Latin American music lovers can rarely have a conversation about popular Latino music without mentioning the name Ricardo Arjona.
Arjona is one of the bestselling Latino artists of all time, selling more than 20 million albums. Since he gained superstardom in the 1990s, Arjona has been a controversial figure due to this contentious lyrics about social and political issues. Love him or hate him, the 49-year-old Guatemalan singer has made a lasting impact on the Latino music industry.
Ricardo Arjona, whose real name is Edgar Ricardo Arjona Morales, hails from Antigua, Guatemala, according to Billboard. He spent most of his time in Guatemala City, studying music. He began his music career at 21 when he signed to the record label PolyGram in 1985. He then released the album "Déjame Decir Que Te Amo," in which the studio attempted to portray him as a stereotypical Latin lover. The album flopped.
After retreating from the industry to become a teacher, Arjona decided to get back into the ring in the early 1990s. He did not gain commercial success until 1993, when he wrote the song "Detrás de Mi Ventana" for Yuri's album "Nueva Era." The song was a smash hit. Arjona then signed a contract with Sony, and finally gained international fame with his fourth album, "Animal Nocturno," which contained the hit singles "Mujeres" and "Primera Vez." His fifth album, "Historias," received thirteen platinum and one diamond certifications, according to Terra.com. The album went quadruple platinum in Argentina.
Many of Arjona's song lyrics are controversial due to their social, religious and political themes. One of his most controversial songs, "Jesus Verbo No Sustantivo," chronicles his experiences as a child in Catholic school. The novel, controversial nature of the lyrics helped Arjona land the contract deal with Sony.
However, many critics and music lovers dismiss his lyrics as cheap, obvious rhymes that lack true depth and insight. The singer Fito Páez said the singer's success in Argentina was associated with the "cultural annihilation and absence of ideas," according to ABC News. Some even condemned his lyrics as "false poetry."
One of his controversial lines references Princess Diana, with the lyrics, "forgetting you is harder than running into Lady Di at the subway station." Another one of his songs focuses on the theme of women's menstrual cycles.
Yet, Arjona did not let the acerbic criticism get to him. "Somebody who devotes time and space to hate music he doesn't like, and turns that into a cause, is an idiot," Arjona said, in reference to Páez's criticism.
"What's written about me is what I write," he said, suggesting that he doesn't care about opinions other than his own.
Despite the criticisms, Arjona has diehard fans who flock to his concerts year after year. Last year, he performed a sold-out concert at Madison Square Garden in New York, prompting the New York Times to call him "one of Latin pop's finest lyricists," ABC News confirms.
Arjona said he doesn't pay a lot of attention to praise, much like his handling of criticism.
"I do consider the praises and criticism to some extent, but I try to not believe in them," he said. "I can't bring what is said about me to my home or my workplace, because then it would affect me. Even if it's a nice thing, you can't put it to work next to you. I mean, I've sang in empty bars for five drunkards, so even when I sing in front of so many people at Madison Square Garden, I can't bring that tremendous delirium home with me. It's just too heavy to carry with you everywhere you go."
Some have defended his mass-appeal pop music, saying that Latino pseudo-intellectuals simply dislike his music because they think it is too simple.
"His lyrics are no better or worse, more inspired or melodramatic than the regular musical fare Hispanics are used to," said Amherst College professor Ilan Stavans, who has edited the Norton Anthology of Latino Literature, the Enciclopedia of Latin Music and the FSG Book of Twentieth-Century Latin American Poetry, among others. "Poetry, needless to say, is subjective. Neruda left us over 3,000 poems in total. How many of them are wonderful? Maybe just 30."
Arjona's popularity is certainly not dampened by negative criticism. According to Billboard, his album "Adentro" was nominated for a 2006 Grammy in the Latin Pop category, proving that Arjona will remain one of the most popular Latino artists for quite some time.