Photo: John Mathew Smith / CC BY-SA 2.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Jon Secada sounds, to me, like the bittersweet warmth of the early nineties distilled into one voice. A Havana-born Cuban-American who studied at the University of Miami, he fused funk, soul, and Latin percussion into something genuinely his own, selling fifteen million records and taking home two Grammys. But what I find most telling is the other half of his career: writing for Gloria Estefan, Ricky Martin, and Jennifer Lopez. He is both a star and a craftsman behind other stars, which is a rarer combination than people credit. As a bridge carrying Latin music to a wider world, shaped by the journey of exile, he has my lasting respect.
Overview
Juan Francisco Secada Ramírez (born October 4, 1961), better known as Jon Secada, is a Cuban-American singer. He has won two Grammy Awards and sold 15 million records, making him one of the best-selling Latin music artists. His music fuses funk, soul music, pop, and Latin percussion. Secada has written songs for Gloria Estefan, Ricky Martin, and Jennifer Lopez.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Jon Secada
- Name (Japanese)
- ジョン・セカダ
- Reading
- じょん・せかだ
- Born
- October 4, 1961 (age 64)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Libra / Ox
- Origin
- Havana, Havana Province, Cuba
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- singer / musician / composer / songwriter / recording artist
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Hialeah High School
- University
- University of Miami
Awards & achievements
- 1993 Grammy Award for Best Latin Pop Album
- 1996 Grammy Award for Best Latin Pop Album
- 2017 Latin Grammy Award for Best Traditional Tropical Album
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Singer — see all → · Musician — see all → · More people from Cuba →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.