Biography of Wisin Y Yandel
ENGLISH VERSION
Top-selling Latin artists and Grammy award winning duo Wisin & Yandel, born Juan Luis Morera and Llandel Veguilla respectively, began their career together more than ten years ago in their native Puerto Rico within the Latin music genre Reggaeton, which started as a fusion of Jamaican dancehall and Panamanian Reggae Root and has since evolved to include Hip Hop, Pop, Rap, Dance and R&B rhythms.
Wisin & Yandel have set themselves apart from the crowd by creating their own brand of Latin Urban/Popular music and continually raising the bar for themselves and the industry with each musical production. Driven, positive and innovative, Wisin & Yandel are simply a breath of fresh air, and it is working for them, so much so, that they have become nothing less than a PHENOMENON.
In the past five years, Wisin & Yandel have accumulated an impressive record-breaking 11 Platinum Album Awards in the United States as well as 10 Platinum Album Awards and 8 Gold Album Awards across Latin America.
The duo holds the record for most number ones on Billboard’s Latin Rhythm Airplay Chart having placed NINE different songs since the chart’s creation in 2005. They also hold the record for most number ones for a duo or group on Billboard’s “Latin Songs” chart (which includes song from Latin genres) with SIX songs. In 2009 alone, they have had three number one US Latin radio singles.
They have garnered a 2009 Grammy Award for Best Latin Urban Album for “Los Extraterrestres” and two Latin Grammy Awards: in 2008 for Best Urban Album for “Los Extraterrestres”; and in 2009 for Best Urban Song for “Abusadora”. They currently have a 2010 Grammy nomination for Best Latin Urban, Alternative or Rock Album, as well as five Premios Lo Nuestro Nominations.
They have been nominated for an American Music Award for Favorite Latin Music Artist for two consecutive years and were the only Latin nominees at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards. Given the fact that the duo has recorded solely in their native language (Spanish), and that they not speak English, garnering an MTV VMA nomination in the Best Pop Video category (for hit single “Abusadora”) alongside huge mainstream artists such as Beyonce, Britney Spears and Lady Gaga is an amazing feat.
The duo’s last album “La Revolución” (released in May 2009) has achieved Double Platinum status in the United States and Puerto Rico, Platinum in Mexico, as well as Gold Albums in Argentina, Venezuela and the Andean Region (Colombia, Peru, Ecuador). The deluxe reloaded version of the album which includes 5 new songs, remixes and additional DVD content, “La Evolución” has just been released (November 2009) and debuted at number one. It’s first single, “Gracias a Ti” remix feat. Enrique Iglesias is currently the number one song on Latin radio in the US and Puerto Rico.
Having collaborated with artists from across all genres of music including Ricky Martin, 50 Cent, Akon, Enrique Iglesias, Sean Kingston, Nelly Furtado, Fat Joe, R Kelly, Eve, T-Pain and many more, Wisin y Yandel are two of biggest names in Latin music today.
Their world-wide tours sell out the most important venues in each of the cities they visit, including multiple nights at Mexico City’s Palacio de los Deportes and Auditorio Nacional, 360 degrees at Luna Park in Buenos Aires, The Staples Center in Los Angeles, American Airlines Arena in Miami and Madison Square Garden in New York to name a few. Their recent US tour was so successful, that the duo is embarking on a second leg of the tour in the Spring of 2010.
In December 2009, Wisin & Yandel sold out an impressive four consecutive nights at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico. The concert, with surprise performers Enrique Iglesias, Akon and T-Pain, was broadcast live on www.Terra.com and received a record-breaking 600,000 streams.
The duo does not take their enormous success lightly and strives to give back to the community at large whenever they can. In June 2009 they launched an unprecedented program (amongst Latin artists) to benefit “Habitat for Humanity” by donating a portion of the revenues made during their US tour to help build homes for needy families. At last count, the donations exceeded $50,000.
Wisin & Yandel have also become the Latin leaders of the digital age. . . having surpassed 10 million digital music downloads world-wide, acquired more than 160 million “hits” on YouTube and becoming the #1 Latin Artist on MySpace and the #1 Latin Artist on Facebook (with more than one million fans).
Because of their Internet exposure the duo is becoming world-renown, having already transcended the Reggaeton and Urban Music genres. They are achieving universal fame and acceptance amongst young people everywhere, overcoming barriers of language, genre and nationality.
