Luis Enrique Mejía López (born September 28, 1962) is a Nicaraguan-American singer-songwriter and musician. He is known as "El Príncipe de la Salsa" (The Prince of Salsa).[1] A grammy-award-winning artist, he has released over 20 albums and achieved widespread success, including his single "Yo No Sé Mañana" which was awarded a Latin Grammy Award for "Best Tropical Song".[2]
In this
Spanish name, the first or paternal
surname is
Mejía and the second or maternal family name is
López.
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With nearly 30 years in the music industry, he has accomplished several gold and platinum albums. During his peak he also performed as a session musician and provided percussion for many other artists including Ricky Martin, Foreigner, Juan Luis Guerra, Chayanne and others. He also worked in other genres such as merengue and pop.[3]
Luis Enrique was born in the small town of Somoto, Nicaragua, to a family of musical artists.[4] He is the son of Francisco Luis Mejia Godoy, and nephew of Luis Enrique Mejia Godoy and Carlos Mejia Godoy. His brother, Ramon Mejia, better known as "Perrozompopo" is also a Latin Grammy nominated artist for Best Alternative Music Album.[5]
At the age of 15 he moved to the United States in 1978 with his mother, and attended La Serna High School in Whittier, California. His enrollment in a music class in high school was his only formal training.[6]
Luis Enrique began his career in the late 1980s and achieved success in the 1990s. He was one of the leading pioneers that led to the salsa romántica movement in the 1980s.[7] Enrique has received two Grammy Award-nomination for "Best Tropical Latin Performance" for album Luces del Alma and his song "Amiga". He performed and recorded with salsa romántica group Sensation 85, which also included La Palabra and Nestor Torres. On May 19, 2009, his album Ciclos was nominated for numerous Latin Grammy Awards, his biggest breakthrough in over a decade. The album won the Grammy Award for Best Tropical Latin Album and also contained the hit single "Yo No Sé Mañana".
He hosted the first season of Objetivo Fama in 2004, a Puerto Rican singing competition show. He won two Latin Grammys and the Grammy for Best Tropical Latin Album in 2010.[8] In 2015 he was a judge on La Voz Peru for its third season.[9]
Studio albums[17]
- Amor de Media Noche (1987)
- Amor y Alegría (1988)
- Mi Mundo (1989)
- Luces del Alma (1990)
- Una Historia Diferente (1991)
- Dilema (1993)
- Luis Enrique (1994)
- Genesis (1996)
- Timbalaye (1999)
- Evolución (2000)
- Transparente (2002)
- Dentro Y Fuera (2007)
- Ciclos (2009)
- Soy y Seré (2011)
- Jukebox: Primera Edición (2014)
- Tiempo Al Tiempo (2019)