Luis Enrique

Nicaraguan salsa vocalist Luis Enrique was a pioneer of the "salsa romantica" style, and laid the groundwork for salsa and Latin pop artists including Marc Anthony and Victor Manuelle to follow. After emigrating to Los Angeles, he spent nearly a decade working in various salsa groups until he was recruited to release a demo for Sony, leading to his hit debut Amor de Medianoche, and followed quickly by Mi Mundo in 1989. 1991's Un Historente Diferente won acclaim for its elegant approach and romantic songs. His final two albums for the label, eponymous and Genesis are among his most enduring. He signed with WEA for 2000's Evolucion, and remained with the label through 2002's Transparente, before issuing the acclaimed 2007 set Dentro Y Fuera independently. By contrast, 2009's passionate Ciclos was almost experimental and 2017's atmospheric Jukebox offered archival material. Two years later he released an older collaboration with Venezuelan folk ensemble CF Trio on Tiempo al Tiempo. In 2026, he released El Alma En Clave, his first disc of all new material in 13 years. Enrique was born in the small town of Somoto, Nicaragua, into a family of musicians. He is the son of Francisco Luis Mejia Godoy, and nephew of Luis Enrique Mejia Godoy and Carlos Mejia Godoy. His brother, Ramon Mejia, better known as "Perrozompopo" is also a Latin Grammy nominated artist. At the age of 15 he moved to the United States in 1978 with his mother, and attended La Serna High School in Whittier, California. His enrollment in a music class in high school was his only formal training. Enrique auditioned for a local salsa group, he made such a strong impression on the band's producers, Alex Cobos and Frank Miret, that they took the young talent directly into the studio to cut a demo. That demo led to a deal with Sony in 1987 for the release of Enrique's debut CD, Amor de Medianoche. Though many had held the title before him, his sensual, romantic approach earned Enrique the title of "Prince of Salsa." He spent a decade with Sony, issuing charting hit records including Mi Mundo (1989, for which he won a Lo Nuestra award for "tropical/salsa artist of the year"). He followed with Una Historia Diferente (1991), Dilema (1993), and Genesis (1996). For 2000's Evolucion, Enrique set up his own Chazz Music label and showcased his newfound freedom using jazz, folk, funk and even rock-tinged charts but the result remained salsa romantica. His production style grew even more lush and attractive on 2002's Transparente. He also enjoyed a ten-year relationship with Sony, but in 2000 moved to WEA Records, who offered him not only the opportunity to record his own material but to write and publish for other artists as well. His 2007 release, Dentro y Fuera, marked his 20-year anniversary in the music biz, while 2009's experimental Ciclos won the Grammy Award for Best Tropical Latin Album and contained the hit single "Yo No Sé Mañana." 2011's Soy Y Seré was Enrique's last album of completely current material for many years. While he still recorded and toured, he added new material to archival songs on 2017's hit Jukebox, and released 2019's Tiempo al Tiempo, a previously recorded collaboration with Venezuelan folk ensemble, C4 Trio. In 2026 Enrique surprised fans and critics with the release of El Alma en Clave, his first album of entirely new material in 13 years. ~ Evan C. Gutierrez, Rovi