Siblings include Saned, Edwin, Ito, and José, who all have careers in salsa (one of his brothers was with Puerto Rican Power). In an interview with Maria Conchita Alonso (for "Al día con Maria Conchita"), Jerry talks about how sure his father was that he would succeed.
His parents, also musicians, inspired him to become a musician and as a child he would often accompany his mother Dominga, a singer, and father Edwin, a guitarist and director of Los Barones Trio, during their shows.
His favorite singers are Eddie Santiago, Lalo Rodriguez and, in particular, Frankie Ruiz. In 1986, when he was 13 years old, he accompanied his father who was performing at a hotel in Isla Verde, San Juan. Ruiz, who was a guest at the hotel, appeared and sang a couple of songs with them and had his picture taken alongside Rivera. In 2003 this picture was used by Rivera to make the album cover for his tribute Canto a mi Idolo... Frankie Ruiz ('I sing to my Idol... Frankie Ruiz'), who had died in 1998.
In 1988, Tommy Olivencia heard Rivera sing alongside his father and recommended that he sing solo. When Jerry was 14, his father made a demo and presented it to the CBS music department. They signed Rivera.
With his first album, Empezando A Vivir, Jerry Rivera earned the title "El Bebé de la Salsa" (the salsa baby). This project generated the hit, De La Cabeza A Los Pies (loosely translates to "From Head To Toes").
His second album, Abriendo Puertas ('Opening Doors'), produced the hit songs Esa Niña ('That Girl'), Dime ('Tell Me') and Como un Milagro ('Like a Miracle') became number one hits first in Puerto Rico, then among the Hispanic populations in the United States and finally across Latin America.
His third album, Cuenta Conmigo ('Count on Me'), won three Platinum Record awards in the United States, Puerto Rico, Venezuela and Colombia. It became the most-sold salsa album in history, a record previously held by Willie Colon,[1] and held the number-one spot in the Latin American Billboards for three consecutive months. Its hit songs included the Cuenta Conmigo, Me Estoy Enamorado ('I am in Love') and Casi Un Hechizo. The number one hit for the album was Amores Como El Nuestro (Loves Like Ours) which is considered to be the best song by Rivera. Rivera was awarded two Premio Lo Nuestro Awards for "Singer of the Year" and "Album of the Year" and Sony Records presented him with three Crystal Awards.
The introduction of Amores Como El Nuestro was sampled by Haitian-rapper Wyclef Jean in his 2004 song "Dance Like This" from the soundtrack of Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights which would later become the worldwide number-one 2006 hit "Hips Don't Lie" by Colombian-singer Shakira and Wyclef, too.
In 1993, he released Cara de Niño ('Baby Face') with Que Hay De Malo ('That There of Bad') and Cara de Niño as hits.
In 1994, as his popularity was rising, he released his first compilation album, Lo Nuevo y lo Mejor (The New and the Best), and contained the single hit Me Estoy Enloqueciendo Por Ti.
In 1996, Rivera released "Fresco" and Una y Mil Veces (One Thousand and One Tries) became another hit for Rivera.
In 1999, Rivera recorded De Otra Manera ('Another Way'), which featured the bolero Ese. Jerry sang the song with his father at the Roberto Clemente Coliseum in San Juan.
In 2000, Rivera recorded Para Siempre ('Forever'), and the hits were Amor de Novela, Navegándote, and Puerta Abierta. This was his album on Sony Latin records.
He has performed in Venezuela, Colombia, Honduras, Panama, the United States, Spain and Japan.
In 2001, he released his self-titled album Jerry Rivera, which would include ballad songs for the first time in his salsa career, and Quiero (I Want) would be the only hit. The year after, he recorded Vuela Muy Alto (She Flies High) which brought him a new fanbase all over Latin-America and the U.S., with the title track hit the top spot and the top 10 in many charts. The following year he released Cantando A Mi Idolo... Frankie Ruiz ('Singing To My Idol... Frankie Ruiz'), a tribute album to one of his idol Frankie Ruiz. The album ganer him a Latin Grammy nominatation and his hit was Ruiz's Mi Libertad featuring Voltio.
Rivera played a small role in the movie I Like It Like That and will appear as himself in a Latin American soap opera titled Mi destino eres tu ('You are my destiny') slated to air on Univision in the US during on November 2005. Rivera has also appeared in various Banco Popular de Puerto Rico productions, including Al Compas de un Sentimiento (dedicated to the late Puerto Rican composer Pedro Flores) and Con la musica por Dentro. Amores Como El Nuestro and Magia is another of his hit songs.
Discography
Empezando a Vivir (Beginning to Live) (1989)
Abriendo Puertas (Opening Doors) (1991)
Cuenta Conmigo (Count On Me) (1992)
Cara de Niño (Baby Face) (1993)
Jerry Rivera: Lo Nuevo Y Lo Mejor (Jerry Rivera: The New and the Best)
Magia (Magic) (1995)
Fresco (album) (Fresh) (1996)
Ya No Soy El Niño Aquel(I'm Not That Child Anymore) (1997)
De Otra Manera (In Other Words) (1998)
Oro Salsero (Salsa Gold) (2000)
Historia 1 (History 1) (2000)
Para Siempre (Forever) (2000)
Jerry Rivera (Rivera) (2001)
No Me Olvidaras (You Won't Forget Me) (2001)
Vuela Muy Alto (Fly Very High) (2002)
Cantando A Mi Idolo... Frankie Ruiz (Singing To My Idol... Frankie Ruiz) (2003)
Ay Mi Vida (Oh My Life) (2005)
20 Exitos Originales (20 originals) (2007)
Official Website
http://www.jerryrivera.com/
Esa Niña
Jerry Rivera Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Y que finge tener veinte años
Esa niña que pide ternura
Ansiedad, libertad y locura
Esa niña que viene pegando
Bofetadas de vida y encantando
Esa niña que arrasa con todo
No sabe vivir poco a poco
Eres tu, o, tu, o, tu, o, tu
Quien quiera que seas tu, o, tu, o, tu, o, tu
Si tu lo deseas
Esa niña que tiembla en mis brazos
Y que finge tener viente años
Esa niña que pide canciones
Discoteca, guitarra y motores
Esa niña que guarda muñecos
Y que teme al amor y al colegio
Esa niña que me ha vuelto loco
Que me tiene absorbido del todo
Eres tu o tu o tu o tu
Quien quiera que seas tu o tu o tu o tu
Si tu lo deseas, deseas, deseas
Te quiero asi pequeña y agresiva con la vida
Loca perdida perdida perdida ahh
Te quiero asi pequeña y agresiva con la vida
Loca perdida perdida perdida ahh
Esa niña que tiembla en mis brazos
Y que finge tener viente años
La que me roba la calma la que
Me duerme siempre en sus brazos
Esa niña que pide locura esa niña que pide ternura
No fijes tener viente años eres
Solo una niña no quiero hacerte daño
Pero que niña mas preciosa
Ella es todavia un capullo de rosas
Es mi niña bonita cada dia mas preciosa
Te quiero asi pequeña y agresiva
Metienes locamente enamorado
The song "Esa Niña" by Jerry Rivera is an ode to a young woman that he is enamored with. The song describes a girl who is shaking in his arms and pretending to be twenty years old; a girl who seeks tenderness, anxiety, freedom, and madness. She is someone who comes with life's slaps and enchants everyone, someone who sweeps everything and cannot live slowly. Even while she is trembling, she asks for songs, discos, guitars, and motors. She holds dolls yet fears love and school; she drives Jerry insane and has him wholly absorbed. He loves her for being small, aggressive, wild, and lost.
Jerry Rivera likened the girl to a rosebud, who has not yet fully blossomed. He is cautious of her age and does not want to hurt her. He concludes that she is his beautiful girl, and he is head over heels for her.
The song is about Rivera's love for a young woman that he dotes on, despite her youthfulness. The lyrics convey Gerry's desire to protect and care for the young woman. The song makes a powerful emotional impact on the listeners, taking them on a journey of youthful love and the challenges of romantic relationships.
Line by Line Meaning
Esa niña que tiembla en mis brazos
The girl who trembles in my arms
Y que finge tener veinte años
And pretends to be twenty years old
Esa niña que pide ternura
That girl who asks for tenderness
Ansiedad, libertad y locura
Anxiety, freedom, and madness
Esa niña que viene pegando
That girl who comes hitting
Bofetadas de vida y encantando
Slaps of life and enchantment
Esa niña que arrasa con todo
That girl who sweeps away everything
No sabe vivir poco a poco
Does not know how to live little by little
Eres tu, o, tu, o, tu, o, tu
It's you, or you, or you, or you
Quien quiera que seas tu, o, tu, o, tu, o, tu
Whoever you may be
Si tu lo deseas
If you desire it
Esa niña que pide canciones
That girl who asks for songs
Discoteca, guitarra y motores
Disco, guitar, and motors
Esa niña que guarda muñecos
That girl who keeps dolls
Y que teme al amor y al colegio
And fears love and school
Esa niña que me ha vuelto loco
That girl who has driven me crazy
Que me tiene absorbido del todo
Who has absorbed me completely
Te quiero asi pequeña y agresiva con la vida
I love you like this, small and aggressive with life
Loca perdida perdida perdida ahh
Completely lost, lost, lost, ahh
Esa niña que me roba la calma la que
That girl who steals my calmness
Me duerme siempre en sus brazos
Always puts me to sleep in her arms
No fijes tener veinte años eres
Don't pretend to be twenty, you are
Solo una niña no quiero hacerte daño
Just a girl, I don't want to hurt you
Pero que niña mas preciosa
But what a precious girl
Ella es todavia un capullo de rosas
She's still a rosebud
Es mi niña bonita cada dia mas preciosa
My beautiful girl, more precious every day
Metienes locamente enamorado
You have me madly in love
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Juan Carlos Calderon Lopez De Arroyabe
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind