Tommy Torres

Tommy Torres stands out as a hit-making, accolade-collecting vocalist, tunesmith, orchestrator, and studio helmsman. Although his core activity centers on Latin pop, he has crafted songs across a wide spectrum for performers that stretch from Ricky Martin and Ricardo Arjona all the way to Michael Jackson and Mariah Carey. Production credits likewise link him to Martin, Eros Ramazzotti, Alejandro Sanz, Jesse & Joy, plus additional names. Torres sings with a sweet, smooth baritone that sits relatively high. The self-titled debut he issued in 2001 blended singer/songwriter pop, hooky rock, Latin folk, and adult contemporary; over time his style has shifted yet stays immediately identifiable. Four number-one singles emerged from 2004’s Estar de Moda No Está de Moda. Tarde o Temprano, released in 2008, climbed into the Latin Top 20, while 12 Historias from 2012 held the summit of the Latin Albums chart for 17 weeks and placed comfortably inside the upper half of the Billboard 200. Although live appearances continued, Torres devoted the greater part of that decade to production, arranging, and songwriting duties. His return to the studio arrived with 2021’s El Playlist de Anoche, a nine-song collection written, recorded, and produced together with Bad Bunny; the project ascended directly to number one on streaming rankings.

Born in Puerto Rico, Torres took up violin and keyboards early and began writing material while still in high school. He enrolled at Boston’s Berklee College of Music, graduating magna cum laude with dual majors in music production and engineering as well as commercial arranging. After relocating to New York he entered the industry formally as a studio assistant at Sony Music Studios.

Seeking greater proximity to the center of U.S. Latin music activity, he settled in Miami during 1998 and took on roles as a studio production assistant and arranger. First songwriter and producer credits followed in 1999. Torres supplied “No Puedo Olvidar” for the Menudo offshoot MDO; the track rose straight to the top of the Hot Latin Songs chart, prompting an invitation to helm the group’s next single, “Groove with Me Tonight (Dame un Poco Más).” That same year he also penned the chart-topping “Llegar a Ti” for Jaci Velasquez, which earned the ASCAP Song of the Year award.

All three of Torres’s professional roles advanced markedly in 2001. He produced hits for Olga Tañón and Son by Four, co-produced Ednita Nazario’s Sin Limite album, and served as producer and arranger on Ricky Martin’s “El Amor de Mi Vida” and “Fuego Contra Fuego.” He simultaneously stepped forward as a recording artist with a self-titled Sony release that he wrote or co-wrote and produced in full. Two of its singles, “Como Olvidar” and “Hoy Te Vas,” reached the Latin Top 20. At that year’s Premios Lo Nuestro he was named best new artist.

The following year he co-produced, co-wrote, and performed on Nazario’s Acoustico, securing his initial Latin Grammy nomination. He also oversaw Banco Popular’s Christmas special Encuentro, which featured Juan Luis Guerra, Draco Rosa, and Rubén Blades. In 2003 Torres produced Ricky Martin’s Almas del Silencio; its opening single “Tal Vez,” arranged by Torres, commanded the Hot Latin Songs chart for 12 weeks and captured Song of the Year at the ASCAP Latin Awards. The album set a SoundScan record for Spanish-language releases and yielded three further number-one hits. Later in 2003 Torres again produced for Nazario on Por Ti. Both that album and Martin’s won best pop album honors in their respective male and female categories at Billboard’s 2004 Latin Music Awards, and Torres received a Producer of the Year nomination.

October 2004 brought Torres’s second album, Estar de Moda No Está de Moda, which generated four airplay number ones in Puerto Rico and placed inside the U.S. Top 40. He divided that year between his own project and production and arranging duties on Ricardo Arjona’s Adentro, a release that later claimed Best Latin Pop Album at the Grammy Awards and Best Pop Album at the Latin Grammy Awards. After touring in 2005 to promote his own record, Torres returned to arrange and produce Martin’s best-selling MTV Unplugged. In 2006 he co-wrote the Top Ten single “Quien” with Arjona and produced and arranged several tracks on Quien Dijo Ayer; later the same year he produced the international duet “Ya No Estamos Solos” by Martin and Eros Ramazzotti.

Torres resumed recording activity late in 2007 and issued his third album, Tarde o Temprano, in April 2008. Four singles from the set topped Puerto Rican charts and all reached the U.S. Top 20, while the title track and “Imparable” led the Mexican singles charts. The album earned a Latin Grammy nomination for best singer/songwriter album, a 2009 Grammy nomination for Latin pop album of the year, and nods for best pop album and best male artist at the 2009 Premios Lo Nuestro. Later in 2008 he produced Alejandro Sanz’s chart-topping Paraiso Express. Its first single, “Looking for Paradise” featuring Alicia Keys, hit number one at radio throughout Latin America except Colombia as well as in Spain, and it also entered the Latin Top 20 in the United States. The album secured a Grammy for Latin pop album of the year and a Latin Grammy for pop album of the year; the single “Desde Cuando,” co-written by Torres and Sanz, was nominated for song of the year at the Latin Grammys. In February Torres received the ASCAP Latin Music award for composer of the year.

Torres released his fourth studio album, 12 Historias, in 2012. The project included contributions from several artists he had previously produced, among them Martin, Nazario, and Arjona, while Nelly Furtado appeared on “Sin Ti.” It debuted at number one on the Latin Albums chart, remained there for 17 weeks, and registered inside the upper half of the Billboard 200. Extensive touring throughout the United States, the Caribbean, and Latin America yielded the live set 12 Historias (En Vivo).

Nearly a decade passed before Torres recorded again. During 2013 he produced Draco Rosa’s Esto Es + Vida, and in 2015 he handled Jesse & Joy’s Un Besito Más. Ramazzotti’s Duets album followed under his production in 2017. Songwriting work continued with Ximena Sariñana, Sebastian Yatra, and Kany Garcia; Torres also produced Garcia’s Contra El Viento in 2019 and Reik’s “Aunque No Deba,” on which he appeared as a guest.

Early in 2020 Torres signed with Rimas Entertainment. Late that year manager Noah Assad informed him that Latin trap innovator Bad Bunny, another Rimas client, had composed a song intended for him. Following an extended Skype conversation the pair convened at Torres’s Miami studio and co-wrote, performed, and tracked nine songs. Although Bad Bunny departed after mixing to begin a tour, the two completed production remotely. El Playlist de Anoche appeared in August 2021, peaking at number two on the Latin Pop albums chart and topping the Latin Albums streaming ranking.