Juanes (born August 9, 1972, Medellín, Colombia) is a Colombian guitarist, singer, songwriter, and activist who had an absorbing stage presence and gained international recognition in the early 21st century for his passionate songs of romantic love and social struggle.
When Juanes was seven years old, his father and brothers taught him to play guitar, and he quickly became immersed in the musical traditions of his Colombian homeland. Later he became infatuated with rock and roll, and for 11 years he was a singer and guitarist for Ekhymosis, a heavy metal band that enjoyed a strong following in his country. Juanes grew restless with the artistic limitations of the band, however, and in 1999 he moved to Los Angeles to pursue a solo career.
In 2000 Juanes debuted with Fíjate bien (“Take a Good Look”), a brooding album that produced a handful of hits and earned the singer three Latin Grammy Awards, including best new artist. Juanes’s major breakthrough came in 2002 with the release of his second album, the bright and energetic Un día normal (“A Normal Day”), which included the chart-topping songs “A Dios le pido” (“I Ask God”), an anthem for peace, and “Fotografia” (“Photograph”), a duet with Canadian pop singer Nelly Furtado. Un día normal won five awards at the 2003 Latin Grammys, including album of the year, record of the year, and song of the year. In 2004 he released Mi sangre (“My Blood”), which also received multiple Latin Grammys.
In 2007 Juanes launched his own record label, 4Js, named after his father and siblings (whose names start with the letter J). That year he also released the album La vida…es un ratico (“Life…Is a Moment”), on which he maintained his call for peace, love, and social change. His success at the Latin Grammy Awards continued as the album and its hit single “Me enamora” (“It Makes Me Fall in Love”) won in the same major categories as Un día normal had. Although Juanes’s sales declined somewhat with the rock-driven P.A.R.C.E. (2010), MTV Unplugged (2012), an intimate live recording that garnered him his third Latin Grammy for album of the year, confirmed his enduring appeal. He released an autobiography, Persiguiendo el sol (Chasing the Sun), in 2013.
His 2014 album, Loco de amor (“Crazy in Love”), made with rock producer Steve Lillywhite, earned the Latin Grammy for best pop/rock album. In 2017 Juanes issued Mis planes son amarte (“My Plans Are to Love You), a “visual” album in which each song was accompanied by a scene in a film about a man’s journey toward love. It also was awarded a Latin Grammy for best pop/rock album. Más futuro que pasado (2019; “More Future Than Past”) mixed traditional forms with rock and hip-hop. Juanes won the 2019 Latin Grammy for person of the year. His 10th studio album, Origen (2021), was a tribute to his musical roots; a companion documentary was also released that year.
Juanes’s passion for music was matched by his concern with the problems that plagued Colombia. Through his songs—which remained firmly rooted in cumbia, tango, and the regional music of his native country—as well as through his ongoing philanthropic work, he condemned the world’s violence while projecting hope for a better future. In 2006 Juanes started the Mi Sangre Foundation, an organization dedicated to eradicating Colombia’s land mines and supporting victims of land mine accidents. The Juanes Peace Park, with special facilities for people with disabilities, opened in his hometown of Medellín in 2008. In 2009 Juanes organized and headlined a peace concert in Havana despite criticism from opponents of Cuba’s government. The well-attended event featured some 15 other performers.