Raphael

Raphael strikes me as a living monument of Latin pop. Born in Linares in 1943 and still performing, he has sold over 70 million albums in up to seven languages across a career spanning six decades, which is simply staggering longevity. His theatrical, emotionally maximal delivery and sweeping stage gestures divide listeners, but I love that total commitment, the sense of a man flinging his whole body into a song about love. The Gold Medal of Merit feels earned. In an industry obsessed with reinvention, he held to his own style for a lifetime, and that stubborn artistry commands my respect.

Name (English)

Raphael

Name (Japanese)

ラファエル (スペインの歌手)

Reading

らふぁえる (すぺいんの歌手)

Born

May 5, 1943 (age 83)

Zodiac / Chinese zodiac

Taurus / Goat

Origin

Linares, Jaén Province, Spain

Occupation

actor / singer / musician

Awards & achievements

• 2006 Gold Medal of Merit in the Fine Arts
• 2018 Adopted Son of Madrid
• Order of Cisneros
• 1987 Commander of the Order of Isabella the Catholic
• 2019 Medal of the Community of Madrid
• 2003 International Latin Music Hall of Fame
• 2020 Lo Nuestro Excellence Award

• Official sitehttp://www.raphaelnet.com/index.html
• Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/raphaelartista/
• Wikipedia (English)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raphael%20(singer)
• Wikidatahttps://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q561205

Tags

• Jaén Province
• actor
• singer
• musician

Last updated

2026-06-21

Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.