Online Host: Welcome to AOL Ricky Martin! His first chat since his English album. Presented by Entertainment Asylum.
Ricky Martin: Thank you very much. In fact, I think this is the first live chat ever in my life. So this is great, you guys are my godparents!
Online Host: What is it like to overnight have millions of Americans discover you?
Ricky Martin: It was very special to have the opportunity to present my music to the American audience. I had the opportunity to act in America in General Hospital and I did Broadway in Les Miserables a couple years ago and it's been a fascinating journey ever since. I started working with the crossover and the album that I presented at the Grammy's did very well and sold over 2 million albums. Then we went to Asia finishing the tour with 25 concerts in Asia, all in Spanish! And then after the Grammy's I recorded the album. And I've recorded in Portuguese, Italian and I thought, why not English? We have to do it.
Question: Ricky how did you get started in your career? From Rachel & Jessie.
Ricky Martin: Hello, Rachel & Jessie. My career started in 1984, full-time. When I was 7 years old, I did TV commercials. But in 1984 I started in a musical band and was very successful all over the world. The band was called Menudo. I guess I am very lucky that I had the opportunity to be a part of Menudo. First of all, it was the first "boy band" that ever existed. And it gave me the chance to learn the discipline needed. And that word has become very important in my life.
Question: What's the next song you'll be releasing off your album?
Ricky Martin: The new album is called "Ricky Martin" and the first single was "Livin' La Vida Loca." And the second single will be "She's All I Ever Had," a beautiful ballad written by John Secada and others. It's an album that was recently released and it's really a baby and we have two more years to go with that album. But it was a great experience to work with a living legend and someone who did a lot for music and society, Madonna. She's amazing. She's brilliant.
Question: Do you believe in love at first sight?
Ricky Martin: Oh, yes! I do believe in love at first sight. It's beautiful when you connect with the eyes...boom! Yes, I have had love at first sight. It's beautiful, but later on you have to start looking from the inside. The spiritual aspect for me in a person is so important. I go after a person who is balanced and serene and in control of her feelings and actions. That's what really turns me on, someone who really knows what she wants in life and is not compulsive or obsessive. Thank you for your question!
Question: Hey Ricky baby! I just wanted to know, what was the most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to you while singing? Thanks! You're the cutest!
Ricky Martin: The most embarrassing moment was to be on stage, I fell off! Well, I fell down, not off. I stepped on a rose that someone in the audience had thrown to the stage and I slipped and boom! And the good thing was that nobody noticed because I kept dancing on the floor as if it was part of the act.
Question: My only question is: who is the person you vent with when you are feeling depressed?
Ricky Martin: I'm very lucky, I have a very nice group of friends. People who have known me for many years and who have been part of my life for 15 years at least. And they know me very well and they give me a beautiful sense of reality. I guess, you know, dealing with all the adrenaline and euphoria in the music business, my priority is to keep my feet on the ground, and not to be depressed and that helps a lot. So I go to them and it feels good because you don't feel judged and I feel very human when I talk to my friends and my family. And, let's be honest, my higher power. I talk to HIM and it feels better. I'm a very spiritual person.
Question: Ricky, would you ever like to do a movie? And if so, with who would you like to do it with?
Ricky Martin: You know, right now, my priority is music. But, yes, I see myself on the big screen. Eventually, not now, because I have to defend the music and my album. But I would love to work with people like Harvey Keitel and Al Pacino...someone who will never die...today they are a legend. And being a legend is being able to teach AND learn and I feel I will some day.
Question: I want to see Ricky shake his Bon-Bon. When is shake your Bon-Bon's Music video coming out?
Ricky Martin: LOL. That's one of the songs on my latest album. Believe it or not it's a very spiritual song as well. I talk about when I went to the Himalayas and to India. It was really amazing. (He gets up and shakes his behind.) There! You have to pay for the rest. LOL.
Question: Ricky, why would you spend 2000 in Tibet....Tell me the secret.
Ricky Martin: The planet is going to be so crazy all over the world. Los Angeles, big feast, New York, big feast, Paris, Rome, everywhere will be a major party going on and it's the only time I have off. I could say it's my vacation and I need serenity and Tibet is a very spiritual place. I've never been there and I would like to go. And to be sitting in the middle of the Himalayas in a tent with no TV or loud noises. I need to be somewhere that is not commercialized at all. And I think this will be a good place. So, those are my plans, but anything can change tomorrow.
Question: Who are the girls with you in your video, Livin' La Vida Loca?
Ricky Martin: These are amazing dancers. They are from Los Angeles, most of them. One of them, with the tight skirt, she is from Croatia. Her name is Milia. She's an amazing woman. Very strong personality. And that's what I was looking for, someone who could drive us all crazy. And they all have their own personality, very different from one another and at the same time I felt very comfortable with all of them. And I wanted energy and they gave it all.
Question: If you could only take 3 things to an island what would you take?
Ricky Martin: I would take music. I would take a hammock. And I would take incense. Food, I can get out of palm trees and plants. Water, well, it's there. It doesn't matter if it's salt water, I'll drink it. It's not a problem. That's all I need. I guess so. I don't know. Sometimes simple questions are so hard to answer. So that's what came to my mind now.
Question: Do you consider yourself a sex symbol?
Ricky Martin: LOL. You know that I had a problem with that for a long time because for some reason there are so many stereotypes of a sex symbol. And one day I was talking to Gloria Estefan and she told me, you know what buddy, you are Latin and in the Latin culture when you meet someone you automatically kiss, and what is that? That is sexual, and so you are a sex symbol and you shouldn't fight against it, you should enjoy it. And she started talking about other sex symbols and Elvis and The Beatles. They were sex symbols and today they are legends. So I went with what Gloria told me. You can think what you want, but I'm enjoying it while I can.
Question: When you tour in other countries, how is it possible to translate one song's language into another, and the words still make sense? Isn't it hard considering the languages are so different?
Ricky Martin: Traveling around the world and presenting my music in Spanish mainly, the conclusion is that language is not a problem. People are looking for emotion and rhythm and sounds, and I've surrounded myself with great producers. I make the song mine before I record it in other languages so it's not a difficult job to do. Once again, it's all about feelings and emotions and not wearing a mask when you go on stage so that people understand it when you go on stage. When you leave your soul on stage, that's what matters.
Question: Ricky, where are you right now at this moment?
Ricky Martin: I'm in Los Angeles today. Tomorrow I'm going to Miami and then I'm going to Chicago and then to Europe and then to Asia for 15 days. It will be crazy. I'll be back to America for concerts. September, October and November I'll be in America. I'll be in Latin America the whole year. Since I live in Miami it's very easy for me to jump to Argentina, Venezuela, Brazil, and those places.
Question: Hey Ricky, do you chat on the net a lot and visit websites dedicated to you?
Ricky Martin: Yeah. There are a lot of websites and I have to thank everybody who takes their time to follow my schedule and to talk about me. It's beautiful support. Thank you very much. At this moment in my life I only have time once every other week or so to turn on my computer, check my messages and reply. It's crazy. I'm working so much I don't have time to go on the computer.
Question: What are the things that you love and the things you hate about being so famous?
Ricky Martin: I think it's important to add and not subtract. You have to stick to the positive things in life. I love the opportunity to visit places and meet people and exchange ideas with different cultures. You learn a lot. At the end of the day, when you aren't on this planet or in this body, knowledge is the only thing you'll take with you. The only thing I don't like is that, for me, my intimacy is so important and the paparazzi is there taking pictures when I'm in my backyard playing with my dog. I don't have a problem with that, but it's my family. I have a family and I'm the one in the music business, but you see people climbing the fence of my mother's house taking pictures. It could be a little uncomfortable, but music will erase all that. Music is my medicine. Music and being on stage is addictive. Whatever you have to go through to be able to do music and affect people in a positive way it's all good.
Question: What kind of dog do you have?
Ricky Martin: I have a golden retriever and a Chihuahua. The golden retriever is Icara and the Chihuahua is Titan. They're a good couple! LOL.
Question: What are some things you like to do in your spare time?
Ricky Martin: I try to go back home and spend time with my family. Spend time with my friends and silence. Silence is very important for me. I meditate and I take those 40 minutes a day to be in touch with me. And I read a book and I listen to music. Very simple. I wash my car. Play with my dogs. When I'm not following a schedule, I make sure my life is very simple.
Question: Is meditation helping you in this media frenzy these days?
Ricky Martin: Yeah, meditation is definitely something that helps a lot. Everybody should try it. It's really good. It's like being on a cloud. It's real. You don't have to go into artificial stuff to go into a cloud. It's all about getting to know yourself better and being in touch with yourself and your mind and about breathing and it's something I never want to stop doing.
Question: Hey Ricky! Would you ever consider doing a duet with Jennifer Lopez? My friends and I think that would sound awesome! YOU ARE SO HOT! Much Love.
Ricky Martin: Yes, collaborating for me is very important. It's exchanging ideas and music sounds and influences. And I like Jennifer Lopez a lot and she's an amazing girl. But I would love to act with her maybe.
OnlineHost: Jennifer Lopez will be chatting with us on Wednesday, June 9th.
Ricky Martin: Send her my love and tell her she's doing amazing and I'm proud of her. A Puerto Rican girl!
Question: What about the rumors of you being on ER next year?
Ricky Martin: Well, I just found out! I had no idea! But it's not bad at all. I don't think it will be bad, but, once again, next year I'll be touring and presenting my concert here in the states and Europe. Believe it or not, I'm a frustrated doctor so that would be a great place to let my frustration go. I love medicine. Usually people go into hospitals and get upset, but I don't. I feel like a fish in a tank and want to ask questions about everything. If I have fifteen years to become a doctor I'll go into medical school, but definitely not now. I want to do so many things in life, I want to be a doctor and a film director and a music producer. I need 27 lives to be really fulfilled. LOL.
Question: What is it like to be on the cover of some of the most popular magazines, such as Time?
Ricky Martin: Very important. It means a lot to me. It gives me a lot of responsibility, which I love. The magazines are helping to break stereotypes all over the world. They're letting people know about Latin sounds and Latin influences and the differences between sounds not only when it comes to sound, but geographically speaking, the sounds of Venezuela, Argentina and Mexico and that's important. All the people from Argentina to Mexico you talk about Mariachi, but that's not all. There is so much more in each of the countries of Latin America. I like educating, but I also like learning. For me life is a school. Yes, I've been 15 years doing this, but there is a whole lot more to it.
Question: Hi Ricky, how are you my love? I am fine, but something is missing, your heart! Do you have a girlfriend? I am going to visit your island in June.
Ricky Martin: I don't have a girlfriend at the moment.
Question: I can't wait to see you on tour. When are you touring the US?
Ricky Martin: In September, October and November I'll be doing concerts in the United States. It will be a big tour. I'm going everywhere. The Mid-West, East Coast, Southwest, everywhere.
OnlineHost: Thank you for joining us today.
Ricky Martin: Thank you. I appreciate it. You're the best. Take care.
Portions of this transcript may be edited by AOL to correct spelling, punctuation and/or remove any material that violates AOL's Terms of Service.
