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- In a new interview with Oprah Magazine's digital director Arianna Davis, Ricky Martin opened up about celebrating Pride Month with a virtual iHeart Radio concert, #CantCancelPride.
- The father of four also talked about how his family has coped with the coronavirus quarantine, how he's educating himself thanks to the Black Lives Matter Movement, and his hopes for the upcoming gubernatorial election in Puerto Rico.
- Ahead, watch the full interview—plus learn about the singer's surprise new EP, Pausa, and updates on more new music.
For fans like me, our love affair with Ricky Martin goes way, way back—as in, back to the 1980's when he was a kid star in the boy band Menudo. Through the years, the Puerto Rican singer has risen to icon status thanks to multiple Grammy's, hit singles—like, of course "Livin' La Vida Loca"—and performances that have gone down in history. (If you need a pick-me-up, I highly recommend you watch the video for "La Copa de la Vida," the official song for the 1998 World Cup. It raises my energy every time.)
But Martin has truly made his mark over the years as both a thought leader and activist. In 2004, he launched the Ricky Martin Foundation, a non-profit that has since fought to end human trafficking and raise awareness around human slavery. Last July, Martin was one of many famous faces—including other artists like Bad Bunny, Residente, and Daddy Yankee—who led protests that put the pressure on Puerto Rico's corrupt Governor Ricardo Rosselló to eventually resign. And after coming out to the world in 2010, Martin has since been a vocal advocate for the LGBTQ community; this month, he's one of several headliners for iHeart Radio's virtual "Can't Cancel Pride" concert.
Still, even Ricky Martin has his struggles, so during the coronavirus quarantine, he opted to table the album he had been working on for months—Movimiento—and instead channeled some of the "anxiety" that he was experiencing thanks to the pandemic into a surprise six-song EP, Pausa.
"My music, it’s fusion, and I have great rhythms, but...I was in a very introspective place, so I said 'You know what, let’s just divide the album in two: volume 1, volume 2.' The first one is Pause—Pausa, because that’s where we are. It’s going to be more introspective and romantic and people are loving it, and the critics [have said] this is the soundtrack for our quarantine, so for me it was very special."
I can attest that the EP is a vibe—for the last few weeks, it's been what I put on to start my day. (For me, the gorgeous ballad "Recuerdo" featuring Carla Morrison and the salsa-infused "Cántalo" featuring Bad Bunny and Residente are highlights.) But for fans who are also looking for some more "Shake Your Bon Bon" style jams, not to worry: the singer tells me that a follow-up to Pausa is coming this fall: Play.
"I’ll be releasing Play with more of a festive atmosphere. One thing this madness is teaching us is that we have to live the moment, but we don’t want to stop...music is medicine. I don’t know if we’re going to be here in lockdown [by then], but I’m sure we’re going to want to dance regardless of our reality. I’m ready."
Ahead, you can watch our full interview, or read the highlights for more on Martin's life with his husband and four children, what he's learned from the Black Lives Matter movement, how he hopes to see the island of Puerto Rico move forward after the gubernatorial election, and more. (And, yes plenty of that magnetic Ricky Martin smile.)
First and foremost, as a fellow Boricua, I just want to say I have been a Ricky Martin fan for so long—me, my mom, my sister, my abuela, all of us.
Send them my love, please!
I’ve always been a fan of yours—of course because of your talent— but also because of how you are so outspoken about championing human rights. How are you celebrating Pride month, and tell us about the Can’t Cancel Pride event that you’re doing with iHeartRadio!
Are you kidding me? I was invited to be a part of that event and I’m not going to say no. I look for any excuse to wave my flag and talk about things that really matter. I think at the end of the day, it’s all about human rights. And it’s not about me...it’s about all those incredible heroes that have been fighting for many, many, many years, defending our rights. For me, that’s what Pride is about. And then to be able to, just to be able to be a part of such an incredible event with Katy Perry and Laverne Cox, it’s just crazy. It’s important, it’s necessary...now more than ever we need to make sure our rights aren’t taken away from us. There’s a lot of people out there that just don’t see, who are trying to make us second class citizens, and it’s not going to happen. Sorry.
You’ve also been outspoken about the Black Lives Matter movement. Tell me a little bit about what that learning process has been like for you.
When you think you know and then you start learning, you realize you know nothing. You have to stay quiet and you have to listen. And what I’ve done, I’ve given my social media to incredible voices, voices of the community that are, number one looking for justice. People that are teaching us the reality that we think we know, and really we have no idea. So that’s all I can do right now. I created a hashtag that is #knowthestruggle and I’m still learning. And I think that’s what it’s about.
And I go back home and I talk about this reality and I talk about the hypocrisy that we go through, that we live with. There are some things that we say that are filled with anger and rage and blood, and we don’t even realize that we say these things because they are part of lingo, they’re part of stuff. We can’t do that.
My part is to teach my kids, to teach my kids about the importance of, number one loving themselves, but loving and focusing on the similarities of people in the world. I mean, we have a heart, blood, but the color, the concept of them, me explaining to them that unfortunately people treat other people differently because of the color of their skin. It’s something that is really, very difficult for them to grasp. But it’s important that we are honest with our kids and we let them know what’s happening and we need to be transparent with them. That’s the only way we will be able to see justice in the future.”
On top of all of that, there’s a pandemic happening. Where are you quarantining, and how has it been being home with four young children?
It’s, like everyone: it’s been really intense. But then again, I’m really lucky, because I’m here with my family. I have four kids, there’s no time to be sad. We have to do whatever it takes in order for them to feel safe and protected. I am lucky, because my mom has been with us since lockdown started, and to be next to my mom for me is important. She actually just went back to Puerto Rico last night and my God, I miss her.
I was really anxious, the level of anxiety that I was dealing with was completely unrecognizable. I needed to write about this [for my album] and I needed to share it with my audience and my social media. And a lot of people are saying "Thank you Rick, I’m not the only one." We’re all feeling what we’re feeling. We have to talk about mental health. It’s something that’s very difficult for us to talk about. We have to start now, because what’s coming after this crisis could be really intense. For us—at least for me as a dad—it’s important for my kids to really recognize and understand the meaning of each emotion. So every morning I say "good morning everyone, how are we feeling today?" And then they say, "Good, Dad." And I’m like, "Good is not a feeling, can we try it again?" It’s been very special for them to really recognize what an emotion is.”
It’s been almost a year since you were one of several celebrities who helped lead the charge to get the governor out of Puerto Rico. What do you hope to see out of the upcoming election for the island?
I think it’s very important for parents to talk to the young voters about the importance of the future. We have a phenomenon in Puerto Rico that we give our vote depending on how our families are voting. I think it’s about a very individualistic attitude. Showing up and voting and thinking about what needs to change and what is it that we need to evolve as a society is very difficult. But I think there is a level of awareness, and people are tired of the injustice. And I know people are going to show up, and I’m ready. I’m ready to see this very powerful change that is happening right now. The snowball is really intense. There is a young generation that, they know exactly what they want and they’re not playing games. I just can’t wait to witness this.
Speaking of the young generation: You have three sons, but you also welcomed a daughter last year. What has been the biggest thing you’ve learned from having a daughter versus sons?
She’s only a year old so it’s hard to say, but she’s smarter than all of us together. She has two daddies and three brothers, are you kidding me? She knows it, and she takes advantage of that and she runs the house. I give up. Yes, I’m not going to fight it. But she just walks into a room and she goes "Yeahhhh!" like "I’ve arrived." I’m like oh my god she’s only one year old, let’s see what happens. But I love it and I’m obsessed.
Before I let you go, so many people before this interview were like, "Ask him his skincare routine." How you do maintain the Ricky Martin glow?! What's the secret?
[Laughs] Creams now and then. Moisturizers. I cannot say that I use too much sunblock. That’s really bad, I need sunblock, I know. But you know, I’m happy. I’m happy. At the end of the day, that’s what really matters. I’m in a really good place. I have no secrets. When I have issues with someone, I try to fix it as soon as possible. I live my life with honesty and transparency, and that comes out. I’m in a good place. And when I’m not in a good place, I will let you know: It’s okay not to be okay. And I think that’s the key to life. To just be in touch with your emotions and just don’t lie to yourself, that’s it. Later on, I will share my cream secrets. [Laughs] Also, lots of love and lots of kisses in the morning, that also helps.
My last question is, you have an EP, you have maybe a tour upcoming: What else is next for Ricky Martin? Are you going to get back to acting anytime soon?
Of course, I would love that. All I have to say is, as soon as they open the doors, I’m going to rebook my tour again. I can’t wait to be on stage, I can’t wait to show the energy of the crowd. Obviously it’s very important to stay healthy. We’re just going to go back to what our grandparents would tell us: Wash your hands 10 times a day, eat healthy, and we will be able to relive something that is so important as the live experience. It’s a cultural event that we have to protect. We’re living one day at a time, one minute at a time. I don’t know what is going to happen—but I need to be on stage.
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