were released on a more confidential basis, as neither Blanco in 2020 nor Negro in 2021 found their way into the charts. After a few years without releasing new music, Ricardo Arjona returned in 2024 with the singles "Nirvana" and "Todo Termina", both included on his eighteenth studio album, Seco.