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This is a hot summer for Latin pop. Due out later this season are CDs by Hollywood star turned singer Jennifer Lopez, Colombian rocker Shakira and Puerto Rican salsa star Marc Anthony, a man who is one of the most thrilling vocalists in any language and who will now get the chance to share his talents with a larger audience. Anthony and Lopez have already recorded an enchanting duet that will appear on both their CDs; it would also be exciting to hear him pair up with an established vocal star, someone like, say, Lauryn Hill.
In the meantime, Martin is on the fast track. Tom Calderone, senior v.p. for music and talent at MTV, says Martin's video Livin' la Vida Loca is one of the channel's five most requested clips. Saturday Night Live has booked him for a performance this weekend. "I want to do this forever," says Martin. "I want to be respected in the States in 20 years. So the first impression is very important." Indeed. The music Martin makes is the first taste of a more diverse, more flavorful America that grooves less to rock than to hip-hop and Latin pop. Want a sip? How about a jumbo?
--With reporting by Autumn De Leon/New York