Alejandro Sanz

Alejandro Sanz stands as Spain's most commercially dominant vocalist ever, having built a formidable reputation during the 1990s as a tireless creator of chart-topping material at home before extending his reach worldwide by the close of the decade through stylistic expansion beyond romantic ballads and memorable team-ups with other Latin icons, above all Shakira. Even his first long-player, Viviendo de Prisa from 1991, demonstrated the breadth of his appeal, climbing straight to number one inside Spain. Only with the later arrival of Más in 1997 did he secure a genuine foothold beyond his homeland, propelled by the breakout single "Corazón Partío," which reached listeners well past his established female following.

Turning attention toward the Americas in the opening years of the 2000s, Sanz launched the effort with MTV Unplugged, captured in Miami and issued as a collection that highlighted earlier successes alongside the fresh composition "Y Sólo Se Me Ocurre Amarte." He then withdrew to craft what would become his broadest-reaching project to date. No Es Lo Mismo, unveiled in 2003, revealed a deliberate move away from prior audience expectations as he pursued his personal musical curiosities. The same exploratory spirit shaped El Tren de los Momentos in 2006, whose standout track "Te Lo Agradezco, Pero No" paired him once more with Shakira after their prior joint effort on her Grammy-winning "La Tortura." A brief venture into polished pop arrived with the 2015 blockbuster Sirope, which earned him a fifteenth Latin Grammy for Best Contemporary Pop Vocal Album. Additional Latin Grammys accompanied #ElDisco in 2019, an album that also topped Spanish charts, as did the 2021 release Sanz.

Born in Madrid on December 18, 1968, as Alejandro Sánchez Pizarro, the youngest child of Andalusian parents María Pizarro and Jesús Sánchez, he grew up under the influence of his father's professional guitar playing. That early exposure led the boy to master the instrument himself. During his teenage years Sanz began appearing at neighborhood venues and soon connected with Miguel Angel Arenas, the industry figure then linked to the 1980s Spanish pop/rock outfit Mecano. Arenas secured Sanz an entry point into recording, resulting in an initial contract with Hispavox that produced the indifferently received Los Chulos Son Pa' Cuidarlos in 1989, now regarded as a collector's item on which the artist appeared under the name Alejandro Magno.

Staying with Arenas, Sanz shifted to WEA Latina and adopted his familiar billing. The subsequent releases—Viviendo de Prisa in 1991, the pair Si Tu Me Miras and Basico in 1993, and 3 in 1995—each yielded multiple hits and attained repeated platinum certification in Spain. These predominantly romantic collections resonated especially with female listeners drawn equally to the songs and to Sanz's appearance. "La Fuerza del Corazón," taken from 3, marked his first substantial international success and signaled wider opportunities ahead.

That foundation prepared the way for Más in 1997, whose centerpiece "Corazón Partío" redirected his trajectory entirely. Supported by further singles including "Y, ¿Si Fuera Ella?," "Amiga Mía," "Aquello Que Me Diste," and "Siempre Es de Noche," the album became the highest-selling Spanish pop record in history, moving millions globally. El Alma al Aire followed in 2000 with comparable international sales, though it generated fewer hits such as "Cuando Nadie Me Ve," "Quisiera Ser...," and "El Alma el Aire." By then Sanz commanded substantial audiences across the Atlantic, prompting MTV Unplugged in 2001 as a deliberate step to strengthen that presence. The set introduced the new single "Y Sólo Se Me Ocurre Amarte," which charted strongly, and also revived "Aprendiz," originally written by Sanz and previously cut by Malú in 1998.

Returning to the studio for No Es Lo Mismo, Sanz chose to expand his sonic palette according to his own tastes. Issued in 2003, the album incorporated harder-edged material, occasional rap passages, and electronic elements while retaining its romantic core, marking the first occasion on which he shared production duties. The project still achieved major international success, peaking at number 128 on the Billboard 200 and delivering hits led by the title track, which reached the Top Five on Hot Latin Tracks—his first such placement since 1998—and was adopted by Coca-Cola for a Latin American campaign. It captured the Latin Grammy for Best Latin Pop Album in 2003, and Warner Music Latina later issued an audio/video edition tied to his regional tour. In 2004 the label followed with the compilations Grandes Éxitos 91_96, Grandes Éxitos 97_04, and the three-disc Grandes Éxitos 91_04 containing rarities.

El Tren de los Momentos emerged in late 2006 after Sanz had already appeared on Shakira's massive 2005 hit "La Tortura," which he co-wrote and for which he featured in the videos. That exposure widened his visibility further, so that the lead single "A la Primera Persona" registered immediate impact, becoming his first entry on the Hot 100. The album, stylistically akin to its predecessor yet more polished, showcased guest appearances from Juanes, Alex González of Maná, and Residente of Calle 13 alongside Shakira.

Paraiso Express arrived in 2009 and was viewed by critics as a return to melodic strengths, with the Alicia Keys collaboration "Looking for Paradise" topping the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart. The set reached number one in both Spain and Mexico and earned a Latin Grammy nomination for Album of the Year the next year. After two decades with Warner, Sanz moved to Universal Music in early 2011.

La Música No Se Toca, his ninth studio album, appeared in 2012 and, powered by "No Me Compares" and "Se Vende," held the summit of the Spanish and Mexican charts for nearly a month. The following year brought the non-album single "This Game Is Over" featuring Emeli Sandé and Jamie Foxx, which reached the Spanish Top Ten.

"Un Zombie a la Intemperie," released in March 2015, topped charts across Spain and twenty-seven Latin American territories. Sirope followed in May and debuted at number one on numerous Latin album rankings; the companion Sirope Vivo, issued late that year, repeated the feat. Another live set, +Es+ el Concierto, documented his 2017 performance at Madrid's Vicente Calderon Stadium and surfaced in December of that year.

The reflective single "No Tengo Nada" preceded #ElDisco in 2019, which again topped the Spanish chart and reached number two on Latin charts in both Mexico and the United States while securing three Latin Grammys, two of them for the chart-topping "My Personal Favorita." The live counterpart #ElGira de #ElDisco, drawn from a sold-out Madrid concert, topped Spanish album rankings ahead of a world tour. Sanz received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in October 2021 and released the chart-topping Sanz that December. Subsequent standalone tracks included the 2022 collaboration "Nasa" with Camilo and 2023's "Correcaminos" with Danny Ocean.