Q&A
A basic Q&A from Mr. Martin himself. . .
Q: First, a few easy
questions. What's your birth date?
RM: December 24, 1971. Kind of a boring day, huh? [laughs]
Q: What do you like to
when you aren't recording or exercising?
RM: I like going to the beach.
Q: Where were you born?
RM: Outside of San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Q: What's your favorite
food?
RM: Puerto Rican cooking!
Q: What's your sign?
RM: Capricorn
Q: Do you have a
girlfriend, and if so, what are you like with her?
RM: I'm very private about my relationship and I respect the girl
who's with me.
Q: What do you think is
your best quality?
RM: Honesty.
Q: What's your ideal girl
like?
RM: She's intelligent!
Q: What's your worst?
RM: Stubborness.
Q: Do you think you'll
ever get married?
RM: The day I decide to marry, I'll be the most faithful man on
the planet.
Q: What do you hate most?
RM: Hypocrisy.
Q: Besides your red-hot
career, what gives you the greatest joy?
RM: My family. When I travel to Puerto Rico and I'm with my
people.
Q: What kind of car do you
drive?
RM: A sports car.
Q: Say someone has never
met you. How would you describe yourself to them?
RM: I'm very reserved - even jealous about my relationships with
my family and friends, because that's the best way to say,
"I love you."
Q: What's your favorite
sport?
RM: Skydiving.
Q: It seems like you have
everything right now. What's the one thing you really want out of
life?
RM: World Peace
Q: Your schedule must be
exhausting. What inspires you to be creative?
RM: I'm inspired by simply things. You know, like driving my car,
looking out the window and seeing someone and wondering what's
going on with them when I look into their eyes.
Q: Any moral guidelines
you follow?
RM: I'm a healthy person, physically and spiritually. I don't do
drugs. I don't need narcotics or other stimulants to have a great
life.
Q: Who's your favorite
singer?
RM: Andrea Bocelli
Q: These last 2 years have
been monumental on ones for you. How has that changed your life?
RM: 1998 and 1999 have been very dynamic years. Spending only one
day in each country, flying for hours on end to make all my
concert dates, going around the world several times. Can you
imagine?
Q: What's your favorite
movie?
RM: The Godfather Q: What do you consider your finest
achievement?
RM: Traveling around the world, breaking language barriers and
taking my talent to the five continents.
Q: Why?
RM: The story has some good rules one can follow for life, for
honor.
Q: What's the most
important thing that's happened to you in the last few years?
RM: When I sang in front of millions of people during the World
Cup in France 1998
Q: What's your favorite
book?
RM: There are three of them. The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success
by Deepak Chopra, La Tregua (The Truce) by Mario Benedetti, and
El Gran Dilema Humano (The Great Human Dilemma) by Iraida
Negroni.
Q: What do you think about
your nomination and triumph at the Grammy Awards?
RM: It was pretty crazy - I won for Best Latin Pop Album.
Besides, it's a huge step, because it's the first time a Latino
artist got to sing in Spanish during such an important event.
This has been another highlight of my career. To sing "La
Copa de la Vida" in front of the two billion people that
were watching the show...to be able to share my culture, my
music. To be able to let them know that we Latinos are right
here!
Q: What's the best gift
for someone to give you?
RM: The best gift anyone can give me is incense. I love it!
Q: What about your new
career as an entrepreneur?
RM: Well, I'm opening to other business possibilities. A few
months ago I opened a Puerto Rican specialty resturant. It's
called Casa Salsa, in Miami Beach, Fla. Other things will come
eventually.
Q: Do you see yourself as
sexy?
RM: I think sensuality is something you're born with. It's just
kind of there.
Q: What are you
concentrating most of your energy on these days?
RM: On my entry into the American market. On promoting my
English-language recording, "Ricky Martin," produced by
Emilio Estefan and Desmond Child, who worked with Bon Jovi and
Aerosmith. Right now "Livin' La Vida Loca" is pretty
hot on the airwaves!
Q: What's your rule for
living?
RM: Live without harming those around you.
Q: Has Puerto Rico had a
hug impact on you artistically?
RM: You know, Puerto Rico has four million people, and we have
like 110 radio stations. There's music everywhere. I mean, music
is a way of living. We look for any excuse to make noise. Music
has always been there, and I don't want to sound too dramatic,
but I want to do music 'til the day I die
Q: Yes, you have to love
what you do!
RM: I know. I have my ups and down. I'm human. I breathe to have
a heart that beats, and sometimes I just don't want to leave my
house. I want to stay at home and relax, and sometimes I wanna
quit, because you have to deal with a lot of sacrificies. No need
to mention them, but, you know...sometimes I feel weak. Sometimes
I'm afraid. So for me [it's] so important to take my time and
just talk to myself and analyze that I've done. Step out of the
picture, look at the picture, look what've done, look where you
are, look where you want to get, and then go back to the picture
with a healthier way of thinking.
Q: How do you maintain balance in your life?
RM: Like I said, when you stop for a moment of silence and you're
with yourself, you talk to yourself, you calm yourself down and
you listen to your self. God is with you in that silence.
Q: What can you tell us about your personal life?
RM: That I'm completely and utterly happy. Q: How do you see
yourself in the near future?
RM: I'd love to have a family, a wife, kids. I want to be a
faithful husband and a loving father.