Carlos Marín | |
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Background information | |
Birth name | Carlos Marín Menchero |
Born |
Mörfelden-Walldorf, Germany |
October 13, 1968
Origin | Spain Madrid, Spain |
Genres | Classical crossover; Opera; romantic |
Occupation(s) | Singer, actor |
Instruments | Singing |
Years active | 2003–present |
Labels | Syco Music, Sony BMG, Columbia Records |
Associated acts | Il Divo |
Carlos Marín Menchero (born October 13, 1968) is a Spanish baritone. Member since 2004 of the classical crossover group Il Divo, who has sold over 28 million records worldwide.
Born in Mörfelden-Walldorf near Rüsselsheim (Hessen, Germany) but raised in Madrid, Spain, Carlos started his career in music early in life, recording his first album when he was eight years old, produced by Father Abraham aka Pierre Kartner. The record, named The Little Caruso, contained songs like "O Sole Mio" and "Granada". He even sang "Granada" in front of an audience of 800 people at that age. At age ten he recorded a second album called Mijn Lieve Mama (My Dear Mother). This musical beginning led him to study piano and solfeggio. He lived in the Netherlands for a short period of time and became known as "Carlos the Little Caruso".
When he was twelve he moved to Spain, where he won several awards in television contests like "Gente Joven" (Young People) and "Nueva Gente" (New People) in TVE (Spanish Television) when he was 15 and in his 20s. During this time he also started to sing in live TV shows accompanied by an orchestra.
He has earned through the years an important reputation as a musical performer, cultivating different musical genres and receiving excellent reviews by the critics. He made a name for himself in the musical industry, participating in several musical contests: the "Jacinto Guerrero", "Francisco Alonso" and "Julián Gayarre" in 1996, where he won second place in male performers, among others.
He has performed in several musicals, starting in 1993 as Marius in Les Misérables, and afterwards The Beauty And The Beast (where he suffered an accident that left him with a broken ankle), Grease (where he played the role of Vince Fontaine), El Diluvio Que Viene (The Coming Flood), and covering for José Sacristán in Man From La Mancha. He has also participated in the production of La Magia De Broadway (Broadway Magic) and Peter Pan (in theater and CD), in this musical he shared also the tasks of musical direction with Alberto Quintero.