Emmanuel Gazmey Santiago, whose stage name is Anuel AA, is a Puerto Rican reggaeton and Latin trap singer born in Carolina, Puerto Rico on November 27, 1992.
Despite having only 5 years of popularity and being interrupted by several legal issues that have led the singer to serve time in prison, pausing his artistic activity, Anuel AA has managed to collaborate with some of the most prominent figures in reggaeton and trap, steering a career that continues to rise toward fame.
In 2015, he released his single "Nacimos pa' morir" alongside Jory Boy, and in 2016, he gained worldwide recognition with the song "La ocasión," featuring Ozuna, Arcángel, and De La Ghetto.
On April 3, 2016, he was arrested and sentenced to 30 months in prison for possession of firearms. He resumed his career in 2018.
He has shared stages with Puerto Ricans Ozuna and Ñengo Flow, who propelled him to fame in his homeland. In 2019, he collaborated with Daddy Yankee, J Balvin, and Karol G (his current partner) on the song "China," of which he is a co-writer. The track debuted at number 2 on Spotify's Global Top 50, amassing over 5,000,000 streams.
In Spain, the song reached number 1 on the Top 50, breaking the record for listens in 24 hours (724,000), and became the most successful song of the genre in 2019 in that country.
In January 2020, he released "Me Gusta" featuring Shakira through Ace Entertainment and Sony Music Latin. The song includes a sample of "Sweat (A La La La La Long)" by the Jamaican band Inner Circle. Anuel is a co-author of the track, which currently has over 100 million views on YouTube.
On May 13, 2020, he released the song La Bebe (Remix) alongside Black Jonas Point, Secreto, Liro Shaw, and Cardi B. That same day, he released the song Sur y norte with his partner Ñengo Flow for their album The Goat.
For his second album "Emmanuel," released in 2020, he features collaborations with Karol G, Daddy Yankee, Kendo Kaponi, Tego Calderón, Enrique Iglesias, Bad Bunny, among others. He also has another album from 2018 titled Real hasta la muerte.
In October 2019, at the fifth edition of the Latin American Music Awards held at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, he was the big winner, taking home five awards in the most prestigious categories: Artist of the Year, Album of the Year, Favorite Male Artist, Urban Artist, and Urban Album.
In December 2019, along with his partner Karol G, he provided the entertainment with his music during the party that took place after the renewal of vows ceremony for Uruguayan footballer Luis Suárez and his wife Sofía Balbi. There, he shared the occasion with Leo Messi, Neymar Jr, Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba, among others.
In June 2020, in the music video for the reggaeton song that pays tribute to many Latin American countries through their flags and the dancers' attire, there is also a reference to Cuba.
