Yosdany Jacob Carmenates, better known as Jacob Forever, is a popular Cuban singer of genres such as ballads, reggaeton, and other urban music styles. He was born in Camagüey on December 21, 1981.
His beginnings in the music world showcased his restless personality on stage and his desire to innovate and succeed: he started by dancing on skates for a company where he imitated the style of groups like the Backstreet Boys and N'Sync. He traveled with this dance company to Spain, where he stayed for a year. Upon returning, he founded Made in Cuba.
In 2005, he became a member of the group Gente d'Zona. With them, he recorded Lo mejor que suena ahora vol II and gained national and international popularity with several songs that reached the top of the charts.
After eight years of successes, several albums (Lo mejor que suena ahora, Full), collaborations with artists like Orishas, La Charanga Habanera, El Micha, among others, and a Premio Lucas, Jacob and Alexander Delgado (founder of Gente d'Zona) announce their separation. Gente d'Zona would continue their journey alongside Randy (former singer of La Charanga Habanera) while Jacob would embark on his solo career that same year, 2013, alongside El Dany, a former member of the group DpuntoD, and Nando Pro. Together, they founded Los Inmortales. Más duro and Son muchas cosas are the first two albums of this reggaeton group, one of the most followed and successful in Cuba.
In 2015, Jacob made a significant leap to fame with his single "Hasta Que Se Seque el Malecón", included in his album El Inmortal. The song, which has nearly 78 million views on YouTube, solidified his status as one of the leading exponents of the urban genre on the island and introduced him to audiences worldwide.
The music video, featuring a 90s aesthetic and showcasing splendid aerial views of the northern coast of the Cuban capital, with a focus on the Morro Lighthouse, the area's architecture, and the famous Malecón, was very well received by the public. It premiered on November 8, 2015, on Jacob Forever's YouTube channel and was created by the Cuban audiovisual director Freddy Loon. Forever later remixed his song with the famous Puerto Rican reggaeton artist Farruko.
This success was followed by La Dura, also from 2015, and the 2017 Remix along with Enrique Iglesias and Descemer Bueno of Súbeme la Radio. The single achieved 4 Platinum Records, a certification awarded for surpassing 200,000 copies sold, at least in the United States. The song La Dura was censored in 2016 by Cuban Television because in the video a car is gifted to the protagonist of the story, which officials deemed “speculative” and “ostentatious,” leading to the decision.
Among his collaborations with other artists in the industry is the remix of No Debí Dejarte Sola alongside Descemer Bueno and El Micha (2020). In August 2020, he released Pa mi gente, which features the single Dile, presented as a gift for his 39th birthday, with its music video reaching nearly 14 million views on YouTube. This same album, comprising 15 tracks filled with collaborations, includes Papelacera alongside El Taiger, Amor with Álvaro Torres, among others.
Jacob resides in Miami with his wife Diliamne Jouve, better known as La Dura, with whom he has a daughter together, Saisha. Additionally, the singer has two other children from two previous relationships.
