Long before New Kids on the Block, Backstreet Boys, NSYNC, 98 Degrees and One Direction were a thought in their creators’ minds, Menudo exploded on the pop music scene, conquering the hearts of music fans of multiple generations throughout the U.S. and Latin America and ranked as one of the biggest Boy Bands of all time – and the only Latino group on the list – by Billboard, US Weekly, Seventeen, Teen Vogue and other influential publications.
Formed in Puerto Rico in 1977, Menudo became one of the most popular teen musical groups of the 80s and 90s, selling over 20 million records and releasing 34 albums and 24 singles between their launch and 2009. As older members aged out, others joined the fold – and along the way, the group gave rise to future Grammy and Latin Grammy winning superstars Ricky Martin and Draco Rosa, both members in the mid-80s.
Now, thanks to a passionate behind the scenes team that includes veteran music industry executive Paul Tarnopol (President of Miami-based Menudo Productions) and TV personality (and massive Menudo fan since childhood!) Mario Lopez, Menudo is back with its most dynamic ever lineup of five multi-talented singers, dancers, performers and all-around personalities.
After an extensive audition process that began with 600 video submissions and callbacks in Puerto Rico (briefly interrupted by Hurricane Irene), Los Angeles and Miami, it’s time to meet Gabriel Rossell (13), Andres Emilio (14), Alejandro Querales (15), Ezra Gilmore (12) and Nicolas Calero (10), who collectively form the next gen of Menudo. Though the original open call for online video submissions requested an age range of 12-16, the team was so impressed by Nicolas’ multitude of talents that they made an exception. All five were chosen from the Miami callbacks, and Lopez was with each boy as they got the good news.
Menudo has been an inescapable, exciting pop culture presence since “The Big Reveal” March 20, when the group performed their infectious, brass-fired and highly danceable English and Spanish language single “Mi Amore” (released that same day) on Good Morning America after an intro by Lopez. They followed with appearances on Live with Kelly and Ryan, The Kelly Clarkson Show, Access Hollywood and various shows on the Spanish language networks Univision and Telemundo. The colorful, kinetic video for the track amassed over 4M views in its first three weeks.
