Mijares

Hailing from Mexico, adult contemporary pop vocalist Manuel Mijares performs professionally under his surname alone. Endowed with a resonant, theatrical baritone, he ranks among Latin America’s most prominent artists. After securing three Top Five singles from his 1986 EMI debut Soñador, he dominated the Latin album and singles charts, amassing ten gold, seven platinum, and five diamond certifications together with numerous awards. Mijares has moved more than 20 million records globally. Standout releases such as 1989’s Un Hombre Discreto, the 2005 José José tribute Honor a Quien Honor Merece, 2013’s Canto por Ti, and the subsequent year’s No Se Me Acaba el Alma have won him devoted listeners worldwide. His compositions have likewise supplied themes and cues for assorted television programs and films, among them Oliver y Su Pandilla, Beauty and the Beast, and The Road to El Dorado. In 2016 he issued the live retrospective Sinfónico Desde el Palacio de Bellas Artes, recorded with his touring ensemble, two symphony orchestras, and a choir. Two years later he cut Rompecabezas and its 2019 follow-up, Rompecabezas II, entirely in Los Angeles; both sets contained new material alongside covers and all-star duets. Following a pair of sold-out tours through the United States and Mexico, he delivered his first holiday collection, Feliz Navidad, in 2020.

Born José Manuel Mijares-Morán in Mexico City in 1958, singer Manuel Mijares credits his mother, a dance instructor, as his earliest and most significant musical influence. She prompted him to join his elementary-school choir, where instructors quickly recognized his singular vocal gifts and offered additional guidance. After performing with friends in groups throughout high school, Mijares committed fully to music. He made his professional bow in 1981 at the local Valores Juveniles festival. At age twenty-four he relocated to Japan for a nightclub singing engagement, during which he also recorded television and radio jingles. Returning to Mexico in 1983, he secured a place in the backing chorus of Latin pop star Emmanuel. Two years afterward he signed a solo contract with EMI and launched his debut album, Soñador, in 1986. He represented Mexico at the annual OTI Festival, capturing the “Revelation of the Year” prize; the label subsequently reissued the album, which yielded three Top Five singles. Mijares first registered on international pop charts with the 1987 single “No Se Murió el Amor,” the opening track from Amor y Rock ‘N’ Roll. He toured relentlessly throughout Mexico while gaining traction on West Coast American radio. His acting debut came in the 1988 film Escápate Conmigo, where he met future wife, pop singer Lucero. Capitalizing on the film’s reception, Mijares released the triple-gold-certified Uno Entre Mil that same year and followed it in 1989 with Un Hombre Discreto, certified gold seven times and reaching number four on the Top Latin Albums chart.

Mijares maintained a presence in the upper reaches of both singles and album charts through the early 1990s. Following 1993’s number-five Encadenado, he delivered the live set Vive en Me, recorded in New York City and featuring songwriting contributions from Pablo Milanes, Lolita de la Colina, and Gerardo Flores. Although the album bypassed the highest chart tiers, it produced two Top Ten singles—the title track and Francis Cabrel’s “Je L’aime a Mourir,” adapted by Luis Gómez-Escolar as “La Quiero a Morir.” In 1996 Mijares issued Querido Amigo, a tribute to Mexican singer and actor Pedro Infante; producer José Luis Espinosa superimposed Mijares’ fresh vocals onto restored original tapes of Infante’s performances, supported by new orchestral and choral arrangements. In January 1997 Mijares and Lucero wed. His first Universal release, El Privilegio de Amar, became a chart success; the title track, which included Lucero on backing vocals, served as the theme for a telenovela, reached the Top Ten on three U.S. charts, and attained number one in eleven Latin American countries. Its successor, “Estrella Mia,” failed to chart stateside yet climbed to number two in Mexico and entered the Top Ten in a dozen additional nations. In 2000 Dreamworks invited Mijares to perform three Elton John songs for the score of The Road to El Dorado. He also released the ballads compilation Historias de un Amor, followed by the 2002 live album En Vivo.

By this point Mijares had emerged as an influential figure in popular music, having sold sufficient records and concert tickets to exercise control over his recorded output—a rarity in pop circles. Consequently he signed briefly with Sony to record and issue the 2005 heartfelt tribute Honor a Quien Honor Merece to the influence of José José, marking his first platinum certification. The following year he delivered the duet album Acompañame with Yuri, and in 2007 he issued Swing en Tu Idioma, presenting favored songs in big-band settings. The 2008 one-off for EMI, Hablemos de Amor, featured a title track written for a telenovela of the same name that served as its theme; remaining tracks remained largely overlooked. Returning to Warner in 2009, Mijares released the covers collection Vivir Así, which attained platinum status and prompted a 2010 sequel that earned diamond certification. After more than a decade of marriage, Mijares and Lucero divorced in 2011. He undertook transatlantic tours over the next two years and, in 2013, issued the platinum-certified smash Canto por Ti. Its single “Hoy” included a duet with Peruvian Latin Grammy winner Glan Marco. The album spent five weeks atop the Mexican pop charts and registered Top Ten status in a dozen other countries. The subsequent year’s No Se Me Acaba el Alma also led the domestic chart and received diamond certification. In September 2016 Mijares staged a 30-year career retrospective at Mexico City’s Palacio de Bellas Artes, accompanied by two symphony orchestras, a choir, and his road band. The performance was filmed for television and released the following year as the chart-topping Sinfónico Desde el Palacio de Bellas Artes, certified gold upon issue and later attaining platinum.

The video component appealed to Mijares. For 2018’s Rompecabezas, recorded in Los Angeles, he assembled new songs and covers that included three duets: “A Donde Vamos a Parar” with Marc Antonio Solis, the title track with former employer Emmanuel, and “Vencer al Amor” with ex-wife Lucero; videos accompanied each release. Rompecabezas reached number two in Mexico and earned gold certification. Enjoying the process, he followed with a second volume in 2019, also cut in Los Angeles and featuring three further duets—“No Te Vayas Todavía” with Maria León, “Besos Usados” with Melendi, and “Bandida” with Andrés Cepeda—plus accompanying videos. The set received diamond certification in early 2020. Later that year Mijares released his inaugural holiday album, Feliz Navidad.