Juan Esteban Aristizábal Vásquez was born on August 9, 1972 in Medellín, Colombia. Juanes was a member of heavy-metal band Ekhymosis during the 1980s and 1990s, but he left the group in 1998. His solo debut album, Fíjate Bien, was released in the year 2000 and won three Latin Grammy Awards.

In both critical respect and commercial success, Juanes has quickly become the leading music artist in the Spanish speaking world - with the The Los Angeles Times declaring that: "[Juanes] has emerged as the single most important figure on the Latin music scene." Both an electrifying guitarist and socially conscious songwriter that critics are putting alongside artists such as Bono and Bruce Springsteen, Juanes confronts the violence of his native Colombia's continued conflict, while pointing to the love of family and respect of countrymen as the way to rise above the fray. Millions of fans have adopted the songs of this poetic rocker as virtual anthems for Latino pride, prayers for peace, and the strength of true love.

His success has lead media throughout the world to take note, highlighted by Arts cover profiles of Juanes in both The New York Times and The Washington Post, and his selection by TIME as "one of the 100 most influential people in the world."