Victor Manuelle emerged as a leading voice among the generation of New York salsa performers who rose to prominence in the mid-’90s, along with Marc Anthony and India, who were his only rivals in terms of success and popularity. Mentored by Gilberto Santa Rosa and produced by Sergio George, Manuelle regularly topped the tropical charts during his mid-’90s peak, as his albums Victor Manuelle (1996) and A Pesar de Todo (1997) spun off a parade of number one hits. The esteemed sonero continued his hitmaking in the years that followed, as every single one of his studio albums in the successive decade spun off at least one tropical chart-topper of its own. As he matured, he also added executive production and songwriting credits, notably for 2006’s Decisión Unámine. The album, his first released under Sony BMG’s Norte banner, included nods to the concurrent reggaeton craze, and as a whole, showcased Manuelle’s ability to remain current with the changing tides of popular Latin music. Not that his relevance had ever been questioned, for El Sonero de la Juventud, as Manuelle was titled by his fans, remained among the top salsa performers year in and year out, and his legacy as one of the leading voices of his generation remained firmly cemented for posterity. After all, it was he who sang “La Vida Es un Carnaval” a cappella at Celia Cruz’s funeral at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York in 2003, a gesture that unquestionably affirmed his royalty among the time-honored salsa elite. Still, Manuelle is not without his critics, some of whom do not consider his music truly salsa. Such purists take issue with the romantic leanings of his music, preferring to classify it as bolero, or at least salsa romántica (as opposed to just plain salsa, or salsa gorda).
Born Víctor Manuel Ruiz on September 27, 1968, in the Bronx, New York City, Manuelle was raised mainly in Isabela, Puerto Rico. A famous incident jump-started his professional singing career: Gilberto Santa Rosa was scheduled to perform at the graduation party of Manuelle’s high school, and the salsa legend invited the teenage sonero to join him on-stage during the performance. Santa Rosa was so impressed by Manuelle’s talent, he subsequently referred the young man to bandleader Don Perignon, who proceeded to hire him as a backup singer. Manuelle obtained priceless experience and industry contacts during his stint with Perignon, and he was ultimately awarded a solo recording contract with the Sony Tropicaldivision of Sony Discos. Santa Rosa produced Manuelle’s debut for the label, Justo a Tiempo… (1993), and a couple modest hits resulted (“Me Dará el Consentimiento,” “Estás Tocando Fuego”). Manuelle’s recording career was off to a respectable start, and his second album, Sólo Contigo, furthered his initial success. It racked up three charting singles (“Apiádate de Mí,” “Voy a Prometerme,” “Por Ejemplo”), the first of which climbed all the way to number three on the Latin Tropical/Salsa Airplay chart.
