Juanes

Juan Esteban Aristizábal Vásquez (born August 9, 1972), better known as Juanes (for the contraction of his first and second name) is a Colombian musician who was a member of heavy metal band Ekhymosis and is now a solo artist. In 2000, his solo debut album Fíjate Bien won three Latin Grammy Awards. According to his record label, Juanes has sold more than 15 million albums worldwide.. Juanes was born in Carolina del Príncipe, Antioquia, Colombia. When he was seven years old, his father and brothers began to teach him how to play guitar. His passion for the instrument led him to discover diverse genres of music such as traditional Latin sounds such as tango and bachata, as well as Colombian folk music.. He grew up in Medellín during the height of drug kingpin Pablo Escobar's reign, when the city had the highest homicide rate in the world. During his childhood, Juanes witnessed a civil war in which thousands were killed. He was greatly affected by the violence; his cousin was executed by kidnappers, and his close friend was murdered by gunmen. This period of time shaped his social consciousness, saying "Colombia has suffered so much that the only way to go forward is to imagine a better country." His father also died of cancer when he was a child, which caused him to further retreat into music....
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