Hi everyone and thank you for tuning in to the ever to emerge from the island of Puerto Rico.

He's a two-time Grammy-winning singer, an incredible dancer,

and, as of last Thursday, an Emmy-nominated actor as well,

Ricky Martin.

Martin, who is now 46, but looks about half his age, has been a public

figure for almost 35 years. At the age of 12, he became famous as a member of Manudo, the popular Puerto Rican boy band with which he performed for the next five years.

He later re-emerged as an actor and a solo singer, signing with Sony Music Entertainment in 1990, releasing his first solo album in 1991,

and developing a large international fan base over the next few years.

But then, in 1998, in fact, 20 years ago this very week, a series of events went into motion that propelled him to a new level of fame that few others have ever attained.

On July 12, 1998, Martin, having been invited by FIFA to write and perform

a song at the 1998 World Cup final in France, sang La Copa de Laveida, or The Cup of Life, reaching more than a billion TV viewers around the world.

Shortly thereafter, the song was released as a single,

topping the charts in dozens of countries,

and then it became part of his fourth album,

Vuelve, which was nominated for the Grammy for Best Latin Pop Album.

At the 41st Grammys on February 24th, 1999,

Martin not only won that Grammy, but also was invited to perform La Copa de Laveida, and his

rendition, which was greeted with a massive standing ovation, changed the course of his

career, and how people regard Latin music in America forever.

Over the years since, Martin's popularity has ebbed and flowed,

but he has continued to put out music of all sorts, popular and personal, English language and Spanish

language, and in recent years he has also found his way back to acting and into the

...