Victor Manuelle

Víctor Manuel Ruiz Velázquez, known professionally as Victor Manuelle, was born on September 27, 1968, in New York City, and raised primarily in Isabela, Puerto Rico. His musical journey began unexpectedly during his high school graduation party when salsa icon Gilberto Santa Rosa invited him to sing on stage. Manuelle’s ability to improvise lyrics impressed Santa Rosa, leading to his first opportunities as a backup singer for bandleader Don Periñon.

Manuelle emerged as a leading voice in the New York salsa scene of the mid-1990s, alongside artists like Marc Anthony and La India. Mentored by Gilberto Santa Rosa and produced by Sergio George, his albums “Victor Manuelle” (1996) and “A Pesar De Todo” (1997) produced multiple number one hits on the tropical charts. He continued this success over the next decade, with every studio album yielding at least one tropical chart-topping song. His albums “Inconfundible” (1999), “Instinto Y Deseo” (2001), and “Travesía” (2004) all appeared on Billboard’s Top 200 Albums chart, with the latter two reaching #1 on the Latin Album chart. His single “Tengo Ganas” (2004) became a Billboard #1 Latin hit.

His career also includes notable moments such as singing an a cappella version of Celia Cruz’s “La Vida Es Un Carnaval” at her funeral in 2003, a moment widely replayed on Spanish-language television. Manuelle made his acting debut with a cameo role as Rubén Blades in the 2007 film “El Cantante,” performing an acoustic version of “El Cantante.” Throughout his career, he has collaborated with various artists and has been actively involved in touring and television appearances, consistently reinforcing his position as a respected figure in Latin music.