The Akron Beacon Journal from Akron, Ohio • Page 84

The Beacon Journal December 2, 1999 E15 ENJOY! E14 ENJOY! cover story -u i 1 1 lit. "1 ,1 Hispanic heartthrob knows how to deal with success. His sold-out tour ends Monday in Cleveland J1 i f- It -J 1 1- i i 1 By Glenn Gamboa Beacon Journal pop music writer A sold-out American arena tour for Ricky Martin would have been unthinkable last year. Way back then, he was a former heartthrob in the teen group Menudo. He was a former soap opera star.

He was singing only in Spanish (with a little French thrown in for good measure). Now, he is as caliente! as they come: His Ricky Martin CD is five-times-platinum and counting; his video The Ricky Martin Video Collection went platinum on release; the bulk of his concerts sold out within minutes. How did this happen? Well, Martin and his Livin' La Vida Loca world happened to be in the right place at the right time. His success is the result of hard work, talent and a complex confluence of trends in music, media and American society that will be difficult to duplicate. Here's the breakdown on Martin's success: 1.

He's cute but not that cute. Like the bevy of boy bands around today, the 27-year-old Martin cultivates the whole "schoolgirl crush" look. Music marketers know that in order to woo the formidable, yet fickle, market of teen-age girls, the objects of their desire have to be attractive, yet nonthreatening. They need to be receptive to the fans' affections, but the heartthrobs can't look like they would actually act on those affections beyond a hug or a peck on the cheek. Martin fits that persona well, with his Sweaters straight out of the J.

Crew catalog and his short, boyish haircut. He is more than willing to "shake his bon-bon" for the adoring crowds, but he is also careful to do his share of tender ballads as well. 2. He's Hispanic but not that Hispanic. With more than 31.6 million Americans of Hispanic heritage, the minority was bound to flex its muscle with the mainstream at some point Within 10 years, Hispanics will be the largest American minority.

Yet the average non-Hispanic American knows Details Concert: Ricky Martin, Jessica Simpson Where: Gund Arena, Ontario Street and Huron Road, Cleveland When: 7:30 p.m. Monday Cost: Sold out Information: 216-420-2200 i something to write about from the Grammys. And he also gave them a bonus: a chance to put more Hispanics into their publications. Paired with Latina movie star Jennifer Lopez's move into music, suddenly there was a hook to hang the story on. "Latin Music Goes Pop!" proclaimed Time magazine in May.

"Lovin' La Vida Loca!" added Newsweek And soon the media storm was brewing. By the time Martin hit the Today show in June, he was a full-fledged media hurricane. 5. He could deliver the goods. Unlike a lot of artists who find fame thrust upon them quickly, Martin had all his previous experiences in Menudo and in other countries to draw on.

He knew how to handle the media. He knew how to handle the throngs of screaming fans. He knew how to perform in a large-arena setting. Martin didn't need a lot of training or a lot of finessing. When opportunity knocked, he was ready to answer, dressed in his leather pants and the tight sweaters that bare just enough of his midriff to get his fans going.

With all those forces behind him, Martin decided to go for broke on his current tour, which ends in Cleveland on Monday. There are trapeze artists, wall-walkers, loads of scantily clad dancers, a big backing band and, of course, the star of the show, Martin, who plans to enjoy the ride. "It's all about communicating," Martin said in a prepared statement "I will never stop singing in Spanish -that's who I am but this was always part of the plan." u.v. jw i :4 fey': La Vida Loca to open his concert in Phoenix v. very little about the culture.

Martin along with Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony is providing a diluted, Americanized version of Latin music for the pop mainstream. The bulk of Ricky Martin, including the smash hit Livin' La Vida Loca, is -essentially a pop album with a few Latin touches like flamenco guitars and short horn parts. Aside from its Spanglish title, Livin' La Vida Loca is as Anglo as a 98 Degrees song. In fact, the song is co-written by pop hit maker Desmond Child. The second single She's All I Ever Had is pure pop balladry.

And Shake Your Bon-Bon is an infectious fusion of pop, Middle Eastern tempos and Latin horns. The "Latin explosion" that came with Martin this summer hasn't really helped more traditional Latin acts like Elvis Crespo, Rosie Flores and Albita, though that may come later. Nevertheless, liking Martin makes those in the mainstream feel a little edgier he's singing in another language, after all. "He really draws the white people to the dance floor," said Mary Nerad, manager of Club Caliente in Cleveland, a Latin music nightclub that opened this summer. "They relate to him better." 3.

He had a solid fan base before the new album, especially among fellow Puerto Ricans. "He is very popular in the Latin community. especially in the Puerto Rican community because he is so into his Puerto Rican culture," said Nerad. "He is very important to us." Since his days in Menudo, at the age of 12, Martin has been very vocal about promoting his Puerto Rican roots and about singing the praises of the island. I 'mil-" 1 4-1 Latin star Ricky Martin sings his hit Livin He has also played many high-profile benefits for those in need there.

He is even the island's spokesman for tourism. With so few Puerto Ricans visible in American pop culture, Martin was immediately embraced by the Puerto Rican community during his stint in the super group Menudo and then as one of the first Latin heartthrobs on the soap opera General Hospital. Those fans have stuck with him over the years, through several Spanish albums and tours. He had already reached No. 1 in 22 countries with songs from his album Vuelve.

Support from those fans was practically guaranteed for his first English-speaking album. 4. The Grammys were pretty boring this year. Reflecting the rudderless nature of pop music in the past two years, the Grammy ceremonies were pretty flat in February until Martin took the stage. He stunned the crowd with his massive stage show, his flailing arms and pelvic thrusts, as well as the troupe of dancers and the entire spectacle of his performance of The Cup of Life.

"It was the most difficult audience I've ever been in front of -Sting, Madonna, Pavarotti," said Martin in a prepared statement. "To get the acceptance of your peers really means a lot." When Madonna showed up backstage to congratulate him and then signed on for an unusual duet with Martin, she transferred some of her hipness to him, bringing a whole new crowd to give the guy another look With the media looking desperately for the Next Big Thing in music, they seized on Martin's performance as a possible contender. He gave them I 1 Associated Press last month. His tour ends Monday in Cleveland..