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1.0 Biography

1.1 Early life

1.2 1988–2001: Rising success

1.3 2002–present: Mainstream popularity

2.0 Activism

2.1 2009 Peace Concert in Cuba

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Juanes Wiki Information

Juan Esteban Aristizábal Vásquez , better known as Juanes (born August 9, 1972 in Medellín, Antioquia) is a Colombian rock musician. During the 1980s and 1990s, Juanes was a member of heavy metal band Ekhymosis but disbanded the group in 1998 to pursue a solo career. His 2000 solo debut album, Fíjate Bien , had moderate commercial success and went on to win three Latin Grammy Awards. He has won 17 Latin Grammy awards, more than any other artist.

His second album, Un Día Normal , was certified platinum throughout much of the Spanish-speaking world, and its lead single "A Dios le Pido" topped singles charts in twelve countries. Mi Sangre , his third album, fared equally well with Juanes promoting it on a tour with over 200 performances. The album's third single, "La Camisa Negra", generated controversy after being used as a symbol for Italian neo-fascism. Juanes is one of the best-selling Colombian musicians, having sold more than ten million albums and won seventeen Latin Grammys. ^[1] Juanes is also known for his humanitarian work, especially with aid for Colombian victims of anti-personnel mines.

JUANES TICKETS

EVENT	DATE	AVAILABILITY
Juanes Tickets 7/10	Jul 10, 2025 Thu, 7:30 PM
Juanes Tickets 7/12	Jul 12, 2025 Sat, 3:00 PM
Juanes Tickets 7/15	Jul 15, 2025 Tue, 7:30 PM
Los Angeles Philharmonic: Jazz Plus - Juanes Tickets 7/16	Jul 16, 2025 Wed, 8:00 PM
Juanes Tickets 7/18	Jul 18, 2025 Fri, 7:00 PM

Biography

Early life

Juanes was born in Medellín, Colombia (August 9, 1972), named as Juan Esteban Aristizábal Vásquez. ^[2] He is the youngest child of Alicia Vásquez and Javier Aristizábal. ^[3] His father called him "Juanes", a contraction of "Juan" and "Esteban", which he later used as an alias. In his early years, he used to stay for a season in Carolina del Príncipe, Antioquia, where he got a lot of influence through the traditional latinamerican music. At age seven, Juanes learned to play the acoustic guitar from his father and older brothers, playing traditional Latin styles such as bolero, tango, cumbia, vallenato, and guasca. During Juanes's childhood, he lost several people close to him; his cousin was held for ransom and executed when the ransom was paid, a close friend was killed by gunmen, and his father died of cancer. ^[4] When Juanes became a teenager, his music gained a darker sound influenced by heavy metal music, especially that of American band Metallica.

1988–2001: Rising success

Juanes started the metal band Ekhymosis in 1988, and it released its self-produced, self-titled debut album the same year. ^[5] The band released five studio albums during its career and shared the stage with acts including Alejandro Sanz, Aterciopelados, and Ricky Martin; however in Juanes' words, the band "couldn't get out of Colombia" and remained "very local and confined to the Colombian market." ^[6] Juanes disbanded the group in 1998 so that he could pursue a solo career.

2002–present: Mainstream popularity

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The follow-up, Un Día Normal (A Normal Day ), also produced by Santaolalla, was released in 2002 and was highly successful in Latin America. The album was certified gold in Colombia during its first day of sales and was certified platinum and multi-platinum in countries including Colombia, Mexico, and Spain. ^[7] The album spent 92 weeks in the top ten of ''Billboards Top Latin Albums chart, setting a new record, and spent a total of two years on the chart. The album was released after the eligibility deadlines for the 2002 Latin Grammy Awards, but the advance airdate for the lead single, "A Dios le Pido" ("To God I Ask"), allowed it to be nominated for three awards and win Best Rock Song. ^[8] "A Dios le Pido" topped the singles charts of twelve countries and spent 47 consecutive weeks on the Billboard Hot Latin Tracks. The album also featured "Fotografía" ("Photograph"), a duet with Portuguese Canadian pop singer Nelly Furtado about the isolation between lovers. Juanes later worked with Furtado on a remix of "Powerless (Say What You Want)", the lead single from her 2003 album Folklore, and on "Te Busqué" ("I Looked for You"), a single from her 2006 album Loose''. Juanes won the most awards at the 2003 Latin Grammy Awards, where he won each of the five awards for which he had been nominated, including Song of the Year, Record of the Year, and Album of the Year. ^[9]

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Mi Sangre (My Blood ), was released in September 2004 and debuted at number one on the Billboard Top Latin Albums. ^[10] The album produced three consecutive number one singles, which held the top chart position for a combined six months. The album's third single, "La Camisa Negra" ("The Black Shirt"), was used in Italy in support of neo-fascism by relating it to the uniform used under the regime of Benito Mussolini. ^[11] In response, left-wing media network Indymedia called for a boycott of the song. ^[12] Juanes later stated that "'La Camisa Negra' has got nothing to do with fascism or Mussolini...People can interpret music in all kinds of ways I guess." ^[13] The song was also banned in the Dominican Republic for its sexual undertones. ^[14]

At the 2005 Latin Grammy Awards, Juanes won three additional awards to his nine previous Grammy awards. He took the award for Best Rock Song for "Nada Valgo Sin Tu Amor" ("I Am Worthless Without Your Love"), Best Rock Solo Album for Mi Sangre and Best Music Video for "Volverte a Ver" ("To See You Again"). ^[15] On December 9, 2005, Juanes performed "La Camisa Negra" at an international gala in Germany celebrating the 2006 FIFA World Cup Final Draw evening. ^[16] In 2006, he recorded a duet of "The Shadow of Your Smile" with Tony Bennett for Bennett's Duets: an American Classic .

In June 2006, Juanes began a year-long sabbatical to spend time with his wife, model Karen Martínez, and their daughters Luna and Paloma. ^[17] He was working on an album that was released on October 23 2007. When asked about the possibility of recording an album in English, Juanes responded, "singing in Spanish is very important because it's the language in which I think and feel. I respect people that sing in English, but for now I'll keep my Spanish." Juanes planned to launch his own music label, named 4J, in October 2007, to be distributed by the Universal Music Group. ^[18] He also was working on a new album, titled La Vida Es un Ratico (Life Is a Moment ). ^[19] In May 2007, People en Español reported that Juanes had separated from Martínez, however, the pair never officially reported their split. Reporters started to link him with various Colombian celebrities, but all of their claims seemed poorly based, and lacked evidence. A scandal occurred when it was made public that Juanes had had an affair, which he was forced to break off and publicly apologize for. Martinez and he announced their divorce following this event. In September 2007, Juanes began promoting his new album with Martinez at his side and referred to the split as a "rough patch", the type that every couple goes through, but assured that they are still together.

On December 11, 2007, Juanes performed at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Oslo, Norway together with a variety of artists, which was broadcast live to over 100 countries. ^[20]

On November 13, 2008, Juanes swept the Latin Grammys winning all five nominations. He also at the awards performed a melody of 'Me Enamora' and his new single 'Odio Por Amor'.

On February 15, 2009, Juanes performed at the NBA All-Star Game Halftime Show. He dueted with John Legend singing the Spanish language lyrics to Legend's song 'If You're Out There'.

Activism

Juanes has said that: "these are your people, young people, people with families, and four or five of them are dying every day." Juanes established the Mi Sangre Foundation to help victims of anti-personnel mines ^[21] In 2005, he was named by Time as one of the world's 100 most influential people. ^[22] Juanes has supported current Colombian president Álvaro Uribe, stating that "with this new government of Álvaro Uribe my country seems in better shape." ^[23] On November 15, 2005, he was honored at the annual benefit gala for Sir Paul McCartney's Adopt-A-Minefield for his work as a Goodwill Ambassador for United for Colombia, a non-profit organization that raises awareness about the impact of land mines within Colombia. ^[24]

On April 19, 2006, Juanes performed before the European Parliament, as part of a campaign to increase awareness against the use of land mines around the world, including in his native Colombia. He was first singer to perform in the hemicycle where the European Parliament holds its plenary sessions. ^[25] The Parliament gave a symbolic gift of €2.5 million to demine Colombia and to rehabilitate victims of the landmines. ^[26] In honor of his work and his music, he was given an escopetarra (a decommissioned AK-47 converted into a guitar) by peace activist César López; he later sold it at a fundraiser in Beverly Hills for US$17,000. ^[27] Juanes held a benefit concert on May 24, 2006 in conjunction with KLVE and Univision which raised roughly US$350,000 to care for injured children and provide prosthetics, wheelchairs, and land rehabilitation.

On July 19, 2006, French Culture Minister Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres awarded Juanes with the highest cultural honor given by France, L'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, declaring him "Knight in the order of Arts and Letters" for his work in social activism. ^[28] In December 2006, work began on a recreational park for the rehabilitation of the handicapped named "Parque Juanes de la Paz" in Medellín. ^[29] The 68,000-square-meter facility will cost COL$10.6 billion, financed in part by the government of Medellín, and is to be completed by May 2007.

Juanes is also an activist for his native Spanish language; he has stated many times that while he respects native Spanish-speaking artists who choose to sing in English (such as fellow Colombian singer Shakira), he himself will not sing in English in order to best express himself (since he thinks and feels in Spanish) and to promote the Spanish language. One exception was his duet with Tony Bennett for the song "The Shadow of your Smile." Also recently his new song "Odio Por Amor" includes one line in English-"It's Time To Change". He also sang a few lines of English during a duet performance with John Legend during the 2009 NBA All-Star Game.

On March 16, 2008, Juanes organized a free concert as a response to the 2008 Andean diplomatic crisis. ^[30] This concert took place on the Colombia-Venezuela border. This was a free event and gathered an audience of 300.000 people. It was broadcasted by Colombian and Venezuelan television stations. A Yahoo-Telemundo partnership webcasted the event. ^[31] The concert featured the well-known artists: Miguel Bose, Alejandro Sanz from Spain. Juan Luis Guerra from the Dominican Republic, Ricardo Montaner from Venezuela, Juan Fernando Velasco from Ecuador and Juanes and Carlos Vives from Colombia. The concert became a reality with the help of many private companies from Colombia and Venezuela. As an important remark concerning this event, Colombian president Alvaro Uribe had expressed days before the concert that he would attend the event. Juanes' manager replied that since it was an artistic event with no political affiliations they preferred the president not to be present. President Uribe replied in an official letter that he accepted Juanes' manager's suggestion.

2009 Peace Concert in Cuba

"Going to Cuba is a symbol that it’s time to change people’s minds, an opportunity to tell the world that people have to change."
—"ref">[32]

On August 5, 2009, it was announced that Juanes would hold his second "Peace Without Borders" concert in Havana's storied Plaza de la Revolución on September 20, 2009. The Cuban concert coincides with U.N. International Peace Day and could feature up to 12 artists from Spain, Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, and the United States. Cuban folk legend Silvio Rodriguez and local salsa stars Los Van Van will also be participating. ^[33]

Juanes has received criticism on his potential concert by some in the Cuban-American/Cuban exile community in Miami who believe it will be seen as an act of support for the communist government of Cuba. Juanes expressed in an interview for Univision that he has no affiliation whatsoever to the Cuban government or their political views and that he sees this only as an artistic performance and nothing more. ^[34] Willy Chirino, a Cuban American performer who has not been to Cuba in over 45 years, however came out in defense of the right of Juanes and others to sing in Cuba, a move also supported by Puerto Rican artist Olga Tañón. ^[35] On August 14, 2009, Cuban National Assembly President Ricardo Alarcón's daughter, Margarita Alarcón, spoke of the controversy to CBS News , remarking that:

"The past 50 years of Cuba – United States relations
—"ref">[36]

On August 20, 2009, Juanes announced that he had considered canceling the peace concert citing "fears for his safety as well as his family", who reside with him in Miami on Key Biscayne. ^[37] Such fears are contained in an August 15, 2009, police report, and are the result of threatening messages Juanes has received from those he describes as "a very small number of extremists." However, John Reilly, Juanes' New York-based spokesman, has stated that plans for the concert have not changed and that "the vast majority of communication Juanes is receiving from both fans on Twitter and everyday people he comes into contact with in Miami continues to be overwhelmingly supportive." ^[38]

Personal life

Juanes met model/actress Karen Martinez during the filming of his video "Podemos Hacernos Daño". On August 6, 2004 they married. The couple has two daughters Paloma and Luna. It was announced on February 2009 that the couple are expecting their third child together, a boy to be named Dante.