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Juanes music biography continued...

international recognition without having to crossover into the English language. Earning three Latin Grammy Awards for his debut album Fijate Bien, the singer/songwriter has experienced nothing but success from that point onwards.
The Latin star was born in Medellin, Columbia on August 9, 1972. His father began calling him Juanes, as a combination of his two first names Juan and Esteban, when he was very young. He began to play guitar at the age of seven, eventually learning traditional Latin and Colombian folk sounds. He began to listen to heavy metal as a teenager and soon formed his first rock band, Ekhymosis, along with Andrés García, Fernando Tobón ("Toby") and José David Lopera. The band released seven albums in the span of eleven years and was fairly successful in Colombia.
Juanes decided to leave Ekhymosis in the hopes of pursuing a solo career. He moved to Los Angeles and handed his demo to producer Gustavo Santaolalla who enthusiastically signed him to his label Surco. His debut album Fijate Bien ("Take a Good Look") was released on October 17, 2000 and fared extremely well in his home country spending ten weeks at number one. Elsewhere, sales were slow until he won three unexpected Latin Grammy Awards for Best New Artist, Best Rock Solo Vocal Album, and Best Rock Song in 2001 causing a domino effect of international praise.
The follow-up album, Un Dia Normal ("A Normal Day") was released in 2002 and is considered one of the most successful Latin albums. The lead single "A Dios Le Pido" ("I Ask God") became a massive hit topping the charts at number one in 12 countries and spending a total of 47 weeks on the Billboard Hot Latin Tracks chart. The hit album also featured "Fotografia" ("Photograph"), a collaboration with Portuguese-Canadian star Nelly Furtado. The success inspired Juanes to tour the world playing attendance record breaking shows.
His third album, Mi Sangre ("My Blood") was released in September of 2004 debuting at number one on the Latin Billboard Charts. Huge hit single "La Camisa Negra" ("The Black Shirt") caused slight controversy when it was believed that the song preached neo-fascism (Mussolini's Italian Fascist Organization was dubbed the "Black Shirts"), however Juanes justified the meaning of the song explaining that the black shirt signifies the mourning of the end of a relationship. In 2005, he dominated the Latin Grammy Awards winning Best Rock Song for Nada Valgo Sin Tu Amor ("I'm Worth Nothing Without Your Love"), Best Rock Solo Album for Mi Sangre, and Best Music Video for Volvente a Ver ("See You Again").
Aside from his accomplishments as a musician, Juanes was named one of the world's 100 most influential people by Time Magazine. He has also received much gratitude as a Goodwill Ambassador for United for Columbia, a non-profit organization that raises awareness on the effect of deadly landmines in Colombia.