With a career spanning over two decades, two Grammy Awards, 20 million albums sold, and starring roles on Broadway, the acclaimed, romantic sounds of Jon Secada, have resulted in numerous hits in English and Spanish, establishing him as one of the first bilingual artists to have international crossover success. Adored by millions around the world, he is recognized as an international superstar by both fans and peers alike for his soulful and melodic voice.
In 2017 Secada returns to the stages, bringing to life a heartfelt tribute to Beny Moré, one of Cuba’s most beloved icons. Produced by Julio Bagué with the support of Peer Music and in the company of The Charlie Sepulveda Big band ”…To Beny Moré With Love” finds the Cuban-American artist re-recording ten of Moré’s timeless classics, arranged by none other than Ray Santos. The first single “Como Fue”, collaboration between Secada and Moré will be released on February 3rd, 2017.
“This is very personal album. The biggest challenge was to make sure that I did right by the original music, arrangements and vocals. Preserving the integrity of the music was the number one priority for Julio and me. ‘Como Fue’ is one of Beny Moré’s most famous songs… an anthem. We worked hard to make the duet. Technically it was a big challenge to be able to extract his voice and blend it in the right way with mine. To hear it all come together and see how people react when you play it to them, is simply amazing.” – Jon Secada.
Acknowledged as Humanitarian of the year in 2016 by The Muhammad Ali Foundation, Secada’s career skyrocketed in 1991, with the release of his self-titled debut album Jon Secada (SBK/EMI), which sold over six million copies worldwide, was certified triple platinum in the U.S., and reached No.15 on Billboard’s Pop album chart. The Spanish-language version of the album, Otro Dia Mas Sin Verte (EMI-Latin), went on to become the Number One Latin album of 1992 and earned Jon his first Grammy Award, for “Best Latin Pop Album.” Three more top 20 Billboard hits would eventually come from that album including “Angel,” “I’m Free,” and “Do You Believe In Us.” The unprecedented success for Secada continued in 1994 with the platinum selling release of his second album Heart, Soul and Voice (EMI), which garnered another top 10 hit, “If You Go”, and followed with his third album, Amor, earning him his second Grammy Award for “Best Latin Pop Performance.”
Beyond his own hits, Secada is widely recognized for his impeccable producing and songwriting skills. One of his first major breaks came from collaborating with Gloria Estefan in the late 1980s, which led to him co-writing her #1 hit single, “Coming Out of the Dark.” Since then, Secada has gone on to pen countless popular songs for superstars such as Jennifer Lopez and Ricky Martin. Still friends to this day, Estefan shares the world’s passion for Secada’s talent, remarking, “I’ve been a big fan of Jon’s since I first heard his beautiful voice! He’s one of those special singers that makes my hair stand on end!” Ricky Martin for whom Jon wrote the #1 hit, “She’s All I Ever Had,” raved, “In addition to being a great human being, Jon has an innate talent for writing beautiful songs. All of us artists who have worked with him sincerely admire him.”
Secada’s impact goes beyond music as he has devoted himself to assisting various charitable groups all over the world through his personal organization, “Jon Secada Charities.” He has been active with many causes to help Hispanic Americans, children, education, AIDS research, and child abuse. His commitment to education and helping others led him to create the Jon Secada Music Scholarship at the University of Miami.
He’s also led an ongoing effort to raise awareness for Hepatitis C by partnering with pharmaceutical giant MERCK and The American Liver Foundation. For his efforts, The Pan American Health Organization recently honored Secada with an award that acknowledged him as a leader in Hepatitis C awareness around the world. In September 2012, Jon also headlined the “Miami Rocks The Troops” benefit concert, supporting US military veterans across the country.
Throughout his career Secada has participated in various international television shows including being a celebrity judge on the international smash, “Latin American Idol,” for it’s entire four season run, and as a celebrity contestant on Univision’s hit dance show “Mira Quien Balia” (Latin version of “Dancing with the stars”) which reaches over 10 million viewers. Jon is also involved in many business ventures and projects including a Miami based music lounge called “Secada’s” at the Magic City Casino, which continues to enjoy sold out shows and great reviews.
In addition to numerous recordings such as “Same Dream” and “Classics,” in the late 2000’s, in 2011, Jon released his seventh Spanish album, Otra Vez (YMe/Pyramid), which received universal acclaim, and spawned multiple hits on radio stations, worldwide. Secada continued a musical legacy with the release of “I’m Never Too Far Away”, which charted top 25 on Billboard. The single and music video commemorated the 20th anniversary of Secada’s music career and the release of his official RIAA Gold hit “Just Another Day.” The song also marked Secada’s first collaboration with Billboard Magazine’s five time “Producer of the year,” and six time ASCAP “Songwriter of the Year” winner, Rudy Perez.
