Luis Fonsi

Luis Alfonso Rodríguez López-Cepero (born April 15, 1978), known by his stage name Luis Fonsi (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈlwis ˈfonsi]), is a Puerto Rican singer. He is known for his soulful and dance oriented songs, most notably 2017's "Despacito".

Fonsi received his first Latin Grammy Award nominations in the Record of the Year category and won Song of the Year thanks to the song "Aquí Estoy Yo". The song also won three Billboard Latin Music Awards. "Despacito" became Fonsi's biggest success, winning four Latin Grammy Awards, seven Billboard Latin Music Awards, five Billboard Music Awards and three Grammy Awards nominations. He also won one Latin American Music Award for "Échame la Culpa" with Demi Lovato.

As of 2018, Fonsi has broken six Guinness World Records and sold more than 11 million records with "Despacito", whose music video was the most-watched YouTube video of all time until November 2020, with over 8 billion views.

Fonsi was born on April 15, 1978, in San Juan, Puerto Rico, the oldest child of Alfonso Rodríguez and Delia López-Cepero. He has two younger siblings: Jean Rodríguez, who also is a singer, and Tatiana Rodríguez.

Growing up, Fonsi idolized the stars of the popular group Menudo, and the San Juan Children's Choir.

At the age of 10, his family decided to move from Puerto Rico and relocated to Orlando, Florida. He attended Westridge Middle School and Dr. Phillips High School, both in Orlando. During his high school years, he participated in an a cappella group called "The Big Guys". They sang at school parties and local festivals. One of the members of the group, Joey Fatone, later joined *NSYNC.

In 1995, Fonsi enrolled at Florida State University School of Music on a full scholarship, He also joined the school's choir, the Florida State University Singers, and sang with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. Eventually, he dropped out in order to pursue a career in music. Soon after, he was offered a recording contract by Universal Music Latin.

In 1997, Fonsi recorded his debut album, Comenzaré (I Will Begin), released in 1998. The record peaked at number 11 on Billboard's Top Latin Albums chart and contained the singles "Si Tú Quisieras", "Perdóname", "Dime Como", and "Me Iré". Comenzaré became a hit in Puerto Rico and across Latin America, with Fonsi doing well in markets like Colombia, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Mexico, and Venezuela. His 2000 follow-up, Eterno, was even more successful. Around this time, Fonsi also recorded a duet with Christina Aguilera for her 2000 Spanish-language album, Mi Reflejo. On May 1, 2000, Fonsi performed at the Great Jubilee Concert for a Debt-Free World, an outdoor concert in Rome, attended by Pope John Paul II. That same year, Ednita Nazario won a Latin Grammy Award for a song composed by Fonsi. He also performed with other artists at the White House in honor of the victims of the September 11 attacks.