Ricky Martin To Receive ‘Premio Lo Nuestro’ Excellence Award.

In recognition of his extraordinary accomplishments in the music industry, recording superstar Ricky Martin has been selected to be the recipient of Premio Lo Nuestro’s 2004 “Premio a la Excelencia” (Excellence Award). In addition to receiving the prestigious special award, Martin will also thrill viewers with a spectacular performance during the LIVE telecast of the “Premio Lo Nuestro a la Música Latina” awards ceremony on the Univision Network on Thursday, February 26, 8-11 pm ET/PT (7-10 pm Central/Mountain).

The “Premio a la Excelencia” is a special distinction bestowed upon extraordinary Latin music artists who have maintained a level of professional excellence throughout their careers. Previous winners include Julio Iglesias, Plácido Domingo, Gloria Estefan, Marco Antonio Solís, Los Panchos, Antonio Aguilar, Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán, and Luis Miguel.

“I’m honored to be recognized in the company of the incredible Latin artists who have received the ‘Premio a La Excelencia’ in the past,” said Martin. “The Premio Lo Nuestro is a true celebration of our music, and music is where my heart will always be.”

In a career that spans nearly two decades and includes more than 55 million albums sold, Martin has earned his place in entertainment history, forever changing the way the world sees Latin music. Martin’s most recent release, “Almas del Silencio (Souls of Silence),” debuted at #1 on the Billboard Top Latin Albums chart and was the highest chart debut on the Billboard Top 200 (#12) of any all Spanish-language album in the SoundScan era. Almas del Silencio has been released in 38 non-Hispanic countries and has generated three consecutive #1 singles.

Almas del Silencio is the latest in a series of record-breaking recordings for Martin. With his “Livin’ La Vida Loca” single, Martin became the first Latin male solo artist of the SoundScan era to hit #1 on the Hot 100. He won the “Best Latin Pop Performance” Grammy for Vuelve, a Spanish language album, at the 41st Annual Grammy Awards ceremony in 1999. He was named “World’s Bestselling Pop Male Artist” and “World’s Bestselling Latin Artist” at the 12th Annual World Music Awards. At the 10th Annual Billboard Music Awards, he was named “Male Artist of the Year” and “Male Hot 100 Singles Artist of the Year.” Most recently, Martin won an American Music Award in the “Favorite Latin Artist” category.

In addition to his musical accolades, Martin starred on Broadway as Marius in “Les Miserables.” A devoted philanthropist, Martin recently established “People for Children,” a foundation that helps fight against the sexual exploitation of children.