Juan Francisco Secada Ramírez (born October 4, 1961), better known as Jon Secada, is a Cuban-born American singer, songwriter, actor and record producer. He has won two

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

s and sold 15 million records, making him one of the best-selling Latin music artists. His music fuses

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African-American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African-Americans in the ...

soul music Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in African-American culture, African-American African-American neighborhood, communities throughout the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Catchy rhythms, stressed by handclaps ...

, pop, and Latin percussion. Secada has written songs for Gloria Estefan,

Ricky Martin Enrique Martin Morales (born December 24, 1971), known professionally as Ricky Martin, is a Puerto Rican singer, songwriter and actor. He is known for his musical versatility, with his Ricky Martin albums discography, discography incorporati ...

, and

Jennifer Lopez Jennifer Lynn Lopez (born July 24, 1969), also known by her nickname J.Lo, is an American singer, songwriter, actress, dancer and businesswoman. Lopez is regarded as one of the most influential entertainers of her time, credited with breaking ...

. He has toured with Luciano Pavarotti and recorded duets with Jim Brickman,

Olivia Newton-John Dame Olivia Newton-John (26 September 1948 – 8 August 2022) was a British and Australian singer and actress. With over 100 million records sold, Newton-John was one of the List of best-selling music artists#100 million to 119 million record ...

, and

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Honorific nicknames in popular music, Nicknamed the "Chairman of the Board" and "Ol' Blue Eyes", he is regarded as one of the Time 100: The Most I ...

. Secada has performed several times at '' A Capitol Fourth'', an annual

Independence Day An independence day is an annual event memorialization, commemorating the anniversary of a nation's independence or Sovereign state, statehood, usually after ceasing to be a group or part of another nation or state, or after the end of a milit ...

concert from the

United States Capitol The United States Capitol, often called the Capitol or the Capitol Building, is the Seat of government, seat of the United States Congress, the United States Congress, legislative branch of the Federal government of the United States, federal g ...

Early life

Secada was born in 1961 in

Havana Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

. Secada's father, José, was incarcerated for 3 years as a

political prisoner A political prisoner is someone imprisoned for their political activity. The political offense is not always the official reason for the prisoner's detention. There is no internationally recognized legal definition of the concept, although ...

by the communist Cuban government. In 1971, the Secadas received permission to emigrate and moved to Miami. His parents opened a coffee shop. Secada was raised in Hialeah, Florida.

Education

In 1979, Secada graduated from Hialeah Senior High School in Hialeah, Florida. During his performance of ''

A Christmas Carol ''A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas'', commonly known as ''A Christmas Carol'', is a novella by Charles Dickens, first published in London by Chapman & Hall in 1843 and illustrated by John Leech. It recounts the ...

'' in 11th grade, he says he realized his musical potential and was encouraged by teachers to pursue music as a career. After graduating from high school, Secada attended the Frost School of Music at the

University of Miami The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private university, private research university in Coral Gables, Florida, United States. , the university enrolled 19,852 students in two colleges and ten schools across over ...

, where he received a

Bachelor of Music A Bachelor of Music (BMus; sometimes conferred as Bachelor of Musical Arts) is an academic degree awarded by a college, university, or conservatory upon completion of a program of study in music. The degree may be awarded for performance, music ed ...

in 1983 and a Master of Music in jazz vocal performance in 1986. He graduated cum laude and was later inducted into the Iron Arrow Honor Society, the highest honor bestowed by the University of Miami.

Career

From 1986 to 1991, Secada was a teacher at Miami Dade College. In 1986, Secada's University of Miami acquaintances introduced him to Emilio Estefan, a musician in

Miami Sound Machine Miami Sound Machine was an American Latin pop band of Latin-influenced music that featured the vocals of Cuban-born recording artist Gloria Estefan (née Fajardo). Established in 1975 by Emilio Estefan, the band was originally known as the Mia ...

and husband of Gloria Estefan. Estefan listened to one of Secada's demos and then became Secada's mentor and manager. This led to Secada becoming a backup singer for Miami Sound Machine. In 1991, Secada co-wrote and was a backup singer for " Coming Out of the Dark", a number-one hit song inspired by a tour-bus accident involving Gloria Estefan in 1990, in which her back was broken. In 1992, he released his self-titled debut album, which sold 7 million copies. In 1994, he performed a duet with

, a re-recording of " The Best Is Yet to Come", released on Sinatra's album '' Duets II''. He also performed at the awards for Miss Venezuela 1994. In 1995, he performed on Broadway in '' Grease'', and he also presented at the 49th Tony Awards. He also recorded " If I Never Knew You", a duet with

Shanice Shanice Lorraine Wilson-Knox (née Wilson; born May 14, 1973) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, actress and dancer. She had the ''Billboard'' hit singles "I Love Your Smile" and "Silent Prayer" in 1991 and "Saving Forever for ...

for ''

Pocahontas Pocahontas (, ; born Amonute, also known as Matoaka and Rebecca Rolfe; 1596 – March 1617) was a Native American woman belonging to the Powhatan people, notable for her association with the colonial settlement at Jamestown, Virginia. S ...

''. In 1999, he co-wrote and co-produced " She's All I Ever Had" for

. In 2003, he performed in ''

Cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, casino, hotel, restaurant, or nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or drinking, ...

''. He also co-wrote " Juramento" for Ricky Martin. From 2006 to 2009, Secada was a judge on '' Latin American Idol''. In 2007, he co-wrote three songs, and performed in one, on Lilian Garcia's album ''¡Quiero Vivir!''. In 2017, he released a tribute album with

cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...

s of songs by Benny Moré. In January 2025, Secada began teaching at the Wertheim School of Music of

Florida International University Florida International University (FIU) is a public research university with its main campus in Westchester, Florida, United States. Founded in 1965 by the Florida Legislature, the school opened to students in 1972. FIU is the third-largest univ ...

Personal life

From 1988 to 1993, Secada was married to Jo Pat Cafro. In May 1995, he started dating Maritere Vilar. They were married in February 1997 and have two children. Secada resides in a 7,284 square-foot house, with a tennis court and pool, a few blocks west of the

, his alma mater, in

Coral Gables, Florida Coral Gables is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The city is part of the Miami metropolitan area of South Florida and is located southwest of Greater Downtown Miami, Downtown Miami. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ...

. Secada has created the Jon Secada Music Scholarship at the University of Miami, raised funds for

The Recording Academy National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, Inc. (NARAS), doing business as The Recording Academy, is an American Learned society, learned academy of musicians, producers, recording engineers, and other musical professionals. It is widely kno ...

's effort "Keeping Music in Schools", and supports many initiatives including the Pediatric AIDS Unit at

Jackson Memorial Hospital Jackson Memorial Hospital, also referred to as Jackson or abbreviated MJMH, is a non-profit, tertiary care hospital, and the primary teaching hospital of the University of Miami's School of Medicine. As of 2021, it is the largest hospital in t ...

, Make-A-Wish Foundation, and the Boys & Girls Clubs of America.

Discography

* '' Jon Secada'' (1992) * '' Otro Día Más Sin Verte'' (1992) * '' Heart, Soul & a Voice'' (1994) * '' Si Te Vas'' (1994) * ''Amor'' (1995) * ''Secada'' (1997) * ''Better Part of Me'' (2000) * ''The Gift'' (2001) * ''Amanecer'' (2002) * ''Same Dream'' (2005) * ''A Christmas Fiesta/Una Fiesta Navideña'' (2007) * ''Expressions'' (2009) * ''Classics/Clasicos'' (2010) * ''Otra Vez'' (2011) * ''To Beny Moré with Love'' (2017)

Awards and nominations

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" , , rowspan=3, , - , " Do You Believe in Us" , , - , " Just Another Day" , , - , 1995 , "I'm Free" , , , - !scope="row" rowspan=2, BMI Latin Awards , 1993 , " Otro Día Más Sin Verte" , Song of the Year , , , - , 2001 , " Bella" , Award-Winning Song , , , - ! scope="row" rowspan=8, BMI Pop Awards , rowspan=4, 1994 , " Just Another Day" , rowspan=8, Award-Winning Songs , , rowspan=4, , - , " Do You Believe in Us" , , - , "

" , , - , "I'm Free" , , - , rowspan=2, 1996 , "Mental Picture" , , rowspan=2, , - , " If You Go" , , - , 1998 , "Too Late Too Soon" , , rowspan=2, , - , 2001 , " She's All I Ever Had" , , - !scope="row",

Billboard Music Awards The ''Billboard'' Music Awards are honors given out annually by '' Billboard'', a publication covering the music business and a music popularity chart. The ''Billboard'' Music Awards show has been held annually since 1990, with the exception of ...

, 1993 , Himself , Top Adult Contemporary Artist , , , - !scope="row", Billboard Latin Music Awards ,

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1993 The United Nations General Assembly, General Assembly of the United Nations designated 1993 as: * International Year for the World's Indigenous People The year 1993 in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands had only 364 days, since its ...

, Himself , Best New Artist , , rowspan=3, , - , '' Otro Día Más Sin Verte'' , Best Latin Pop Album , , - , 1996 , ''Amor'' , Best Latin Pop Performance , , - !scope="row", Hit Awards (Hong Kong) , 1993 , Himself , Top Male Artist , , , - !scope="row",

Latin Grammy Awards The Latin Grammy Awards (stylized as Latin GRAMMYs) are awards presented by the Latin Recording Academy to recognize outstanding achievement in the Latin music, Latin music industry. The Latin Grammy honors works recorded in Spanish language, S ...

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

, ''To Beny Moré With Love'' , Best Traditional Tropical Album , , , - ! scope="row" rowspan=7,

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1994 The year 1994 was designated as the " International Year of the Family" and the "International Year of Sport and the Olympic Ideal" by the United Nations. In the Line Islands and Phoenix Islands of Kiribati, 1994 had only 364 days, omitti ...

, Himself , Male Artist of the Year, Pop , , - ,

1995 1995 was designated as: * United Nations Year for Tolerance * World Year of Peoples' Commemoration of the Victims of the Second World War This was the first year that the Internet was entirely privatized, with the United States government ...

, " Si Te Vas" , Video of the Year , {, class="wikitable" , + !Year !Award !Category !Work !Result !Ref. , - , rowspan="7" , 1993 , BMI Awards , Most Performed Latin Song , "Otro Día Más Sin Verte", " Sentir", and "Cree en Nuestra Amor" (Do You Believe in Us) , , , - , The World Music Awards , Best-Selling Latin American Recording Artist , Himself , , rowspan="5" , , - , The Caribbean Music Awards , Best New Latin Pop Album , rowspan="2" , '' Otro Día Más Sin Verte'' , , - , rowspan="3" , ''Billboard'' Latin Music Awards , Best Latin-Pop Album of the Year , rowspan="3" , - , Best Latin-Pop Artist , rowspan="3" , Himself , - , Best New Latin-Pop Artist of the Year , , - , Rolling Stone Magazine , Best Male Vocalist , , - , 1994 , Asian Music Awards , Best Pop Song , "Mental Picture" ,

Television series

* '' Alice's Wonderland Bakery'' as King of Hearts

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Secada, Jon 1961 births Living people Afro-Cuban culture American entertainers of Cuban descent American Latin pop singers American record producers Cuban emigrants to the United States Grammy Award winners Hialeah Senior High School alumni Latin Grammy Award winners Cuban male singer-songwriters Cuban record producers Miami Sound Machine members Singers from Miami Singers from Havana People of Afro–Cuban descent University of Miami Frost School of Music alumni American people of Afro-Cuban descent