Juanes

Members: Juan Esteban Aristizabal Vasquez

Active: 2000-present

HISTORY

Juanes, (born August 9, 1972), born Juan Esteban Aristizabal Vasquez, is a Colombian rock singer-songwriter-guitarist born in Medellin. When he was younger, his father started calling him Juanes, rather than Juan, a contraction of his two first names Juan and Esteban. As his friends grew to know him by this name, he chose to keep it for his musical career, which started when he, Andres Garcia, Fernando "Toby" Tobon and Jose David Lopera, formed the rock band Ekhymosis.

CAREER

His politically-minded solo debut Fijate Bien ("Take a good look") (2000) after Ekhymosis disbanded, earned him three Latin Grammys: Best New Artist, Best Rock Solo Vocal Album and Best Rock Song. The follow-up, Un Dia Normal ("A Normal Day") produced by Gustavo Santaolalla (2002), was a platinum mega-hit in Latin America and dominated that year's Latin Grammys, where he was nominated for and won five awards including Song of the Year and Album of the Year. It featured "Fotografia" ("Photography"), a duet with Portuguese-Canadian songlark Nelly Furtado about the isolation between lovers. His latest album, "Mi Sangre" ("My Blood") was released in September 2004 and debuted at #1 on the Latin Billboard Charts. He recently began a year-long sabbatical during which he will compose songs and spend time with his family (wife and model Karen Martinez, daughters Luna and Paloma) in Medellin. He hopes to release his next album in September 2007, which may possibly be his first English-language album.

One of the new songs off his most recent album "Mi Sangre" is called "La Camisa Negra" ("The Black Shirt") and has been a huge hit. Some reports suggest that the song has recently been used as a symbol of neo-fascism in Europe, specifically Italy, when taken by a few fans to refer to Mussolini's Italian fascist organization nicknamed the "Black Shirts". However this is not true, as originally intended by Juanes himself, the song is about mourning over the end of a relationship, and the black shirt is a sign of mourning or bad feelings. In the lyrics, he sings, "Respir? de ese humo amargo de tu adi?s y desde que tu te fuiste yo solo tengo la camisa negra". This translates to "I breathed that bitter smoke of your goodbye and since you left I just have the black shirt".

In the 2005 Latin Grammys, Juanes won three additional awards to his nine previous Grammy awards. He took the award for Best Rock Song for Nada Valgo Sin Tu Amor ("I'm Worth Nothing Without Your Love"), Best Rock Solo Album for Mi Sangre and Best Music Video for Volverte a Ver ("To See You Again").

Juanes, who expresses both political and romantic themes in his songs, was named by Time Magazine as one of the world's 100 most influential people. He has also been honored by Adopt-A-Minefield for his work as a Goodwill Ambassador for United for Colombia, a non-profit organization that raises awareness about the impact of land mines within Colombia.

He also performed at the 2005 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, which took place just a few months before Hurricane Katrina ravaged the city.

On December 9, 2005, Juanes was the top musical act of the 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany Final Draw evening, performing "La Camisa Negra", which is his most successful song in Europe.

Juanes is currently completing his world wide "Mi Sangre" tour.

Juanes has sold an estimated 4.8 million records worldwide, becoming one of the few Colombians who have sold over 1 million records. Carlos Vives, was the first Colombian male artist selling more than a million records, and has sold around 2 million records (Shakira is the highest selling Colombian artist of all time; she has currently sold an estimated 46 million albums worldwide).

On April 19 2006, Juanes performed before the European Parliament, as part of a campaign to increase awareness against the use of land mines around world, including in his native Colombia. He is reportedly the first musician to perfom in the Parliament's auditorium.

On July 19 2006, the French Culture Minister, Renaud Donnedie, awarded Juanes with the highest cultural honor given by France, L'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, declaring him "Knight in the order of Arts and Letters".

ALBUMS

2001 - Fijate Bien

2003 - Un Dia Normal

2004 - Mi Sangre

SINGLES

From Fijate Bien:

2001 - Fijate Bien

2001 - Podemos Hacernos Da?o

2001 - Nada

From Un Dia Normal:

2002 - A dios le pido (re-released in 2006 in Europe)

2002 - Es Por Ti

2003 - Mala Gente

2003 - Fotografia [featuring Nelly Furtado]

2004 - La Paga [featuring The Black Eyed Peas]

2004 - Un Dia Normal (Promotional single)

From Mi Sangre:

2004 - Nada Valgo Sin Tu Amor

2005 - Volverte a Ver

2005 - La Camisa Negra

2005 - Para Tu Amor

2006 - Lo Que Me Gusta a Mi

2006 - Rosario Tijeras

DVD'S

2003 - El Diario de Juanes ("The Diary of Juanes")

COLLABORATIONS

2004 - Powerless (Say What You Want) (spanish version) on Nelly Furtado's Forca

2006 - Te Busque on Nelly Furtado's Loose