Frankie J
(born Francisco Javier Bautista, Jr.
on December 7, 1978) is a Mexican American Latin pop and adult contemporary singer. [1] A native speaker of the Spanish language, he has had several hits in the United States, including "Don't Wanna Try" in 2003 and "Obsession" in 2006. [2] His album The One
debuted at #3 on the Billboard album charts in April 2005 & later was classified platinum by RIAA. [3] For some time, he had also been a member of the musical group Kumbia Kings. [4]
|
FRANKIE J TICKETS
|
Biography
Early career
He was born Francisco Javier Bautista, Jr. in
Tijuana,
Baja California,
Mexico and raised in
San Diego, California, from the age of 2, after his uncle brought him and his siblings in the United States, but never returned to Mexico again.
[5] His father being the lead singer of a traditional band and his grandfather Feliciano Bautista being a violinist, Frankie J grew up listening to both traditional Latin music as well as American
urban music.
[6] He attended
Southwest Senior High School in San Diego.
He later began to develop more interest in singing, with the encouragement of his family. At high school age, he began participating in talent shows and performing at school functions.
In 1997, Frankie J signed with the now defunct Hola Recordings, the brainchild of dance music legend and producer
Jellybean Benitez. He, in 1999, became a member of the
Kumbia Kings.
Kumbia Kings (1999-2003)
In 1999 he became a member of the
Kumbia Kings created by
A.B. Quintanilla III, brother of
Selena. He performed under the name Cisko. Members included
A.B. Quintanilla (bass, background vocals),
DJ Kane (born Jason Cano; lead vocals), Frankie J/Cisko (born Francisco Javier Bautista, Jr; vocals), Baby Drew (born Andrew Maes; vocals),
Cruz Martínez (keyboards), Alex Ramirez (keyboards), Roy "Slim" Ramirez (percussion, background vocals), Frankie Aranda (percussion), Jorge Peña (percussion), Jesse Martinez (drums), and Robert Del Moral (drums). They released their debut album
Amor, Familia Y Respeto in 1999. The album included hit singles like "Azúcar", "Fuiste Mala", "Reggae Kumbia", "Te Quiero A Ti" and "Se Fue Mi Amor". In 2001 they released their second album
Shhh! which included the singles "Shhh!", "Boom Boom" and "Desde Que No Estás Aquí". In 2002 the group released their third album called
All Mixed Up: Los Remixes which included the single "La Cucaracha". Cisko then started perform under the name Frankie J. In 2003 they released their fourth album called
4 which included the hit singles "No Tengo Dinero", "Insomnio" and "Mi Gente". They also released the albums
Presents Kumbia Kings repackaged
English-language highlights from the group's back catalog and
La Historia repackaged
Spanish-language ones. Later in 2003, Frankie J was one of the original Kumbia Kings members to leave the band along with lead singer
DJ Kane and other members of the band because they weren't happy with their pay. Andrew "Baby Drew" Maes, Alex Ramirez, Roy "Slim" Ramirez, and Frankie Aranda formed their own band called K1 while
DJ Kane and Frankie J went on to become solo singers.
Solo Career (2003-Present)
Frankie J signed as a solo artist with
Columbia Records and released his first album
What's A Man To Do
in 2003. His self-titled first Spanish-language album
Frankie J
was released later in the same year.
[7] The single "
Don't Wanna Try" peaked in the top 10 on Billboard's Hot 100 Singles Chart, while "Ya No Es Igual" was top 10 on the World Latin charts .
He was featured in the single "
Suga Suga" by rapper
Baby Bash.
[8] Frankie J worked with a number of well known producers on his next album
The One
including
Irv Gotti of
Murder Inc. on the title track, as well as
Bryan-Michael Cox and
Mario Winans. The album was released in March 2005.
[9] Its hit singles included "
Obsession (No Es Amor)" featuring rapper
Baby Bash ( a copy of the
3rd Wish European version which was produced by
Mintman) , originally composed and recorded by latin
bachata group
Aventura, followed by the solo singles "How To Deal" and "
More Than Words", a cover song of a 1990 hit by the band
Extreme. Frankie J's cover of "More Than Words" was released on the
DualDisc bonus track version of
The One
in October 2005.
[10] By April 2005, the album had sold 300,000 copies.
[11] His second Spanish-language album
Un Nuevo Dia
was released on
June 13,
2006. It spawned the single "Pensado En Ti".
Frankie's third English-language CD,
Priceless
, was released in stores and online on
October 17,
2006. It debuted at #30 on the
Billboard 200.
[12] The video for "
That Girl" was shot in Miami in July featured
Chamillionaire and
Mannie Fresh.
On February 2007, Frankie J together with Latino celebrities, including
Don Omar,
Paola Turbay,
Edgar Lopez,
Miguel Varoni,
Leti Coo, and
Mary GamarraTazón played in the
National Football League (NFL) Latino I/Latin Bowl I.
[13] Frankie J appeared a celebrity guest in the third season of
MTV's reality game show
Yo Momma
in 2007.
[14]
In a radio station interview with San Diego, CA based station Channel 93.3 on December 7, 2007, he announced that his fourth English studio album is titled "Time" and will be released either Q1 or Q2 of 2008. He's has been working heavily with the Avlia Brothers (with whom he has said he just "clicked with"), as well as writing songs with late-90s R&B singer Sam Salter. On June 5 2008 a video single was released on YouTube entitled "Pictures."
He also appeared as a celebrity guest at the 16th birthday party of
Marissa Mishelle on MTV's
My Super Sweet 16.
[15]
Frankie J was an opening act for
Britney Spears' 2007 promo tour
The M+M's Tour
.
Discography
Albums
Album Information
|
What's A Man To Do
- Released: May 27, 2003
- Chart positions: n/a
- RIAA certification: Uncertified
- Singles: "Don't Wanna Try", "We Still"
|
The One
- Released: May 22, 2005
- Chart positions: #3 US, #5 UK, #1 AUS, #2 CAN, #9 GER, #7 MEX, #1 NZE
- US Sales: 1.3+ Million
- WW Sales: 3.4+ Million
- RIAA certification: Platinum
- Singles: "Obsession (No Es Amor)", "How to Deal", "More Than Words", "The One" (Radio Only)
|
Priceless
- Released: October 17, 2006
- Chart positions: #30 US
- US Sales: 70,000+
- RIAA certification: Uncertified
- Singles: "That Girl", "Daddy's Little Girl", "If He Can't Be" (Radio Only), "Never Let U Down" (Radio Only)
|
Time
- Released: 2009
- Chart positions: n/a
- US Sales:
- RIAA certification:
- Singles: "Pictures", "Runaway", "If You Were My Girlfriend"
|
Spanish Albums
Album Information
|
Frankie J
- Released: September 30, 2003
- Chart positions: #57 Latin
- RIAA certification: Uncertified
- Singles: "Ya No Es Igual"
|
Un Nuevo Dia
- Released: June 13, 2006
- Chart positions: #198 US, #9 US Latin, #65 UK, #31 AUS, #22 CAN, #49 GER, #5 MEX, #71 NZE
- US Sales: 485,000+
- WW Sales: 855,000+
- RIAA certification: Gold
- Singles: "Pensando En Ti"
|
Other Appearances
- Dime/Tell Me (Remix) (Pitbull feat. Frankie J & Ken-Y)
- Run Away (Bubba Sparxxx feat. Frankie J)
- Los Infieles Remix (Aventura feat. Frankie J)
- Suga Suga and Menage A Trois (Baby Bash feat. Frankie J)
- Are You Still Alone (Play N Skillz feat. Frankie J)
- Be Gone (First Class Fiction feat. Frankie J)
- Demasiado Tarde (Louis James feat. Frankie J)
- Perfect Girl (Los Super Reyes feat. Frankie J and Damon Reel)
- To The Top (Omar Cruz feat. Frankie J)
- Slow It Down (Lil Rob feat. Frankie J)
Charts
- "Don't Wanna Try" - #19 Hot 100
- "Ya No Es Igual" - #11 Hot Latin
- "We Still"
- "Suga Suga" (with Baby Bash)) - #7 Hot 100
- "Obsession (No Es Amor)" - #3 Hot 100
- "How to Deal" - #39 Hot 100
- "More Than Words" - #25 Hot 100
- "Pensando En Ti" - #13 Hot Latin
- "That Girl" - #43 Hot 100
- "Daddy's Little Girl" - #123 Hot 100
- "If He Can't Be"
- "Never Let U Down"
- "Dime (Tell Me)" - #29 Rhythmic Top 40
- "Pictures"
- "runaway"-#23 hot 100 middle east charts western music(mewm)
Upcoming Work
Time
is the fourth English-language solo album by Frankie J, set to be released in 2009. The first single is "Pictures", of which the video premiered on YouTube in June 2008. Also slated to appear on the album are "Diamonds", "Doctor Doctor", and a duet with
Christina Milian titled "The One".
References
- Frankie J. Biography
- Frankie J - Billboard Singles
- Platinum R&B Celebrity Frankie J Honored by RIAA and Releases Album Priceless
- Los Kumbia Kings - Biography
- Frankie J. Back At School
- Frankie J - Biography
- "Frankie J" - Overview
- "Now, Vol. 14" - Overview
- "The One" - Overview
- "The One [DualDisc Bonus Track]" - Overview
- Second Cup: Frankie J
- Frankie J - Billboard Albums
- NFL Tackles Hispanic Fans
- The Week's Finest | Video | Yo Momma Atlanta: Best of the Week (Full Episode 320) | MTV
- My Super Sweet 16-Marissa