One of Mexico's biggest international superstars around the turn of the millennium, Alejandro Fern?ndez first established himself in the early '90s as a champion of ranchera music before crossing over to the Latin pop mainstream in 1997 with the chart-topping album Me Estoy Enamorando. Born on April 24, 1971, in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, Fern?ndez is the son of ranchera icon Vincente Fern?ndez, which inspired the media to nickname him El Potrillo (the Little Colt). Beginning with his self-titled debut album in 1992, Fern?ndez followed in the footsteps of his father, performing traditional Mexican music of the Jalisco region such as mariachi. While this phase of Fern?ndez's career -- including the albums Alejandro Fernandez (1992), Piel de Ni?a (1993), Grandes Exitos a la Manera de Alejandro Fernandez (1994), Que Seas Muy Feliz (1995), and Muy Dentro de Mi Coraz?n (1996), all of which were produced by Pedro Ram?rez -- spawned a steady series of hit singles, his career skyrocketed to new heights of success with the release of Me Estoy Enamorando (1997). Produced by Emilio Estefan, Jr. and Kike Santander -- far and away the preeminent Latin pop production team of the era -- the album marked the crossover of Fern?ndez into the realm of mainstream pop. Not only did Me Estoy Enamorando itself top Billboard's Top Latin Albums chart; it also spawned four Hot Latin Tracks chart-toppers: "Si T? Supieras," "En el Jard?n" (a duet with Gloria Estefan), "No S? Olvidar," and "Yo Nac? Para Amarte." As if to reassure his fan base that he hadn't abandoned his roots, Fern?ndez reunited with longtime producer Pedro Ram?rez next and returned to ranchera music on Mi Verdad (1999) before collaborating once again with Estefan and Santander on another pop-oriented chart-topper, Entre Tus Brazos (2000). In subsequent years, Fern?ndez continued to alternate between traditional albums of ranchera music (Or?genes, 2001; Ni?a, Amada M?a, 2003) and those oriented toward contemporary Latin pop (A Coraz?n Abierto, 2004; Viento a Favor, 2007). In addition, he began regularly releasing live in-concert albums (Un Canto de M?xico, 2002; En Vivo: Juntos por Ultima Vez, 2003; M?xico-Madrid: En Directo y Sin Escalas, 2005) and also released his first greatest-hits collection, 15 A?os de ?xitos (2008). Following the end of his seven-album contract with Sony, he left the label and signed to Fonovisa. Sony then tried to release an album of his previously unreleased tracks; Fern?ndez sued, and 6000 copies of the album were seized by police. In 2009, under his new label, he launched an ambitious project called Dos Mundos, which consisted of two separate albums, Evoluci?n and Tradici?n, released on the same day -- the former more Latin pop, the latter traditional ranchera and mariachi music. He then took the new music on tour, resulting in the live album Dos Mundos: Revoluci?n (2010). ~ Jason Birchmeier, Rovi
Alejandro Fernández
LATIN
