Martin’s producer Robi Draco Rosa initially thought the song ‘María’ would end his career. According to an interview with the singer reported by Spiegel, Martin recalled: ‘A producer told me: “Ricky, this is the end of your career.”‘ The record label doubted the singer’s ability to pull off a style change to dance-floor sound. ‘I proved them wrong,’ Martin said.
The song was created at his request. During a stay in Mexico, he discovered Mexicans’ pride in their traditional mariachi music. He asked his composer to create something similar but with influences from his native Puerto Rico. ‘I wanted to dance. I didn’t just want to stand at the microphone as a crooner,’ Martin explained. ‘María’ reached number one in 20 countries and sold over five million copies worldwide. Rolling Stone magazine ranked the song among the 50 best Latin pop songs in the world.
Source: www.spiegel.de
