Joan Sebastian

About Joan Sebastian

Born in Juliantla, Guerrero in Mexico, Joan Sebastian is a renowned singer, songwriter and composer. He embarked on his successful music career in 1977. He is a Grammy Award winning artist with a proud holder of three Grammy Awards and five Latin Grammy Awards. His birth name was Jose Manuel Figueroa which was changed to the stage name Joan Sebastian in the year 1977 as a mark of respect to San Sebastian, where he was working before becoming a musician.nnJoan started writing songs at a very young age and was also interested in acting. When he was 17 he left the local seminary and got involved with music seriously. Long before he could gain recognition in the music industry, Joan Sebastian went to apply for a TV show very similar to the American Idol show, but was repeatedly rejected all the three times he applied. But the fourth time he was accepted when he applied through a false name. His talent and performance was highly appreciated and loved by the audience but he didn't receive pleasing reviews from the show hosts. nnHe focused more on music and produced several musical hits. The first composition that he made was dedicated to his native town in the name "Juliantla." His music was a combination of Latin pop, grupera and ranchera that won the heart of people and soon he began to be called 'El Poeta del Pueblo' which, in Mexico, means "the people's poet." His songs were recorded in various Latin styles and sung by other Latin artists or by himself. nnJoan Sebastian also appeared in certain TV series such as "Tu y yo" (1996), "Sangre De Rey" (1997) and "Sangre de nuestra raza, La" (1982) that offered him recognition as an actor. His acting in the series "Tu y yo" earned him the title - King of Jaripeo. It was at that time that he married his co-star in "Tu y yo"- Maribel Guardia who was a famous actress of the time. They were soon divorced. nnIn 1999 Joan Sebastian was diagnosed with cancer but this didn't stop him from advancing his career. He still persists in touring and composing new music. Later after a year he wrote the Grammy award winning song "Secreto de Amor." In 2000, he received The Silver Pen Award and in 2003 he received, for the second time, the Songwriter of the Universe Award at the 11th Annual El Premio ASCAP.