Yandel is a name that is hardly familiar to the general public. However, this musician is probably known to those who at least once “plunged” into reggaeton. The singer is considered by many to be one of the most promising in the genre. And this is not an accident. He knows how to combine melody with an unusual drive for the genre.
His melodic voice conquered tens of thousands of fans of reggaeton music, as well as just lovers of good music. Popularity Yandel initially received not as a solo artist, but as a singer in the duo Wisin & Yandel. However, over time, he began to successfully release solo releases.
Yandel's early years
The Puerto Rican singer was born in the city of Cayey on January 14, 1977 in an ordinary working-class family. Interestingly, the young man is not the only one who decided to become a singer in the family. His younger brother eventually also tried his hand at music.
Love, or rather a passion for music, followed by a desire to become an artist, was born at an early age. At that time, the young man worked as an ordinary hairdresser. However, one to try their hand seemed ineffective. Therefore, Yandel teamed up with his old friend - Wisin.
This young man has been a close friend of the singer since school. He himself adored music and dreamed of making a career in the music industry, like Yandel. This is how the famous duo appeared, which they named by simply combining their pseudonyms Wisin & Yandel.
Interestingly, the guys did not experiment with style for a long time. Almost immediately after the start of their joint work, they came to a common genre - reggaeton. It is a mixture of several "southern" musical trends at once. Here and rap, and dancehall, and classic reggae. Thus, calm, but incendiary music began to turn out, which very soon found its first fans.
The beginning of the active musical activity of Yandel
This period began in 1998 after the acquaintance of young musicians with DJ Dicky. He became their producer for a while. Thanks to the DJ, the guys managed to participate in two successful compilations, which proved to be excellent in terms of sales.
So a large number of listeners learned about the work of young musicians, and they themselves agreed on a contract with a record label. The collaboration resulted in the release of the album "Los Reyes del Nuevo Milenio". It was the first full disc in the duo's discography.
The album can be called truly successful. It proved to be excellent in terms of sales, the tracks ended up in thematic charts. The first real listeners appeared. Even critics were positive about the release. Thus, the first step towards the "big stage" was made.
Active musical activity of children
The success of the first record really inspired the guys. From that moment on, they decided to work tirelessly and released three albums in just over three years. Releases were released from 2001 to 2004 without long breaks.
Interestingly, they managed not only to repeat, but also to increase the success of the first disc. Each successive record sold better than the next. Each album received a "gold" status in sales.
Retreat to the side
In 2004, an event occurred that at first greatly disappointed and frightened the fans: each musician released a solo disc. Everyone agreed that this meant that the duo would no longer create new music as a group.
Both albums sold poorly, many simply did not want to listen to one musician without the participation of another. Therefore, a year later, in 2005, the performers release a new joint disc.
"Pa'l Mundo" - the disc met and even exceeded all expectations. To date, this is the most successful album of the musicians. It sold in huge numbers even outside the duo's home country.
own label
An important fact: this release came out on their own label, which the guys created and opened right before its release. The label WY Records received a big advertising campaign thanks to the release of the disc. He, by the way, became one of the loudest among those released on the label.
Interestingly, the album "Pa'l Mundo" is the only disc of the guys, many singles from which hit radio stations around the world. In particular, the songs from the disc could be heard both in Europe (Germany, France, Holland), and in the east - in Japan and even in China.
From that moment on, one could talk about real world recognition. The songs from the album took high positions in the Latin American charts. The album became gold in the number of sales in the world and received a corresponding certificate.
Interestingly, after such a resounding success, the popularity of the guys did not fade away (as is often the case with other performers). On the contrary, the musicians released several more successful releases, the popularity of which was facilitated, among other things, by the participation of eminent guests. So, the musicians actively collaborated with famous rappers. On the album "Los Extraterrestres" there was a song with Fat Joe, and on the seventh disc "La Revolucin" you could hear 50 Cent.
Since 2013, Yandel began to release solo releases in parallel with the group. In total, throughout his career, he released 6 records, which are quite popular among Latin American listeners. The last album was released in 2020 and became a logical continuation of the musician's debut disc Quien contra mí.
At the same time, cooperation with Wisin has not stopped either – today the musicians are actively preparing for the release of a new disc.
