Reik

Hailing from Mexicali in Baja California, the Latin pop trio Reik earned widespread recognition across Latin America through its charting successes and awards, anchored by romantic songs and ballads. Over two decades the multi-platinum releases Un Dia Mas (2008), the Latin Grammy-winning Peligro (2011), Des/Amor (2016), and Ahora (2019) supplied a stream of dominant singles, and that momentum extended into the 2020s via standalone tracks and partnerships with hitmakers such as Rauw Alejandro and Maluma. The group delivered its pop-inflected sixth album, Panorama, in 2024.

The project began in 2003 when singer Jesús Alberto Navarro Rosas and guitarist Julio Ramírez Eguía recorded a demo containing the Mexican underground club favorites “Levemente” and “Ahora sin Ti,” then brought backing vocalist and guitarist Gilberto “Bibi” Marin Espinoza into the lineup early the next year. Months afterward they secured a deal with Sony Music and started sessions for their self-titled debut with producers Abelardo Vázquez and Kiko Cibrian. That album became a sensation, spawning three straight Mexican number ones—“Yo Quisiera,” “Que Vida la Mia,” and “Noviembre sin Ti”—all of which also reached the U.S. Latin pop charts; in mid-2005 the band undertook a short American tour and picked up a Latin Grammy nomination for Best New Artist. September brought the pre-release single “Invierno,” November the live DVD Sesion Metropolitana, and December the sophomore set Secuencia, which climbed just inside the Top 30 on the Latin Albums chart while three further singles from the project registered on various Latin sales and airplay rankings.

Un Dia Mas, issued in 2008, performed more strongly by landing inside the Top Ten on Latin Albums and delivering the number-three single “Inolvidable” plus three additional tracks that charted lower; in 2009 it earned the Latin Grammy for Best Pop Album by a Duo or Group with Vocals, prompting Mexican and U.S. tours the following year. Peligro arrived in 2011 under the guidance of Remy Palacios, Kiko Cibrián, and Ettore Grenci, generating five charting singles, earning platinum certification in Mexico, and reaching number three on the pop charts. In the United States it peaked at number two on Latin Pop Albums and number three on Top Latin Albums, after which an extended international trek that included South Korea produced the live set En Vivo Desde el Auditorio Nacional in 2013. Two years later Reik competed at the Viña del Mar International Song Festival and captured first- and second-place honors for its entries.

Long identified with pop songs and romantic ballads, the trio aimed for variety upon returning to the studio. The January 2016 pre-release “Voy a Olvidarte” stayed in familiar ballad territory yet reached the Top 20, while the bilingual follow-up “Spanglish” drew on early-’60s rock, surf, and big-beat pop, and “Ya Me Enteré” mixed folk with reggaeton alongside featured guest Nicky Jam. Released that June, Des/Amor marked the first studio album in five years and quickly rose near the summit of streaming and digital charts across major platforms. In 2018 Reik issued the collaborative single “Me Niego” with Ozuna and Wisin, then joined Maluma the next year for the sultry “Amigos Con Derecho.” Ahora, the band’s May 2019 release, incorporated numerous guest appearances from Ozuna, Wisin, Maluma, Manuel Turizo, and Tommy Torres. Throughout the first half of 2020 the group kept releasing singles, among them “Bésame (I Need You)” with R3hab and Tini, before compiling its most romantic material on the EP Lo Más Romantico De. Early 2021 brought the Maluma-assisted hit “Perfecta,” quickly followed by tracks featuring Rauw Alejandro and Maria Becerra; “5 Estrellas” with Panamanian singer Sech surfaced in 2022. After teaming with Mau y Ricky on “Manos Frías” in 2023, Reik previewed its sixth album through “Baja California” and “Vámonos a Mi Casa,” two singles that echoed the pop-centered approach of earlier years. That direction defined the thirteen-track Panorama, which appeared in May 2024, climbed to number 25 on the Latin Pop chart, and included contributions from Leo Rizzi and LAGOS.