100 fast facts about Ricky Martin

1. Ricky was born Enrique Martin Morales on Christmas Eve, 1971, in Hato Rey, Puerto Rico.

2. He is actually a Jr. since his dad is also named Enrique.

3. Ricky is a Capricorn.

4. Ricky's dad's nickname for him as child was Kiki.

5. Ricky's favorite pet is a dog.

6. Ricky says his favorite food is "anything" Puerto Rican.

7. His mom's name is Nereida Morales.

8. Ricky's parents were seperated when Ricky was just 2 years old.

9. Ricky's dad is a psychologist.

10. His mom is an accountant.

11. His parents' divorce was anything but amicable: his dad once asked Ricky to choose between he and his mother.

12. Hurt and angered by his dad's ultimatum, Ricky stopped talking to his father for more than a decade.

13. Father and son reconciled a few years ago.

14. Growing up, Ricky loved all kinds of music. "I listened to Boston, Cheap Trick, Journey, David Bowie. When I was a kid, my brothers and I were all into rock, rock, rock."

15. Ricky was introduced to Latin music by his mom. "One day she got tired of rock," he recalls with a smile. "She said, 'I can't stand it anymore!' and grabbed us by the ears and took us to a Celia Cruz concert. It really affected me."

16. From the beginning, Ricky loved to perform, becoming active in local plays and in  choir as a boy.

17. At the age of 6, he scored parts in commercials and became very comfortable in front  of the camera.

18. Wanting to excel in his craft, Ricky started taking singing and acting lessons before he was 10.

19. The first time Ricky auditioned for Menudo, he was rejected for being "too small" and "too young".

20. Ricky tried out again, and was rejected again.

21. Third time's a charm! Ricky was selected to join Menudo in 1984 at the height of the band's fame. Overnight, he went from an anonymous 12-year-old to a heartthrob performing for tens of thousands of people in stadiums around the world.

22. His nickname in the group was "New Ricky".

23. Ricky wanted to be in Menudo to learn the lifestyle of an entertainer.

24. With Menudo, Ricky traveled all over South America and to the U.S., Italy, Japan, Guam, the Philippines and Spain.

25. Ricky was with Menudo for five years and non-stop recording, rehearsing and performing.

26. English, Menudo mean "something small" or "change."

27. After five years, he was rotated out of the youth-driven band.

28. Ricky says he learned an important lesson from being in Menudo: How to be disciplined!

29. Post-Menudo, Ricky graduated from high school and traveled to New York to study and  reflect on his early fame. In all, he took a one-year break.

30. In 1990, Ricky reentered the record biz as a solo artist, signing with Sony Records.

31. "Ricky Martin," the 1992 Latin album, earned him solid reviews and eight gold records in México, Chile, Argentina, Puerto Rico and the United States.

32. Ricky released his second album, "Me Amaras," in 1993.

33. Wanting to try his luck in the acting biz, Ricky picked up and moved to Los Angeles the same year he released "Me Amaras."

34. After a few additions, Ricky snagged the role of Miguel on "General Hospital" and instantly became a daytime television heartthrob.

35. After "General Hospital," Ricky earned the coveted lead role Marius in the Broadway production of "Les Misérables."

36. Ricky dubbed the Spanish version of Disney's "Hercules."

37. His third album, "A Medio Vivir," in 1995, was produced by Robi Rosa and KC Porter, and sold more than 600,000 copies in six months.

38. Ricky repeated that success with "Vuelve," which was certified gold on July 7, 1998.

39. "Vuelve" has sold more than six million copies worldwide.

40. Ricky has sold over 18 million albums as a solo artist.

41. Ricky entertained more than 275,000 fans in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1996. It was his largest audience ever.

42. More than a billion viewers in 187 counties witnessed Ricky's electrifying performance of "La Copa de la Vida" at the 1999 Grammy Awards.

43. Ricky's full-length Latin recording, "Vuelve," won the Grammy for Best Latin Pop Performance.

44. "La Copa de la Vida" or "The Cup Of Life" was the official song of the World Cup France '98. It has reached No. 1 in more than 30 countries.

45. Ricky says he'll never stop singing in Spanish, but recording an album in English was always part of his plan.

46. "Ricky Martin," his first full-length English-language recording, took over two years to produce. "I was not going to release this album until I was completely content with what I'd be presenting," he admits.

47. Ricky's confident that America will devour his English-language debut as much as the rest of the world ate up his Spanish-language offerings. "With all humbleness," Ricky says, "I think we'll sell 10 million copies."

48. Honesty is what Ricky wants to get across to the world with his lastest album. "I cannot wear a mask. This is Ricky Martin. That's why the album is called 'Ricky Martin.' As simple as that. We want to keep it simple. Like Albert Einstein said, 'Let's make it simple, but not simpler than what it is.' And this is me."

49. Ricky wanted to release the single "Livin' La Vida Loca" as a way of saying "Hey! Boom! I'm here! Check this out!"

50. Ricky loves the multinational, multidemensional attitude of the song:"[It] has a little bit of Latin, a little bit of ska, a little bit of rock, and there's even a little bit of the '60s, sort of a James Bond sound."

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