Ricky Martin is serious about Asia. That much was obvious when he took the stage at the Velfarre Club in Tokyo with 11 musicians - including a three-man horn section - and three singers. Usually singers just come on with a backing tape.
Except for those who have followed the American soap opera General Hospital, Martin is not a known name in Asia. Well, not yet, if he has his way. The Puerto Rican sings in his native Spanish to a blend of disco beat samba, flamenco and pop. His previous album, A Medio Vivir (Half a Life), has sold more than one million copies around the world. His hit Maria was Sony Music Europe's second-best-selling single last year.
Martin will be singing the official song for this year's World Cup, La Copa De La Vida (The Cup of Life), included on his new album Vuelve, and he is hoping it will give him the thrust he needs to break into Asia.
'Easy it is not going to be,' he says the day after his well-received Velfarre performance. 'I sing in Spanish; the album is in Spanish except for La Copa De La Vida and Maria [which has 'Spanglish' versions]. But I like anything that is difficult.
'I'm here to take it easy, I'm not in a rush. I just want to take in the cultural exchange and [do] whatever it takes.' Richard Ogden, senior vice-president of marketing at Sony Music Europe, was quoted in Billboard as saying that Martin was chosen to sing the track - written by his long-time collaborators Desmond Child and Robi Rosa - because he 'exemplified all of the ideals that organisers of the famed football tournament wanted them to try to exemplify in music'. The song - a rousing get-up-and-go samba-based number - was mixed by the renowned Pablo Flores.
Much of Martin's appeal lies in his stage performances. He and his band put on an energetic performance, and Martin is an excellent dancer, with hip swivels that would make Tom Jones blush. At the Roppongi nightspot, he took a wildly bopping audience through an infectious repertoire including La Copa, Vuelve, La Bomba and Maria, which has been adopted as the theme for a Japanese scooter commercial starring Martin.
