Carlos Armando Ponce, Jr., born 4 September 1972 in Santurce, Puerto Rico, is a singer whose career began in the late 1990s after signing with Emilio Estefan Jr. and Kike Santander. His debut single "Escuchame" (1999‑10‑18) propelled him onto the Latin Billboard charts, where it reached Number 1. The same year his album Todo Lo Que Soy (1999‑08‑26) entered the top ten on the Latin Albums chart and earned a Double Platinum certification for sales in the United States, Central America and South America. In 2002 he released the self‑titled album Ponce (2002‑04‑25), which continued his presence on the charts and solidified his status as a mainstream Latin pop artist. A compilation, La Historia (2003‑11‑04), collected his hits and was distributed worldwide. Throughout his career, Ponce received multiple awards, including “Best Pop Album” from Billboard magazine in 1999 and “Artist Revelation” from Premios Lo Nuestro the same year. His music was featured in international events, such as the World Athletic Games in Seville, Spain, where the song "Amelia" served as the official theme. Ponce’s discography remains influential within Latin music circles, and his chart successes continue to be cited in contemporary Latin pop retrospectives.
