Ricky Martin

Having already achieved massive stardom in nearly every corner of the world except the U.S., Puerto Rico native Ricky Martin now appears destined to become a household name in America as well. Thanks in large part to a show-stopping performance of his worldwide smash hit (and 1998 World Cup theme song), 'La Copa de la Vida,' at the Grammy Awards show in February 1999, Martin is being hailed as the frontrunner in a vanguard of Latin pop stars that includes Jennifer Lopez, Luis Miguel, Enrique Iglesias, and Chris Perez. Not only has his 1998 Spanish-language album, Vuelve, vaulted into the Billboard Top 100 (it still resides at No. 1 on the Billboard Latin 50 chart), but the debut single ('Livin' la Vida Loca') from Martin's first English-language album has become the biggest selling No. 1 single in the history of Columbia Records. And if that isn't enough, capping this onslaught of attention is a ringing endorsement from Madonna, who leapt at the chance to do a duet with Martin on his English-language debut. Barely pausing for breath, Martin launched into work on his fourth Spanish-language album as soon as his year-long stint on Broadway was completed. Titled Vuelve, the album (which sported the aforementioned smash, 'La Copa de la Vida') was released in early 1998 to spectacular worldwide sales. Following Martin's 1999 Grammy victory (Vuelve was named Best Latin Pop Album), and his much talked-about performance at the awards ceremony, sales of Vuelve jumped six-fold, thus creating the perfect buzz to presage the May release of Martin's first English-language album. And indeed, in the aftermath of the Grammy telecast, media interest in all things Latin intensified, with features about Martin and other Hispanic-American pop star peers appearing in nearly every major entertainment publication. Released on May 11, Martin's new album, titled simply Ricky Martin, appears worthy of the hype surrounding it. Mostly, however, it's Martin's high-octane energy — which he exhibited to great effect at a May Saturday Night Live appearance — that carries the day. Thus far, Martin appears to be handling his success with great aplomb and a sense of proportion. 'I want to do this forever,' he recently told USA Today. 'I don't want to be the hit of the summer, and, hopefully, with a lot of humility, we can talk in 10 years and I'll still be here.'