Chayanne (born June 28, 1968) is a Latin Pop singer who was born as Elmer Figueroa de Arse in San Lorenzo, Puerto Rico.

Figueroa began using the artistic name of “Chayanne” when he was a little kid. He auditioned for Menudo, but was told that at the time that he was too young for the group. He didn’t give up and he heard that Titi Soto was trying to create a new group that would compete with Menudo, and so he went and tried out. He was chosen for the group and his meteoric rise to the top began.

That group, Los Chicos, made several #1 hits, including Puerto Rico Son Los Chicos, and Terremoto. And while it never achieved the popularity of Menudo, it did give Menudo good competition, becoming famous all over Latin America, participating in a movie (Coneccion Caribe), and producing millions of Los Chicos-related memorabilia like t-shirts, rulers, magazines etc.

After Los Chicos went bankrupt in 1984 and separated, Chayanne, having become famous all over ... read more »