Carlos Vives facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Carlos Vives
Vives speaking at the World Economic Forum on Latin America in 2010
Background information
Birth name	Carlos Alberto Vives Restrepo
Born	(1961-08-07) 7 August 1961 (age 63) Santa Marta, Colombia
Genres	Vallenato cumbia porro champeta rock Latin pop bambuco dance-pop reggaeton tropical music
Occupation(s)	Singer songwriter actor
Years active	1978–present
Labels	FM Discos Y Cintas Sony Sonolux Gaira Música Local PolyGram EMI Virgin
Associated acts	Rafael Escalona Juanes Hora Local Aterciopelados Bloque de Búsqueda Sidestepper Michel Teló Ricardo Arjona Shakira Sebastián Yatra

Carlos Vives (born August 7, 1961) is a famous Colombian singer, songwriter, and actor. He is well-known for mixing traditional Colombian music styles like vallenato and cumbia with modern sounds like Latin pop and rock. This unique blend helped create a new style called "vallenato-pop."

Carlos Vives has sold over 20 million records around the world. This makes him one of the top-selling Latin music artists ever. He is seen as a very important artist because he helped make vallenato music popular globally.

In 2024, the Latin Grammys honored Vives as their "Person of the Year." This award recognized his amazing contributions to Latin American music and his work helping communities in Colombia and other Spanish-speaking countries.

Some of his biggest hit songs include "La Gota Fría," "La Tierra del Olvido," "Fruta Fresca," "Volví a Nacer," "Robarte un Beso" (with Sebastián Yatra), "La Bicicleta" (with Shakira), and "Canción Bonita" (with Ricky Martin).

Besides music, Vives is also a successful actor. He played the main character in the TV show Gallito Ramírez and the famous Colombian composer Rafael Escalona in the series Escalona. These roles are some of his most remembered acting jobs.

He has worked with many artists from Colombia and other countries. Some of these include Juanes, Ricky Martin, Shakira, Maluma, Daddy Yankee, Alejandro Sanz, and Sebastián Yatra.

Carlos Vives also cares a lot about helping others. He uses his fame to support education, culture, and community projects in Colombia. His foundation, Tras la Perla, works to improve life in his hometown of Santa Marta. They focus on making the community better in ways that can last.

Early Life and Music Beginnings

Carlos Vives was born on August 7, 1961, in Santa Marta, Colombia. He lived there for his first 12 years. Then, his family moved to Bogotá to find better opportunities.

In Bogotá, he studied advertising at Jorge Tadeo Lozano University. He also discovered a love for rock music. He started playing in local bars and cafés, which helped him get involved in the city's music scene.

Starting His Career (1982–1989)

In 1982, Carlos Vives began acting in TV shows, also known as telenovelas. Some of his early roles were in Pequeños Gigantes (1983) and Tuyo es Mi Corazón (1985).

He became very famous in 1986 when he starred in Gallito Ramírez. This show was about a boxer from the Colombian Caribbean coast. In the show, he fell in love with a girl played by his first wife, Margarita Rosa de Francisco.

That same year, he released his first music album, Por Fuera y Por Dentro. This album mostly had slow love songs called ballads, but it didn't become very popular. His next two albums, No Podrás Escapar de Mí (1987) and Al Centro de la Ciudad (1989), also didn't sell well.

In 1989, Carlos Vives moved to Puerto Rico for an acting job. While there, he took a break from his music career. He starred in other TV shows like La Otra and Aventurera.

A New Musical Path (Since 1991)

Carlos Vives

When Carlos Vives returned to Colombia in 1991, he got a TV role that changed his life. He was chosen to play the famous vallenato composer Rafael Escalona in a TV series called Escalona.

For the show, Vives sang Escalona's songs. This experience made him want to focus his music on vallenato. He became very successful in Colombia with the two soundtrack albums from the show: Escalona: Un Canto a la Vida and Escalona: Vol. 2.

In 1993, Vives released the album Clásicos de la Provincia with his band "La Provincia." On this album, he started mixing vallenato with rock, pop, and other Colombian rhythms. This new sound was a big hit! Clásicos de la Provincia won a Billboard Latin Music Awards for Best Album. It helped introduce vallenato music to people all over the world.

His next album, La Tierra del Olvido, continued to blend rock, funk, and pop with traditional Colombian music. This album gave Vives more classic songs, including the title track and the energetic "Pa' Mayte."

Later albums like Tengo Fé (1997), El Amor de Mi Tierra (1999), Déjame Entrar (2001), and El Rock de Mi Pueblo (2004) were also very popular and praised by critics. In 2002, Carlos Vives won his first Grammy Award for "Best Traditional Tropical Latin Album" for Déjame Entrar.

In 2009, he released Clásicos de la Provincia II, which was sold only in a Colombian supermarket chain. This album was another collection of vallenato songs covered in his unique style.

Recent Projects and Collaborations

Carlos Vives interviewed by Ana María Canseco

In 2013, Carlos Vives released the album Corazón Profundo. The first song from it, "Volví a Nacer," quickly became a number one hit. He also became a coach on the first season of The Voice Colombia TV show.

In 2016, he released the song "La Bicicleta" with fellow Colombian singer Shakira. The music video was filmed in their hometowns in Colombia. The song quickly reached the top of the charts.

In 2018, he joined La Voz (U.S.) as a coach, which is the Spanish-language version of The Voice.

Carlos Vives has also been part of many special projects. In 2020, he joined many artists for "Color Esperanza 2020," a new version of Diego Torres' famous song. In 2021, he teamed up with Ricky Martin for "Canción Bonita," which blended Colombian and Puerto Rican music styles. This song was nominated for two Latin Grammy Awards.

He also sang the credits song "Colombia, Mi Encanto" for the Disney movie Encanto in 2021. In 2023, Vives appeared in the Disney+ show The Low Tone Club, singing the theme song and writing all the songs for the show's soundtrack.

Personal Life

Carlos Vives has been married three times. His first marriage was to actress Margarita Rosa de Francisco. He then married Herlinda Gómez, and they had two children, Carlos Enrique and Lucía. He is now married to former Miss Colombia Claudia Elena Vásquez, and they have two children, Elena and Pedro. He spends his time between Miami and Colombia, especially in Santa Marta and Bogotá.

Discography

• 1986 Por Fuera y Por Dentro
• 1987 No Podrás Escapar de Mí
• 1989 Al Centro de la Ciudad
• 1991 Escalona: Un Canto A La Vida
• 1992 Escalona: Vol. 2
• 1993 Clásicos de la Provincia
• 1995 La Tierra del Olvido
• 1997 Tengo Fe
• 1999 El Amor de Mi Tierra
• 2001 Déjame Entrar
• 2004 El Rock de Mi Pueblo
• 2009 Clásicos de la Provincia II
• 2013 Corazón Profundo
• 2014 Más + Corazón Profundo
• 2017 Vives
• 2020 Cumbiana
• 2021 Canción Bonita [Single]
• 2022 Cumbiana II
• 2023 Escalona Nunca Se Habia Grabado Asi

Filmography

• 1982 Tiempo Sin Huella
• 1983 Pequeños gigantes
• 1985 Tuyo es mi corazón
• 1986 Gallito Ramírez
• 1988 La Otra
• 1990 Aventurera
• 1991 Escalona (Rafael Escalona)
• 2012 La Voz Colombia (Coach)
• 2019 La Voz (Coach)
• 2021 Encanto (Colombia, Mi Encanto)
• 2023 The Low Tone Club - El Club de los Graves (Amaranto Molina)

Awards and Nominations

Carlos Vives has won many important awards for his music. He has won two Grammy Awards and 18 Latin Grammy Awards. In 2024, he was honored as the Latin Grammy Person of the Year. He has also won 8 Premios Nuestra Tierra awards, which celebrate Colombian music.

Grammy Awards

Carlos Vives has won two Grammy Awards.

Latin Grammy Awards

Carlos Vives has won 18 Latin Grammy Awards.

Billboard Latin Music Awards

Carlos Vives has also been recognized by the Billboard Latin Music Awards, including being inducted into their Hall of Fame.

Premios Nuestra Tierra

Carlos Vives has won 8 Premios Nuestra Tierra awards.

See also

• List of best-selling Latin music artists
• Pop Latino