Ricky Martin was a guest on The Kelly Clarkson Show last Thursday. The Latin heartthrob is currently appearing in the acclaimed Apple+ TV series, Palm Royale. It’s his first major acting role since he had a small part in the Gianni Versace American Crime Story show back in 2018.
Clarkson probed Martin about his career, which began at the tender age of 12 when he joined the Latin boy band Menudo. That was in 1984.
Martin established himself as a huge star in the Spanish-speaking pop world. However, it was his first English-speaking album in 1999 (the eponymous Ricky Martin), that turned him into a global superstar.
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Hopefully, his earlier stardom with Medudo prepared him for being in the public eye. However, “Livin’ La Vida Loca” pushed his fame to a whole new level. It prompted some advice from the biggest female act on the planet at the time: Madonna.
“She said ‘Make sure this industry doesn’t control you’,” Martin recalled.
Clarkson, herself a successful singer, nodded in agreement, adding that it was easy for one to lose control.
“It’s very easy to get seduced by fame, by the applause,” said Martin. “By the private jets, by the pressure. And she helped me. But I was also lucky because I was surrounded by a lot of people who told me ‘No’ if I needed to hear ‘No’. And that’s very important in this industry.”
“I consider myself very lucky. And spirituality is something else that helped me push through. I’m a survivor. I’ve been doing this for 40 years.”
It is kinda crazy to think that Martin has been performing in front of huge audiences for that long!
Martin went on to talk about Palm Royale and his co-stars. He appears alongside Kristen Wiig, Carol Burnett, and Laura Dern.
He says he felt very “nervous” about acting alongside Burnett, who is a comedy legend. However, he said she, Wiig and Dern had all been hugely supportive and “wonderful”.
He said the show is “about trying to fit in”, which is something most people can relate to.
“We all want to fit in, some way, somehow.”
Martin recently presented a GLAAD Award to Bad Bunny. He went on to praise the star for being a proud LGBTQ+ ally, noting how unapologetic Bad Bunny is in speaking out for queer people and challenging gender norms. Martin says he found it a lot harder when he was younger to be his true self.
Family man
Martin came out as gay in a message on his website in 2010. He was already a father to twin boys, born in 2008. He began dating Jwan Yosef in 2016 and confirmed in January 2018 that they had married. They became co-parents to two further children, a daughter Lucia, and another son, Renn.
Martin and Yosef announced their separation and divorce last year, although they continue to be co-parents to their children.
Before you go, let’s relive that moment when Ricky Martin caught worldwide attention with a 1999 Grammys performance…
That night was possibly the time Madonna shared her advice. She surprised him by sneaking up on him at the Grammy’s post-show press conference.
Related*
People are going crazy over a photo Ricky Martin posted of his teen son
We’re definitely seeing a family resemblance.
S.anderson
We should also say a bit about how she ruined Michael Davidson’s music career…
His track “Turn It Up” appeared on the soundtrack to “Who’s That Girl?” and was an overnight sensation. DJ’s were bootlegging his remixes coast to coast and NOT playing her tracks!
The lukewarm reception of her new music and the outright failure of the movie was too much for her to bear. She floated the idea of recalling all of the albums and re-releasing it without Davidson’s track.
Michael Davidson went on to release “Warehouse” but was dropped by WB for “cost cutting”. Labels were nervous about angering their little princess so he left music and became a successful photographer.
LegionKeign
Yes, blame Madonna, who was at the beginning of her career, and NOT the music executives looking to make as much bank as possible.
You do know she didn’t control the music industry back then.
S.anderson
@LegionKeign: She was NOT at the “beginning” of her career when she tried to make the leap to cinema, and YES, as top diva she made demands. I repeat: madonna pushed to have the soundtrack album recalled and re-released without Michael Davidson’s track. Saint madonna was never shy about using her influence to squash would-be competitors.
LogicGrrl
I’m curious, you know this how?
JustinRojo2017
“Lukewarm reception of her new music”… you mean the title track that went to #1 and Top 10 Causin A Commotion? And the soundtrack album still selling millions of copies worldwide despite the movie’s box office performance.
Meanwhile, his single may be only remembered by 2 people, him and you.
So convenient to blame someone else for one’s own failure.
It’s been almost 40 years, let it go.
S.anderson
It’s amusing watching you avert your eyes and thrust forward what you think is evidence of madonna’s perfection. Yet, actually, “Who’s That Girl” was the third of her four absolute cinematic failures. She never had a number one because of requests or sales. The charts are all ordained by marketing. But she couldn’t call the shots with the movie industry, and they 86’d her. The tracks from the soundtrack to this movie weren’t even put on her greatest hits record.
And you can easily see that plenty of people remember Michael Davidson’s “Turn It Up” with a simple web search. The fact that anyone would craft a narrative to the contrary only exposes your festering jealousy.
madonna’s a hack.