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Jon Secada

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Jon Secada (born October 4, 1962 in Havana, Cuba) is a Grammy Award-winning Cuban-American singer and songwriter.

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Contents

Biography

Born in Havana, Cuba but raised in the suburbs of Miami, Florida, Secada has won two Grammy Awards and sold 20 million albums since his English-language debut album in 1992. He also has appeared as a songwriter for Gloria Estefan, Enrique Iglesias, Jennifer López, Ricky Martin, Mandy Moore and other popular music artists.

Early years and musical influences

Secada arrived with his parents in the United States at the age of nine. While attending school, his family managed a coffee shop. It wasn't until well into his teens that Secada discovered his gift for music. Growing up in the culturally diverse city of Miami, Secada was exposed to many different sounds. Although salsa, merengue and tropical rhythms filled Miami's radio airways, Secada developed a passion for R&B and pop music. Secada was inspired by musical moguls such as Marvin Gaye, Billy Joel, Elton John and Stevie Wonder. Secada's music is an eclectic fusion of all these sounds. His music includes fusions of funk, soul and undertones of Latin percussion.

Education

Secada graduated from South Florida's Hialeah High School and then enrolled at the University of Miami. During college, he became an accomplished jazz musician and mastered the academic side of music. As a result of his academic accomplishment, he was inducted into the prestigious Iron Arrow Honor Society, the University of Miami's highest honor. He completed a Bachelor's degree in Music and then earned a Master's degree in Jazz Vocal Performance. Simultaneously, he began developing considerable skills as a songwriter.

Gloria Estefan

In the late 1980s, Secada met Gloria Estefan. At the time, he was unaware of the impact this meeting would have on his career. Soon after they met, Secada was invited to join Estefan's band as a background singer. Secada was very quickly recognized as a valuable addition to the group. His talent as a songwriter became evident when he started composing music for Estefan, including some of her best-known ballads. Among other songs, Secada co-wrote and sang background on "Coming Out of the Dark," Gloria's number one hit from her 1991 album Into the Light. During Estefan's "Coming Out of the Dark" tour, Secada was given the life-changing opportunity of taking over the stage and performing solo. It launched his career as a solo performer.

Launch of solo career

Secada's self-titled debut album "Jon Secada" (SBK/EMI), released in 1992, was hugely successful, selling an astonishing six million plus copies worldwide and being certified triple platinum in the U.S., where it reached No. 15 among Billboard Pop albums.

First Grammy

Secada scored a No.5 Pop hit with his Gold single "Just Another Day," and three more top 30 hits, "Angel," "I'm Free," and "Do You Believe in Us?" received national radio play. The Spanish-language version of Secada's solo album, Otro Dia Mas Sin Verte (EMI-Latin), became the Number One Latin album of 1992 and earned Secada his first Grammy Award for "Best Latin Pop Album".

Second Grammy

This landmark success was followed in 1994 by Secada's second album, Heart Soul and Voice (EMI), which featured members of The Miami Sound Machine and guests Arturo Sandoval (trumpeter) and Betty Wright (background vocals). The album went Platinum in the U.S. and spun off the Top Ten Pop hit "If You Go" and a Top 30 hit "Mental Picture", which was used in the soundtrack for the major motion-picture "The Specialist". His third album on EMI, Amor, was released in 1995 and earned Secada his second Grammy for "Best Latin Pop Performance". In total, Secada has amassed a career sales total of more than 20 million albums worldwide.

Writing for Jennifer López, Ricky Martin, Mandy Moore

Secada also has played a leading role in the recent careers of many successful artists. He co-wrote the song "Bella," the Spanish version of "She's All I Ever Had," for Ricky Martin's 1999 Multi-platinum self-titled album. He also co-wrote and co-produced the song "Baila" for Jennifer López, which appeared on her 1999 multi-platinum album, On the Six. He worked with teen singing sensation Mandy Moore on two of her tracks, "One Sided" and "It Only Took a Minute" from her self-titled multi-platinum album.

Other performance accomplishments

Secada has performed with opera legend Luciano Pavarotti and recorded a duet with the late Frank Sinatra on "The Best Is Yet to Come" from Sinatra's Duets II album.

Since the beginning of his solo career, Secada always explored a tremendous love for the theatrical stage, dating back to the beginning of his college career. This dream was realized in 1995 when Secada starred on Broadway's hit musical Grease (musical), where he acted in the lead role of "Danny Zuko".

Broadway called upon Secada once again in 2003, where he played the Emcee role in Sam Mendes' acclaimed version of Cabaret. In the fall of 2004, Secada also starred as "Joseph" in Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's theatrical hit Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

Republican politics and charity

Somewhat known for his support for the Republican Party, Secada was appointed by President George W. Bush to serve on the President's Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans. The committee is charged with creating a multi-year action plan aimed at closing the educational achievement gap between Hispanic students and their peers.

Apart from his dedication to music, Secada has devoted himself to assisting charitable organizations. He has a lifelong commitment to community service and charity endeavors. He has been active with causes to help children, including education, AIDS research, and child abuse. His commitment to education and helping others lead him to create the Jon Secada Music Scholarship at the University of Miami, his alma mater.

He has been instrumental in raising funds in Washington, D.C. for the national effort "Keeping Music in Schools." He is a supporter of many initiatives including the Pediatric AIDS Unit at Miami's Jackson Memorial Hospital, the Lifebeat Concert to benefit AIDS, Amigos Together for Kids, Make-A-Wish Foundation, the Boys and Girls Club, among other charitable organizations.

In addition, Secada has been very active in the Hurricane Relief Efforts. His song, "The Last Goodbye," is a tribute song dedicated to the families of the victims of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. This song, along with three other versions including an all-star version in Spanish with the participation of over 100 Hispanic Artists around the world, was released as a single, with all proceeds going to the victims' families. Currently, the single has raised some $250,000 for victims' families.

Personal

Secada's first marriage to Jo Pat Cafaro ended in divorce in 1993.

He is remarried with two children. In 1999, Secada's wife, Maritere, gave birth to their first child, a daughter. Their second child, a boy, was born in 2002.

Current work

Secada is currently working on a duet with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Diva Lilian Garcia as well as co-writing several songs for her upcoming album [link] which is scheduled to be released in the summer of 2006. He also has been selected as one of three judges for the Latin American version of Pop Idol, called Latin American Idol.

See also

External links

 

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