BOOGIE KNIGHT

Spotlight

Rticky Martin has

been hiding in plain sight. A major international star (with four albums, which have sold more than 15 million copies), for years he remained a well-kept secret in the U.S. And then came this year's Grammys, when he won for best Latin-pop performance with his CD Vuelve. "On the chessboard," he says, "every piece was in its place." Why did his kinetic per-

formance of his hit single "La Copa de la Vida" capture everyone's attention on Grammy night? "They see a Latin guy," he says. "They were expecting the stereotype; they were expecting the ranchero hat on top of his head, and then something modern came out, something very refreshing, very energetic."

Born Enrique Martin Morales 27 years ago in Hato Rey, Puerto Rico, Martin began his career in earnest in 1984, when he joined the bubblegum group Menudo. He looks back on that time with a mixture of frustration and gratitude. "From 12 to 17, the most important years of anyone's life, I had to ask permission to talk and to move and to go places," he says. Then again, he adds, "I learned the real meaning of the word 'discipline.'" After leaving Menudo, Martin spent a year and a half on General Hospital before appearing in Les Miserables on Broadway.

His first English-language album, Ricky Martin, will be released this month, and in September he embarks on a 20-city concert tour of the States. For now, he wants to give his full attention to his singing career—"Music is very jealous," he says—but he has a face made for the movies, and they are on the horizon. "You know, maybe tomorrow the best freaking script will show up with the best director and the best cast and I'm gonna think about it."

Oh, and about those rumors linking him with Madonna? There is a bit of truth to them: she performs a duet with him on the new album. Its title: "Be Careful with My Heart."

PETER DEVINE