Carlos Rivera
Carlos Rivera | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Birth name | Carlos Rivera Guerra |
Born | March 15, 1986 |
Origin | Huamantla, Mexico |
Genres | Pop, Latin |
Occupation(s) | Singer, actor |
Years active | 2004–present |
Labels | Sony BMG |
Carlos Rivera Guerra, or better known as Carlos Rivera (born March 15, 1986 in Huamantla, Tlaxcala), is a Mexican singer who rose to fame by becoming the winner of the third generation of La Academia.
Biography
Born March 15, 1986 in Huamantla, Mexico, Rivera has released four studio albums and participated in six theater productions. But, his love for the arts began at a very young age.
His wit made him a local celebrity in his small hometown, and he had won several singing competitions and hosted a radio show on Radio Huamantla. His break came in 2004, after countless try-outs and auditions, he garnered a spot in the reality television singing competition La Academia produced by TV Azteca.
After a series of challenges, including solos and duets, and countless critiques, Rivera won over 80% of the votes from the series’ judges and was ultimately crowned the winner for season three. After the win, Rivera was named "Huamantla’s Favorite Son", by members of Huamatla’s City Council.
Career
In 2005, he signed with Sony Music and began working on his first self-titled album and that same year he recorded “Y Si tu Supieras” for the feature film Mar de Sueños. The song was nominated for Best Original Song at the 2006 Diosas de Plata, an annual Mexican award ceremony hosted by the Mexican Film Journalism Association (Asociación de Periodistas Cinematográficos de México), which recognizes excellence in cinematic achievements in the Mexican film industry.
While working on his first album, Rivera also dabbled into theater. In 2006, he starred in the musical Besame Mucho, and the following year performed in Orgasmos La Comedia. By 2008, at 22 years old, Rivera became the youngest actor in the world to star in the male lead role in Beauty and the Beast, the first major Broadway-like production produced by Disney in Mexico.
Rivera starred in his fourth theater production, Mamma Mia! in 2009. The project garnered him a nomination in the Best Co-Actor of the Year category by the Association of Journalists Theater (Agrupación de Periodistas Teatrales).
His second studio album, Mexicano, it was recorded in 2010. And like its predecessor, which includes hits like “Te me vas” and “No soy el aire,” it was certified gold. The project was produced by Kiko Campos, who has worked with several Mexican artists, including Alejandro Fernández, Timbiriche, Ninel Conde, Kalimba and Grupo Límite.
The Lion King
In 2011, Rivera was presented with another opportunity: The Lion King. The new Disney production in Spain welcomed Rivera with open arms, but before securing the role of Simba, he had to audition. After several failed attempts to register online, the company Ocesa helped Rivera secure a video audition. His interpretation was so good that the Spanish production company, Stage Entertainment, invited him to a live audition in front of Disney directors in the Iberian Peninsula. Rivera beat out approximately 10,000 actors from around the world and became the first Mexican actor to star in a Disney production outside of Mexico.
For the next two years, more than a million people saw Rivera in the role of Simba. He sold out approximately 700 shows at the Lope de Vega Theater on the famous Gran Via de Madrid, and won Best New Actor at the 2012 Broadway World Spain Awards.
In 2013, Rivera focused on his last Lion King production and the release of his third studio album titled, El hubiera no existe. The album, which was also certified gold in Mexico, was released in Spain, Argentina, Venezuela, Central America and Portugal.
El Hubiera No Existe
El Hubiera No Existe highlights Rivera’s marked the beginning of collaborations with Mario Dom, Franco de Vita, Leonel García and Pablo Preciado. The album produced a number of hits, including “Fascinación,” “Solo Tú,” “Gracias a ti,” “El hubiera no existe,” “Por ti,” “Que fue de nuestra vida,” a duet with De Vita, and “No deben marchitar” with India Martinez.
Rivera’s world tour, “El Hubiera No Existe Tour,” produced 60 sold out shows in cities including Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Buenos Aires and Guadalajara.
Three years ago, Enrique Peña Nieto, Mexico’s President, presented Rivera with the Artistic Merit Award at the Premios Antena, hosted by the National Chamber of Radio and Television.
Recent projects
In 2014, Rivera got the opportunity to participate as a judge in Spain’s version of The Voice. That same year he celebrated 10 years like artist and makes with a live album, Con Ustedes… Carlos Rivera En Vivo, that was recorded during his second performance at the Metropolitan Theater.
Last year, Rivera joined one more time at The Lion King family, now in Mexico, where the project it was the highest grossing in the country’s history.
Rivera performed in more than 300 shows from 2015 to 2016, and combined with Spain's production, he acted in over 1,000 theater shows, enjoyed by approximately 1,400,000 viewers.
He’s the only actor in the world to have starred in two original Disney productions of The Lion King, and the only protagonist to record in two of the musical’s soundtracks, as well as, participate in the lyric adaptation of the original songs for the Spanish version.
This year, Rivera costarred in the Spanish speaking soap opera, El Hotel De Los Secretos, produced by Televisa. In february, he released his fourth studio album, Yo Creo, which debuted at No.1 in AMPROFON’s Top Sales Chart in Mexico and No. 1 on iTunes’ General Chart in Spain.
Rivera recorded a song for Argentinian’s hit soap opera, Los Ricos No Piden Permiso.
Rivera has collaborated with artists including the late Juan Gabriel, José José, Pandora, Reyli Barba, Ana Torroja, Marta Sánchez, Franco De Vita, Ana Carolina and Daniel Boaventura (Brazil), Paulo Gonzo (Portugal), Abel Pintos (Argentina), and India Martínez (Spain).
Telenovelas
Year | Telenovela | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2016 | El hotel de los secretos | Andrés | Supporting Role |
Awards
- First place in the third generation of La Academia (USD $270,000) (2004)
- Award from the teachers' union of Tlaxcala (2005)
Discography
Studio albums
- 2007: Carlos Rivera
- 2010: Mexicano
- 2013: El Hubiera No Existe
- 2016: Yo Creo
Singles
- 2006:"Y si tu supieras"
- 2006:"Te me vas"
- 2010: "La Malagueña"
- 2011: "Amar y Vivir"
- 2013: "Fascinación"
- 2014: "Sólo Tú"
- 2015: "¿Cómo Pagarte?"
- 2015: "Quedarme Aquí"
Theatre
- 2006: Bésame Mucho
- 2007: Orgasmos La Comedia
- 2008: La Bella y la Bestia
- 2009: Mamma Mia!
- 2011: El Rey León (Spain)
- 2015: El Rey León (México)
External links
- Profile at the La Academia site (Spanish)
- CarlosRivera.com.mx Official Site (Spanish)
- Carlos Rivera at the Internet Movie Database
- CarlosRivera.com.mx/foro Official Forum (Spanish)