Carlos Vives

Carlos Alberto Vives Restrepo (born 7 August 1961) is a Colombian singer, songwriter and actor. He is known for his interpretation of traditional music styles of Colombia such as vallenato, cumbia, champeta, bambuco and porro as well as genres such as Latin pop, reggaeton, dance pop and tropical music.

Having sold over 20 million records worldwide, Vives is one of the best-selling Latin music artists of all time. He is regarded as one of the most influential artists in the world as he has progressively helped vallenato gain popularity globally by combining traditional vallenato music with pop/rock music, forming a subgenre that has come to be known as "vallenato-pop".

In 2019, Vives was selected as #45 on both the Greatest of All Time Latin Artists and Top Latin Artists 2010s. by Billboard.

His hits include "Matilde Lina", "La Hamaca Grande", "La Gota Fría", "Alicia Adorada" (all four of which are covers of classic vallenato songs), "Pa' Mayte", "La Tierra del Olvido", "Tu Amor Eterno", "Fruta Fresca", "Déjame Entrar", "Luna Nueva", "Carito", "Papadio", "Como Tú", "Décimas Del Parecido" (a tribute to Guillermo Martínez, a Cuban-born radio host who resides in Mayagüez, and for whose program Vives was an occasional master control technician), "Robarte un Beso", (a collaborative effort with fellow Colombian singer Sebastián Yatra), "La Bicicleta" (a collaboration with Shakira) and "Canción Bonita" (collaborative effort with Ricky Martin).

Vives is also a successful actor. His roles as the titular character in the soap opera Gallito Ramírez and as Rafael Escalona in Escalona, a story about the famous Colombian composer of the same name, are among his most important and well-remembered appearances.

He has collaborated with multiple artists, including Juanes, Ricky Martin, Camilo, Shakira, Maluma, Wisin, Daddy Yankee, Alejandro Sanz, Manuel Turizo, Ryan Castro, Sebastián Yatra, Mau y Ricky, Michel Teló, Gente de Zona, Thalía, Pedro Capó,Lalo Ebratt, Los Ángeles Azules, Fito Páez, Carlos Rivera, Play-N-Skillz, Mike Bahía, Nacho and Diego Torres.

In addition to his artistic endeavors, Vives is involved in various social and philanthropic activities. He has used his platform to support causes related to education, culture, and social development in Colombia. His foundation, Tras la Perla, focuses on improving the quality of life in his hometown of Santa Marta by promoting sustainable development and cultural initiatives.