Friday August 29, 2008 4:00pm
EST
Victor
Manuelle (born
Victor Manuel Ruiz on September
28, 1970 in New York, New
York, is a successful Puerto
Rican American salsa singer,
songwriter, and improvisational
sonero, known to his fans
as El Sonero de la Juventud
("The Youth's Sonero").
He is identified primarily
with salsa romantica or
"salsa monga",
but has also experimented
with styles ranging from
Colombian vallenato to urban
reggaeton. Unlike other
young salsa performers such
as Marc Anthony, he has
neither recorded in English,
nor made a Latin pop album,
nor (with rare exceptions)
ventured into acting, preferring
to remain a musician grounded
within the salsa music genre
he loves.
Although born in New York,
Victor was raised primarily
in Anasco and Isabela, Puerto
Rico). Growing up in Puerto
Rico had a great impact
on his youth as he enjoyed
salsa music (which was immensely
popular in Puerto Rico at
the time). His singing career
began by chance, during
a concert at his high school's
graduation party by salsa
superstar Gilberto Santa
Rosa. At the instigation
of classmates, who were
going on about their friend
the sonero, Santa Rosa invited
Victor to jump up on stage
and sing a song with him.
To Santa Rosa's surprise,
not only could Victor sing,
but he "free-styled"
the improvisational soneo
lyrics in the song, and
traded soneos with Santa
Rosa. Shortly thereafter,
on Santa Rosa's recommendation,
Puerto Rican bandleader
Don Perinon hired teenage
Victor as a backup singer.
During these years of apprenticeship
he performed with numerous
salsa greats.
Thanks
again to Gilberto Santa
Rosa, Manuelle was eventually
signed as a solo artist
to Sony Tropical. His debut
album, Justo A Tiempo ("Just
in Time"), which Santa
Rosa produced, was released
in 1993.
Manuelle
released his 10th studio
album, Decision Unanime
("Unanimous Decision"),
in May 2006. Six months
earlier, in November 2005,
he and his mentor, Gilberto
Santa Rosa, released a joint
live album, Dos Soneros,
Una Historia ("Two
Soneros, One History"),
recorded at Coliseo Roberto
Clemente outside San Juan,
Puerto Rico. Manuelle's
own live album, Victor Manuelle
En Vivo: Desde El Carnegie
Hall, came out in early
2005.
He
served as co-host of the
7th annual Latin Grammy
awards show, held November
2, 2006, in New York.
Manuelle's
first foray into movie acting
was his cameo role (mostly
singing) as salsa legend
Ruben Blades in El Cantante,
the 2007 film biography
of Hector Lavoe, starring
Marc Anthony and Jennifer
Lopez. In 2008, Manuelle
announced his new upcoming
album, Soy ("I am),
will be released June 10,
2008.
TRACK
LISTING
1. Yo No Se Perdonarte
2. No Soy Quien
3. Mi Mejor Amiga
4. Dime
5. Yo Te Quisiera Querer
6. Mi Salsa
7. El Amor Es Un Casino
8. No Me Nigeues La Vida
