Ricky Martin has been livin’ la vida loca for 40 years.
On Wednesday, the 52-year-old pop superstar celebrated the 40th anniversary of the start of his music career by sharing an adorable throwback photo of himself as a pre-teen.
Martin began his illustrious singing career at 12 years old upon joining the Puerto Rican boy band Menudo. He replaced outgoing singer Ricky Meléndez as members were required to exit once turning 16.
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It was 25 years ago today that Ricky Martin reached a new era in his life.
On July 10, 1984, Martin made his first official appearance as a member of Menudo.
To commemorate the occasion, he re-shared a snap a fan account posted of Martin’s early days rocking a shag haircut and a popped collared shirt.
“July 10th, 1984 I performed on stage for the first time ever,” Martin captioned the sweet pic of himself on Instagram Story in English and Spanish. “I’m ready for more.”
Little Ricky was serving!!!
40 years ago today, the last original member of Menudo, Ricky Meléndez, leaves the group and is replaced by Ricky Martin. pic.twitter.com/auWkdpbnu3
— Eric Alper ? (@ThatEricAlper) July 11, 2024
Interestingly, Martin had auditioned unsuccessfully for Menudo twice. The third time was the charm as he was selected and recorded the group’s 1984 album Evolución alongside Ray Reyes, Charlie Masso, Roy Rossello and Robbie Rosa.
In addition to being nominated for a Grammy for Best Latin Pop Album, Evolución featured Martin’s first song as lead vocalist, “Rayo De Luna.”
Martin stayed with Menudo for five years before exiting in July 1989 at the age of 17.
In 1991, he released his solo debut album and soon got the attention of TV audiences on the ABC soap opera General Hospital.
A few years later, Martin would become a global sensation after his bombastic performance at the 1999 Grammys and the release of his blockbuster hit “Livin’ La Vida Loca.”
The rest, as they say, is history.
Martin is currently in the midst of a concert tour through Spain.
During one of his gigs in Seville last week, the father of four shared an image on stage rocking one of Jonathan Bailey’s “Drink Your Milk” T-shirts. The milk merch refers to a sexually charged scene between Bailey and Matt Bomer in Showtime’s queer historical miniseries Fellow Travelers.
The shirts are a collaboration between Bailey and Loewe and help raise money for the British actor’s newly launched Shameless Fund. The aim of the fund is to raise money to donate to local LGBTQ non-profits fighting for queer rights around the globe.
Meanwhile, Martin’s acting career received a new jolt with his critically-acclaimed performance in the Apple+ series Palm Royale.
The series – costarring Kristen Wiig, Allison Janney and Laura Dern – was recently renewed but ended its inaugural season in a major cliffhanger leaving Martin’s character’s fate in question.
However, Martin isn’t spilling any secrets.
“I love what I’m doing in Palm Royale. I love the story. I love how, even though it’s comedy, thought provoking it could be,” Martin recently told Numero magazine. “The cliffhanger in the first season’s finale is so powerful. We don’t know what’s going to happen next. I can’t say much more.”
Although Martin doesn’t have any US tour dates scheduled, he does have new music coming out this summer.
“I will be releasing a single within the next couple of weeks that I hope you enjoy. It is not energetic, it’s mid tempo, but also very sweet and sexy,” he added. “I love it.”
No doubt, we will too, Ricky!
In the meantime, check out Martin performing “The Cup of Life” (La Copa de la Vida) in Seville earlier this month.
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Ricky Martin’s hip-swiveling performance at the 1999 Grammys launched the “Latin explosion” & many gay awakenings!
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