14 Interesting Facts About Luis Miguel
Are you curious to know some interesting facts about Luis Miguel?
Luis Miguel Gallego Basteri, a talented Mexican singer, producer, and songwriter, was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on April 19, 1970, to parents of Spanish and Italian descent.
Luis Miguel embarked on his musical journey at a young age.
Over the years, he has risen to prominence as one of Latin America’s most beloved artists, captivating audiences with his versatile performances in pop music, bolero, mariachi, and romantic ballads.
Related Read: Best Mexican Singers Of All Time
He is fondly called “El Sol de Mexico,” or “the Sun of Mexico” – a title that stems from the endearing nickname his mother gave him as a child: “Mi sol” (“my sun”).
Read on if you want to learn more interesting trivia about Luis Miguel.
Things you'll find in this article
- 14 Interesting Facts About Luis Miguel
- 1. Luis Miguel’s mother vanished without a trace
- 2. Luis Miguel is the only Latin artist to receive two platinum awards in the US
- 3. He was the youngest male artist to win a Grammy
- 4. He was only 11 when he got his first gold record
- 5. Luis Miguel won 6 Grammy awards from 15 nominations
- 6. He was named after a Spanish bullfighter
- 7. He was the only Latin singer to eschew the “Latin Explosion” of the 1990s
- 8. He was the first ever Latin singer to have his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
- 9. He has sold over 60 million records
- 10. He and Frank Sinatra had a special bond
- 11. Saddam Hussein had Luis Miguel’s album
- 12. Luis Miguel and Mariah Carey dated for three years
- 13. Luis Miguel is a self-taught sommelier and had his own brand of wines
- 14. He is fluent in four languages
14 Interesting Facts About Luis Miguel
1. Luis Miguel’s mother vanished without a trace
Luis Miguel was 15 years old when his mother, Marcela Basteri, embarked on a plane to Madrid, Spain, to visit her estranged husband in 1986. She was never seen again.
Various theories have arisen regarding her disappearance. Some suggest that she experienced a severe psychological breakdown or made a deliberate choice to abandon her family and start a new life elsewhere. Some speculate that Basteri met a sinister fate and was the victim of foul play.
However, some reports claim that Luis Miguel ceased his search for his mother after receiving confirmation from a private investigator that she had tragically died in an accident.
To this day, Marcela Basteri’s whereabouts remain a mystery that puzzles many.
2. Luis Miguel is the only Latin artist to receive two platinum awards in the US
Miguel stands out as the sole Latin artist to earn platinum status in the United States with not just one but two Spanish-language albums: Romance (1991) and Segundo Romance (1994).
3. He was the youngest male artist to win a Grammy
Luis Miguel achieved a remarkable feat at the age of 14 when he secured his first Grammy award for his duet “Me Gustas Tal Como Eres” with American singer Sheena Easton.
This distinguished Miguel as the youngest male artist ever to be honored with such a prestigious accolade in the history of music.
4. He was only 11 when he got his first gold record
Luis Miguel’s debut studio album, Un Sol, stylized as …Un Sol, was released in 1982 when Miguel was 11 years old. The album is also recognized under the title 1 + 1 = 2 Enamorados.
According to reports, the album sold between 700,000 and 1 million copies in Mexico alone.
5. Luis Miguel won 6 Grammy awards from 15 nominations
The prestigious Grammy Awards, presented annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences in the United States, have recognized the exceptional talent of Luis Miguel by nominating him 15 times.
He bagged 6 of them, winning the awards in the years 1985, 1994, 1995, 1998, 2006, and 2019.
6. He was named after a Spanish bullfighter
He was named Luis Miguel in honor of Spanish matador Luis Miguel Dominguín (1926 – 1996), who gained popularity during the 1940s and 1950s not only in Spain but also in Portugal, Mexico, Colombia, and other countries.
Incidentally, Dominguín’s son Miguel Bosé is also a Grammy award-winning singer and actor in Spain.
7. He was the only Latin singer to eschew the “Latin Explosion” of the 1990s
Amidst the “Latin Explosion” that swept through the music scene in the 1990s, Luis Miguel was the only Latin singer who stood apart.
While it propelled numerous Latin singers to global fame, the Mexican singer charted his own course, remaining distinct from the wave of Latin music that dominated the industry at the time.
8. He was the first ever Latin singer to have his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
In 1996, Luis Miguel was bestowed his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame as a tribute for his huge contribution to the recording industry.
At the age of 26, he was the youngest male singer at the time to receive such a prestigious recognition.
9. He has sold over 60 million records
Luis Miguel has achieved a remarkable feat by selling more than 60 million records, making him one of the bestselling Latin music artists in history.
Additionally, Luis Miguel holds the distinction of having the second-highest number of chart-topping albums on the prestigious Billboard Top Latin Albums chart, with an impressive total of 9 albums reaching the top spot.
His bestselling album titled Romance de él, which was released in 1999, sold 13 million copies worldwide.
10. He and Frank Sinatra had a special bond
Often referred to by the media as the “Latin Frank Sinatra,” Luis Miguel and the late Frank Sinatra actually had a special bond.
In Frank Sinatra’s October 1996 letter to Miguel that the Mexican singer disclosed on Instagram in May 2023, Sinatra highly praised Luis Miguel’s talent, describing him as “incomparable.”
Adding to the significance, Sinatra affectionately referred to him as “Micki,” a nickname reserved exclusively for his closest friends during that period.
Miguel was at Sinatra’s 80th birthday celebration in November 1995, where he was the only Latin singer invited.
Two years prior, the two met to record the song “Come Fly With Me” in Mexico.
11. Saddam Hussein had Luis Miguel’s album
Luis Miguel’s music has achieved remarkable popularity among audiences in Asia and Africa, where languages other than Spanish and English are primarily spoken.
According to reports, when the Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein was captured, it was discovered that he had Luis Miguel’s album Segundo Romance in his possession.
12. Luis Miguel and Mariah Carey dated for three years
Mariah Carey and Luis Miguel crossed paths in Aspen, Colorado in 1998. Their meeting was set up as a blind date amidst Mariah’s divorce from her ex-husband, American music executive Tommy Mottola.
Miguel and Carey’s first meeting sparked a romantic connection, leading them to embark on a relationship that same year.
Unfortunately, however, their once-strong bond began to crack and the couple decided to call it quits in 2001 amid rumors of infidelity and hectic schedules.
According to reports, Mariah Carey suffered the worse from the breakup and experienced a period of deep depression.
Her 1999 song “Thank God I Found You” is said to have been written by Mariah Carey for Luis Miguel.
13. Luis Miguel is a self-taught sommelier and had his own brand of wines
Apart from his outstanding music career, Luis Miguel has also ventured into the world of winemaking.
He released his own label, Único Luis Miguel, a Cabernet Sauvignon with an alcohol content of 13% and matured in French oak barrels for 14 months.
However, after 16 years, the manufacturing company lost contact with Luis Miguel, leading to the termination of their business relationship with the singer.
In addition to his affinity for wine, Luis Miguel has garnered acclaim for his refined palate and appreciation for fine dining.
14. He is fluent in four languages
One of the most intriguing yet lesser-known facts about Luis Miguel is that he is a polyglot.
Besides his native Spanish, he can speak in Italian and Portuguese as well as English fluently despite never having performed an entire song in the latter.
Miguel attributes his acquired proficiency in the said languages purely from frequent travels to countries where they are spoken.
