Victor Manuelle

Commonly known as "The Knight of Salsa," Víctor Manuelle is a US-born Puerto Rican singer and songwriter who has been active in the Latin music industry for over two decades. Born Víctor Manuel Ruiz Velázquez on September 27, 1968, in New York City, he spent his formative years in Isabela, Puerto Rico, where he developed a taste for salsa music. After being discovered by sonero Gilberto Santa Rosa at his high school's graduation party, he became a backup singer for Don Periñon and later made his official debut as a solo artist with Justo a Tiempo in 1993, followed by Sólo Contigo a year later. During the mid-90s, Víctor Manuelle reached his artistic and commercial peak on albums such as Víctor Manuelle (1996), A Pesar de Todo (1997), and Ironías (1998), his first full-length to reach the top of the Tropical Albums chart. In the following years, chart-topping releases like Instinto y Deseo (2001), Travesía (2004), and Soy (2008) cemented Víctor Manuelle's reputation as one of the most commercially successful performers in the Latin music world. Released in 2015, his sixteenth album Que Suenen los Tambores reached number 2 on the Top Latin Albums chart thanks to the popularity of the songs "Agua Bendita" and "No Quería Engañarte." In 2018, his album 25/7 won Best Salsa Album at the Annual Latin Grammy Awards. Memorias de Navidad, his first holiday album, appeared in 2019 while Lado A Lado B peaked at number 13 on the US Latin charts in 2022. Víctor Manuelle entered his 30th-anniversary cycle in 2023, receiving the Premios Lo Nuestro Lifetime Achievement Award and launching a commemorative tour while the International Salsa Museum opened an exhibition in his honor. In December 2023 he issued the 30-track retrospective 30/30, followed in February 2024 by the single "Otra Noche Más" featuring Frankie Ruiz, which became a Top 10 tropical hit and the lead release for his April 2024 album Retromántico. That project featured collaborations with Tito Nieves, Maelo Ruiz, Johnny Rivera, Willie González and Gilberto Santa Rosa, and earned nominations at major tropical-category award shows through 2025. He extended the era with a second tour leg, including his first full European run, and in November 2025 released the holiday EP La Parranda Es Mía, confirming an active and highly decorated phase in his career.