Enrique "Ricky" Martin Morales is a Puerto Rican singer and actor famous for his musical versatility. His discography incorporates a wide variety of elements, including Latin pop, dance, reggaeton, salsa, and other genres. Martin began his career in television commercials at the age of nine and started his musical career at twelve as a member of Puerto Rican boy band Menudo. He gained recognition in Latin America with the release of his first two studio albums, Ricky Martin (1991) and Me Amaras (1993), both focused on ballads.

In 1995, Martin's third album, A Medio Vivir, helped him rise to prominence in European countries. The chart-topping single "María" became his first international hit. His international success was further solidified with his fourth album, Vuelve (1998), which earned Martin his first Grammy Award. The album spawned songs "Vuelve" and "La Copa de la Vida". Martin performed the latter at the 41st Annual Grammy Awards. His first English album, Ricky Martin (1999), became his first US Billboard 200 number one. The lead single "Livin' la Vida Loca" topped both the Billboard Hot 100 and the UK Singles Chart. Martin's success in the late 1990s is widely seen as the beginning of the "Latin explosion".

Martin has since released several successful albums, including Almas del Silencio (2003) and MTV Unplugged (2006), as well as Grammy Award winner A Quien Quiera Escuchar (2015). Notable singles in this period include "She Bangs", "Nobody Wants to Be Lonely", "Tal Vez", "Tu Recuerdo", "La Mordidita", "Vente Pa' Ca", and "Canción Bonita". As an actor, Martin took a role in the hit soap opera General Hospital (1994–1996), while his portrayal of Antonio D'Amico in The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story (2018) garnered him an Emmy nomination. He also starred as Ché in the Broadway revival of the musical Evita in 2012.

Martin is one of the best-selling Latin music artists of all time, having sold over 70 million records worldwide. He has scored 11 Billboard Hot Latin Songs number-one songs and won numerous awards, including two Grammy Awards, five Latin Grammy Awards, five MTV Video Music Awards, two American Music Awards, three Latin American Music Awards, three Billboard Music Awards, nine Billboard Latin Music Awards, eight World Music Awards, and fourteen Lo Nuestro Awards. He also holds a Guinness World Record and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. His philanthropy and activism focus on LGBT rights and fighting against human trafficking. In 2004, he founded The Ricky Martin Foundation, a non-profit organization that focuses on denouncing human trafficking and educating about the crime's existence.