Daniel Santacruz

Daniel Santacruz (November 23, 1976) is a Dominican-American singer-songwriter and producer. Apart from his solo work, he has written songs for Latin pop heavyweights such as Shakira, Prince Royce, Reik, and José Feliciano. Born in New Jersey to a Cuban father and Dominican mother, his earliest musical influences range from Latin singers like Wilfrido Vargas, Fernando Villalona, and Juan Luis Guerra to English-speaking artists such as Elvis Presley and The Doors. Following a brief stint as a member of the Dominican groups Massa and Rikarena, he made his official debut in 2003 with the album Por un Beso, which earned him a nomination for Best New Artist at the Lo Nuestro Awards. Between 2004 and 2007, he took some time off from his recording career and devoted himself to producing other artists. In 2009, his sophomore effort Radio Rompecorazones (2008) received a nomination for the Latin Grammy Awards in the category of Best Contemporary Tropical Album, a feat he would repeat twice in the following years with 2011's Bachata Estéreo and 2016's Toda la Vida, a tribute to Mexican singer Emmanuel. In 2020, Daniel Santacruz finally took home the Latin Grammy award for Best Merengue/Bachata Album thanks to his seventh LP, Larimar. A live version of "Lento," one of his biggest hits, reached Number 64 on the Brazilian Top 100.