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Childhood
Juan Esteban Aristizbal Vásquez is a well-known musician in Colombia. He was born in Medellin, Antioquia on August 9TH, 1972. When he was five years old, his five brothers taught him how to play the flute, and when he was seven he started playing the guitar. At age of nine, Juanes moved with his family to Venezuela, where his parents taught him how to play the electric piano. One year later he moved back to Colombia. Having acquainted with music since a child, help him decide to choose music as a career without any professional knowledge, so he dropped out of his university as an industrial designer.
Artistic take-off
In 1987 he started a new band called
Ekhymosis; therefore, Juanes reached fame in many Latin countries. The
band was
based on thrash metal, but later they play tropical rhythms, pop and
rock. The band’s members were: Alex
Oquendo, Esteban
Mora, Andrés García, Felipe
Zárate and Juanes.
Their lyrics talked about the
violence in Medellin and other problems in Colombia like narcotics. The band
releasedthese
albums:
- De Rodillas
(1992)
-
Niño Gigante (1993)
-
Ciudad Pacífico (1994)
-
Amor Bilingüe (1995)
-
Unplugged
(1996)
-
Ekhymosis
(1997)
In 1999 the group disbanded, so with
this experience Juanes continued alone. Being in
the band catapulted his fame on the future.
Achievements
Through the years Juanes has won a
lot of awards which are:
•
20
Latin Grammys: Best artist, best rock album, best rock songs, song of
the year,
best recording, best solo artist and best music video.
•
2
Grammys: Best album of the year.
•
9
MTV: Best artist of the year and best solo.
•
9 "Premios
lo Nuestro". 12 "Premios
Nuestra Tierra".
Winner of
"Festival Internacional
de la canción Viña del Mar"
•
Character
of the year (Billboard Magazine)
• Star
of the decade (Billboard Magazine)
Also in his entire career he did
some albums like:
•
Fijate
bien (2000)
•
Un
dia normal (2002)
•
Mi
sangre (2003)
•
Mi
sangre (2004)
•
La
vida es un ratico (2007)
•
P.A.R.C.E.
(2010)
•
MTV
unplugged (2012)
•
Loco
de amor (2014)
According to the awards he won, the most recognised songs (Billboard Magazine) are:
• Volverte
a ver
• La
vida es un ratico (7 million of sold)
•
Para
tu amor
•
Me
enamora
•
Yerbatero
•
La
camisa negra (No. 1 in 7 countries because of lyrics).
Juanes
sings, composes and
produce all the songs in
his discography. His complete dedication to the work is one of the reasons
for his successful musical career. As a
matter of fact, when he
became a solo artist, the company Universal Music Group signed him.
Using love
as the main topic in all his lyrics and the
combination of tropical rhythms, rock and pop, make
all his songs real hits in the music industries.
Trivia
He is married to the former queen of Cartagena Karen Martinez, with whom he has 2 daughters called Luna and Paloma, and his son called Dante. His stage name, Juanes is his childhood's nickname. Juanes has sold nearly 14 million copies worldwide. After spending 15 years with the same guitar, the company sponsors him with 15 guitars a year. He does not like politics, because in his words, I basically do not understand". Additionally, on the social media like Twitter and Facebook, he has more than 6 million of followers (Twitter: 7 million and Facebook: 6 million).
Influence in Colombia
Despite all his fame and money, Juanes spends most of his time managing his foundation "Mi Sangre". This foundation was based on helping people affected by landmines. Because of the violence in Colombia, Juanes is committed to help in reconciliation among Colombians. Another foundation is Parque Juanes de la Paz" a rehabilitation center. He also has one of the biggest concerts on world's peace called "Paz sin Fonteras , which sends a message on the world's issues. He invites Juan Luis Guerra, Miguel Bose, Carlos Vives, Alejandro Sanz, Juan Fernando Velasco and Ricardo Montaner to participate in the concert.
