Jon Secada
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Jon Secada | ||
|---|---|---|
| Background information | ||
| Birth name | Juan Secada | |
| Born | October 04, 1962 (age 44) Havana, Cuba |
|
| Origin |  Miami, Florida |
|
| Genre(s) | Latin Pop, Latin Music, Pop | |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter | |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals | |
| Years active | 1991—present | |
Jon Secada (born Juan Secada on October 4, 1962 in Havana, Cuba) is a Grammy Award-winning Cuban-American singer and songwriter.
Contents |
[edit] 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 Lopez, Ricky Martin, Mandy Moore and other popular music artists.
[edit] 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.
[edit] University of Miami
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.
[edit] 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.
[edit] Launch of solo career
In 1991, Secada legally changed his first name from Juan to Jon. The following year, Secada released his self-titled debut album "Jon Secada" (SBK/EMI), which 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 the Billboard 200 albums chart.
[edit] 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 Día Más Sin Verte (EMI-Latin), became the Number One Latin album of 1992 and earned Secada his first Grammy Award for "Best Latin Pop Album".
[edit] 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.
[edit] Writing for Jennifer Lopez, 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 Lopez, which appeared on her 1999 multi-platinum album, On the 6. He worked with teen singing sensation Mandy Moore on two of her tracks, "One Sided Love" and "It Only Took a Minute" from her self-titled multi-platinum album. In 2001 he was a backing vocalist on Enrique Iglesias's album multi-platinum Escape on the tracks "Don't turn off the Lights" and "Love 4 Fun".
[edit] Other performance accomplishments
Secada has performed with opera legend Luciano Pavarotti and recorded a duet with 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, 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.
[edit] 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.
[edit] 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.
[edit] 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 [1] which is scheduled to be released in early 2007. He also has been selected as one of three judges for the Latin American version of American Idol, called Latin American Idol.
[edit] Singles
| Year | Title | Chart Positions | Album | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Hot 100 | US Adult | Hot Latin Tracks | US Dance | |||
| 1992 | "Otro Día Más Sin Verte" | -- | -- | 1 | -- | Jon Secada |
| 1992 | "Just Another Day" | 5 | 2 | -- | -- | Jon Secada |
| 1992 | "Do You Believe In Us" | 13 | 3 | -- | -- | Jon Secada |
| 1992 | "Angel" | -- | -- | 1 | -- | Jon Secada |
| 1993 | "Tiempo Al Tiempo" | -- | -- | 9 | -- | Otro Día Más Sin Verte |
| 1993 | "Sentir" | -- | -- | 1 | -- | Otro Día Más Sin Verte |
| 1993 | "I'm Free" | 27 | 4 | -- | -- | Jon Secada |
| 1993 | "Cree En Nuestro Amor" | -- | -- | 1 | -- | Otro Día Más Sin Verte |
| 1993 | "Angel" | 18 | 3 | -- | -- | Jon Secada |
| 1994 | "Whipped" | 65 | -- | -- | -- | Heart, Soul, and a Voice |
| 1994 | "Solo Tu Imagen" | -- | -- | 13 | -- | Si Te Vas |
| 1994 | "Si Te Vas" | -- | -- | 1 | -- | Si Te Vas |
| 1994 | "If You Go" | 10 | 2 | -- | -- | Heart, Soul, and a Voice |
| 1995 | "Mental Picture" | 29 | 10 | -- | 30 | Heart, Soul, and a Voice |
| 1996 | "Es Por Ti" | -- | -- | 5 | -- | Amor |
| 1997 | "Too Late Too Soon" | 41 | 8 | -- | -- | Secada |
| 1997 | "La Magia De Tu Amor" | -- | -- | 25 | -- | Secada (Spanish Version) |
| 1997 | "Amándolo" | -- | -- | 10 | -- | Secada (Spanish Version) |
| 2000 | "Stop/Así" | -- | 23 | 32 | 15 | Better Part of Me |
| 2002 | "Si No Fuera Por Ti" | -- | -- | 3 | -- | Amanecer |
| 2003 | "Por Amor with Gloria Estefan" | -- | -- | 18 | -- | Amanecer |
| 2006 | "Window To My Heart" | -- | 6 | -- | 18 | Same Dream |
| 2006 | "Free" | -- | 21 | -- | -- | Same Dream |
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Jon Secada Official Web Site.
- Jon Secada Fan Club Web Site (jonsecada.net).
- Behnam's Jon Secada Fan Web Site (justsecada.com).
- Jon Secada profile at NNDB.
- Jon Secada Yahoo! Group.
- Jon Secada at Last.FM.
- Jon Secada Voting Page.
- John Secada at Big3 Records.
- Jon Secada & Lilian Garcia Duet article, World Wrestling Entertainment.
- Jon Secada & Lilian Garcia Photo Gallery, World Wrestling Entertainment
- "Latin crooner and pop star Jon Secada returns to English-language music with a new album", Out.com.
