Coordinates	12°58′0″N77°34′0″N
company name	Simco Limited
company logo
company type	Private
foundation	May 2002
founder	Simon Cowell
location city	London
location country	United Kingdom
genre	Various
key people	Simon Cowell Charles Garland, Siobhan Greene, Sonny Takhar, Ann-Marie Thomson, Nigel Hall, Simon Jones
predecessor	S Records
industry	Music & entertainment
products	Music & entertainment
parent	Sony Music Entertainment
homepage	}}

Syco is a trading name for Simco Limited, a London-based British entertainment company established in 2002 by A&R; executive, television producer and talent show judge Simon Cowell. Syco is divided into three sections: Syco Music, Syco TV and Syco Film.

Syco's parent company is Sony Music Entertainment. Syco accounted for 40% of all Sony Music UK profit in 2006 despite only employing 15 people. By 2008, it was reported that Syco accounted for 70% of profit at Sony Music UK.

Syco Music

name	Syco Music
image bg
parent	Sony Music Entertainment
founded	May 2002
founder	Simon Cowell
president	Simon Cowell
key people	Simon Cowell, Sir Philip Green,
predecessor	S Records, Fanfare Records
status
distributor	Sony Music Entertainment UK (In the UK), Columbia/Epic Label Group (In the US)
genre	Pop Music Opera Music R&B; Pop Rock Vocal Rock
country	United Kingdom
location	London (UK HQ)Los Angeles (US HQ)
url	}}

Syco Music is a joint venture between Cowell and Sony Music Entertainment, continuing Cowell's near 20-year association with BMG (later, Sony BMG, now Sony Music Entertainment). The company rarely scouts for new artists, as they are usually developed through the TV talent formats. Generally, the company has a strong focus on promoting its artists through television. COO of Syco is Charles Garland. Syco Music is run by Managing Director Sonny Takhar and Head of Syco TV is Siobhan Greene. Syco works with a number of US record labels to release albums in the states and China.

Highlights for the label include the #1 albums from Il Divo, Shayne Ward, Alexandra Burke, Leona Lewis and Susan Boyle. In the first week of December 2007, Syco occupied the top 3 album positions as well as the #1 single and #1 DVD. Syco Music has released a cover of "Everybody Hurts" featuring various artists, to raise money for the victims of the 2010 Haiti earthquake. The song reached number one in the UK on February 14, 2010.

Current artists

Il Divo (2004–present)

Leona Lewis (2006–present)

Andrew Johnston (2008–present)

Alexandra Burke(2008–present, in a joint deal RCA Records 2011–present)

Susan Boyle (2009–present)

Olly Murs (2009-present, in a joint deal with Epic Records 2010–present)

Labrinth (2010–present) Jackie Evancho (2010–present)

Matt Cardle (2010-present in a joint deal with Columbia Records)

Rebecca Ferguson (2010-present in a joint deal with Epic Records) One Direction (2010-present) Cher Lloyd (2010–present) Ronan Parke (2011-present)

Jai McDowall (2011-present in a joint deal with Sony Music)

Previous artists

Gareth Gates (2002–2006, dropped/left)

Steve Brookstein (2004–2005, dropped)

Bianca Ryan (2006–2008, dropped/left)

Angelis (2006–2007, disbanded)

Leon Jackson (2007–2009, contract not renewed )

Same Difference (2007–2009, contract not renewed) George Sampson (2008–2009, dropped) Rhydian (2007–2010, contract not renewed) Paul Potts (2007–2010, contract not renewed)

Escala (2008–2010, contract not renewed)

Westlife (2002–2011, Moved to RCA Records) Shayne Ward (2005–2011, contract was not renewed) Joe McElderry (2009–2011, contract was not renewed, now with Decca Records)

Syco Music on TV

''The X Factor''

Syco TV created and produces ''The X Factor'' and the record label signs the winners and occasionally some other contestants. Globally, more than 100 million records have been sold by all of the artists launched through the series, including over 90 #1 singles and albums and 150 Top Ten records.

Series 3 winner of the Uk version Leona Lewis has become one of the top female artists in the world. Her 2007 debut album, ''Spirit'', has sold nearly 7 million copies and spawned the massive hit, "Bleeding Love". Leona has sold over 20 million records in total worldwide.

While Lewis is undoubtedly the most successful X Factor winner, the second most successful artist in the UK is Alexandra Burke who holds the record for the biggest selling single by a British female recording artist with "Hallelujah". She has achieved 4 number one singles across the UK and Ireland. Her debut album ''Overcome'' topped the album charts and has since been certified 2x platinum with sales of over 1 million. Syco, working with Epic Records, hope to launch her as an international artist. Series 2 winner Shayne Ward has also established a steady career. With his first two albums charting at #1 and #2 respectively, selling more than 1 million combined. His third album is due in the first quarter of 2010. Rhydian Roberts was the runner up of series 4, but sold almost 3 times as many copies of his debut album as the winner, Leon Jackson, who was later dropped. The least successful so far has been Steve Brookstein whose debut album sold only 100,000 copies.

Syco jointly release other X Factor artists with Sony Music labels such as Olly Murs, JLS (Epic), Diana Vickers (RCA), RCA have also sold 1 million records with series 1 runners-up, G4 and Epic have enjoyed success with series 5 runners-up, JLS.

1.5 million iTunes downloads of contestants performances were made during The X Factor 2010 UK live shows

''Britain's Got Talent''

While there are no contractual guarantees, Syco often signs acts from its TV series, ''Britain’s Got Talent''. Susan Boyle has become the biggest star from the show, her debut album broke pre-order records in the US ahead of its November release. Paul Potts also enjoyed significant success, his debut album selling in excess of 3 million copies around the world. Other acts like Andrew Johnston, Escala and George Sampson have also worked with the label.

Syco TV

company name	Syco Television
company logo
company type	Private
foundation	May 2002
founder	Simon Cowell
location city	London
location country	United Kingdom
genre	Talent Shows
key people	Simon Cowell, Charles Garland (COO), Siobhan Greene (Head of TV), Sonny Takhar (MD, Syco Music), Simon Jones (COO Syco TV US) Ann-Marie Thomson (Head of Media)
industry	TV & entertainment
products	TV & entertainment
parent	Sony Music Entertainment
homepage	}}

Syco Television, often shortened to Syco TV and stylised as SYCOtv, is mainly focused on talent formats and reality and entertainment programming. It has produced shows for all four U.S. networks and works exclusively with ITV in the UK. Its production partners are RTL Group (Talkback Thames and FremantleMedia) and Fox Entertainment Studios.

''The X Factor''

United Kingdom

The first major commission for Syco was ''The X Factor'', a successor to ''Pop Idol''. The show gave Simon Cowell a huge leverage in his negotiations with Fox Network in 2005 when it became a hit in the UK and caused the cancellation of ''Pop Idol''. Just as ''Pop Idol'' made Cowell a star in 2002, ''The X Factor'' has turned judge Cheryl Cole, the Girls Aloud singer who joined the show in 2008, into a major star of TV and music, with a successful solo career assisted by her exposure on ''X Factor''. ince its debut in 2004, "The X Factor" has remained the U.K.'s #1 program for the last seven years, peaking with an audience of 21 million with a consistent 60-65% audience share. The format swiftly broke similar records around the world after its Uk launch, where local versions have consistently rated #1 in over 15 territories, with a worldwide audience now well over 100 million. In Denmark, it has ranked #1 for the last four years, peaking with an 80% share of the audience. In Colombia, it has consistently ranked #1 with a 75% share of the audience. Additionally, "The X Factor" consistently delivers a 50% to 65% share of the viewing audiences in Greece, Hungary, Netherlands, France and Italy - with the highest percentage of these shares in age groups 15-34.The sixth series also hit record ratings and beat ''Strictly Come Dancing''.

International

A US edition of ''The X Factor'' will be launched in Autumn 2011 television season on FOX with Cowell acting as a judge and Executive Producer. Versions of both “The X Factor” and “Got Talent” are co-produced by Syco and are shown in more than 70 countries and have won multiple awards including National Television Awards and BAFTAs. Both The X Factor and ’Got Talent’ are formats created by Simon Cowell. Local versions have consistently rated #1 in over 15 territories, with a worldwide audience now well over 100 million. In Denmark, it has ranked #1 for the last four years, peaking with an 80% share of the audience. In Colombia, it has consistently ranked #1 with a 75% share of the audience. Additionally, "The X Factor" consistently delivers a 50% to 65% share of the viewing audiences in Greece, Hungary, Netherlands, France and Italy - with the highest percentage of these shares in 15-34 age brackets. In most markets, "The X Factor" has increased the channel average demographic by up to 250%.

China's Got Talent received an record breaking 575 million viewers for the finale in July 2011 whilst America's Got Talent consistently remains America's Number 1 rated summer entertainment show and Australia’s got Talent was the most watched show on Australian television in 2011.

''Britain's Got Talent''

In 2005, an original pilot show (called ''Paul O'Grady's Got Talent'') was cancelled; this was because Paul O'Grady, who had hosted the pilot, quit ITV. Meanwhile, despite Claudia Rosencrantz, the Controller of Entertainment, ordering the series, a new director of television at ITV, Simon Shaps, had other concerns about the format and scrapped it. Cowell then took the format to international broadcasters, selling it to NBC as a summer series in America and Seven Network in Australia. It became an immediate hit and the 4th season finale scored all time high ratings of around 16 million and is one of the top shows on NBC despite its summer slot.

In 2007, it went to the UK and immediately became a huge hit. Each of the 3 series have improved on the previous series ratings. In 2009, it became the most talked about talent show ever when Susan Boyle became an international overnight sensation her audition has over 500 Million views on YouTube in total

The final attracted a peak audience of 19.2m viewers and almost 70% of the viewing audience. The format has also become an international hit with both broadcasts of the US version and local productions in dozens of countries around the world. The ''Got Talent'' format has been adopted in a number of other countries, however, the original British version has only been broadcast in one other country (Ireland) due to unsolved rights issues. Television stations in many countries, and especially the Scandinavian countries, have expressed an interest in showing the UK version, but have not been able to acquire the rights.

Other

The company has produced some specials for broadcast in the UK usually focussed on music. They include ''Take That: For The Record'', ''Westlife: She’s The One'' and ''Paul Potts: By Royal Command''. They also produced a Susan Boyle special for ITV in December 2009.

In the US, Syco produced two series of ''American Inventor'' for ABC and also made ''Celebrity Duets'' series for Fox. ''Celebrity Duets'' only produced one international version, which aired in the Philippines.

It is rumoured to be planning to make a US version of the Pride of Britain Awards, of which Cowell has been a notable backer.

Plans for a revival of ''Blind Date'' and a ''Gladiators'' style show (that format is owned by MGM Television, which ran a short-lived US revival in 2008 as Writers Guild of America strike replacement programming) appear to have been shelved.

2010 and the future

In January 2010 it was announced that Cowell had extended his long-term deal with Sony. The venture which will still operate under the name of Syco, will expand its production of television, film, music and digital content. It will be co-owned by Sony and Cowell although British retail consortium giant Sir Philip Green (of Arcadia Group) will be a shareholder and act as Cowell's advisor. The company will retain its UK offices in London but also open an office in Los Angeles to handle its American affairs, which at the moment focus on ''America's Got Talent'' and launching a US version of ''The X Factor'' in September 2011.

See also

''Britain's Got Talent''

''America's Got Talent''

''The X Factor''

References

External links

Syco Tv at IMDb

Category:Companies of the United Kingdom Category:Entertainment companies of the United Kingdom Category:British record labels Category:Sony Music Entertainment Category:Record labels established in 2002

pl:Syco pt:Syco simple:Syco

Coordinates	12°58′0″N77°34′0″N
Name	DJ Cameo
Genre	UK Garage
Occupation	DJ
Website
background	non_performing_personnel }}

DJ Cameo is a British disc jockey and host of ''Pirate Sessions,'' a Sunday afternoon grime show on the digital UK radio station BBC 1Xtra. The music Cameo produces varies from 2 step vocals, to 4x4, to grime, and sublow. In 2004, Cameo was voted winner of the "Best Newcomer" Award for the garage scene's 2004 Peoples Choice Awards held in London. Cameo also received two back to back awards on behalf of Uptown Records, winner of best record shop.

Biography

DJ Cameo began his DJing career back in 1997 playing in local bars and clubs in West London. His main influences at that time were Tuff Jam, EZ and the Dreem Teem. Cameo landed on the set on London's Taste FM. This allowed him to be heard on the UK underground music scene and to gain experience in working on a radio station. With success on Taste FM Cameo also featured on other pirate stations such as Delight FM, Ice FM and Lush Fm.

In 2001 he secured a job at Uptown records, a European underground music store and has since been promoted to head buyer for the UK garage department. That same year Cameo teamed up with Danny C and MC Viper to produce ''Addicted''. Cameo then got involved with producer J-Sweet to produce the underground track "Hi Grade" that was then signed to the MOBO 2002 compilation, and more recently the 2003 Garage anthem "original bad girl style" featuring Gemma Fox for ministry of sounds street beats compilation.

In October 2005, the start of Cameos label, On A Level, and Kamikaze Recordings working with artists such as Jon E Cash, DaVinChe, Terror Danger, P-Jam, Dexplicit, Vital, Delinquent, TnT, J-Sweet, IMP, Jiggalo, Black Jack and Scandalous. Also in 2005, the ''Garage Anthems'' CD compilation, mixed by DJ Cameo was released on Virgin Records. Cameo went on to become head A&R; of Def Jam mobile, a ring tone company offering UK and US tracks for download. That same year Cameos very own promotion "Hot Off The Block" Grime Allstars alongside Rebecka Prochnik (elastic artists). It's a fresh concept which showcases established and new UKG talent in a live concert format enabling fans around the world to truly experience the UKG phenomena on their doorstep. A world tour was set up with dates in New York, Germany, Spain, Sweden and Paris. The UK was covered too with dates at Glastonbury Festival, V Festival, Cargo and Various universities. The tour included mind blowing acts such as Crazy Titch & J2K, Lethal B, Roll Deep, JME, Skepta, Bruza, No Lay, L Man, Purple and Tinchy Stryda to name a few. This promotion is the benchmark in an ever changing industry. It aims to take the UKG scene to another level providing artists and producers with unlimited global exposure.

In early 2006, on behalf of 1xtra and BBC Radio 3, Cameo hosted Urban Classic, a music event which brought urban street stars such as Bruza Purple Pace Tor, Faith Sfx, and Da vin che together with the BBC Symphony Orchestra for a performance at the Hackney Empire. Cameo also appeared on the TV drama series ''Dubplate Drama''.

Discography

''Garage Anthems 2005''

''The Sound of the Pirates''

''DJ Cameo Presents Bassline'

References

External links

Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:Living people Category:Black British radio presenters

Coordinates	12°58′0″N77°34′0″N
background	solo_singer
name	Jay Kay
birth date	December 30, 1969
origin	Stretford, Greater Manchester, England
occupation	Musician, singer-songwriter
genre	Acid jazz, funk, disco, blue-eyed soul, electronica
instrument	Vocals
years active	1989–present
associated acts	Jamiroquai }}

Jason "Jay Kay" Cheetham (born on 30 December 1969 in Stretford, Manchester, England), is a Grammy Award-winning English artist, best known as the lead singer of the band Jamiroquai.

Career

Kay formed Jamiroquai with members Toby Smith (keyboards), Stuart Zender (bass), Nick Van Gelder (drums) and Wallis Buchanan (didgeridoo) together with guest appearances by Gavin Dodds (guitar), Maurizio Ravelico (percussion) and Johnny Thirkell (horns) amongst others, both on the band's debut album and on their first tour.

Jamiroquai has sold over thirty million albums, and has spent a collective 162 weeks on the UK singles chart between 1992 and 2006 with Kay's personal wealth said to be around £40 million. He appeared on the ''Sunday Times Rich List 2004'' at joint-950th. The ''Sunday Times Rich List 2008'' has him tied for #1,794, with £40 million.

After the huge success of Jamiroquai's first single, ''When You Gonna Learn'', a $1.9 million, eight album deal was signed with Sony Music Entertainment. The band's first album was ''Emergency on Planet Earth''. The relationship with Sony ended in 2007.

The band's third album, ''Travelling Without Moving'', generated international attention with the ground breaking video of ''Virtual Insanity'' which earned Jamiroquai four MTV Video Music Awards. Since then, their fourth album, ''Synkronized'', has done just as well; it was recorded in Kay's home studio located in the garden of his 500-year-old, 11-bedroom Buckinghamshire mansion.

Kay has previously stated that he would like his band to continue writing music for another 15–20 years. However it was reported in February 2007 that Kay had wanted to quit music. This was denied on Jamiroquai's official website the day after.

Headgear

Kay is well known for his array of elaborate hats and headgear. When appearing professionally (in concerts, interviews etc.) he has been referred to as "the mad hatter" for his love of headgear. It is said that he has over 50 different hats that he wears at concerts and in public. He has stated publicly that some of them were made by his own mother.

Kay's most recognizable headgear is his mirrored "feather headdress" seen on the cover of ''High Times: Singles 1992–2006''.

TV performances

Kay appeared in an episode of the BBC series ''The Naked Chef'' alongside chef Jamie Oliver. He has also performed on the series ''Strictly Come Dancing'' singing Canned Heat. He made multiple appearances on ''Top Gear'' and for a time held the record for the fastest celebrity lap in the Chevrolet Lacetti from more than 50 other celebrity drivers.

The day before Jamiroquai performed their new single, White Knuckle Ride, on ''The X Factor'' on 31 October 2010, Kay was quoted by ''The Sun'' as saying of the show's judges Cheryl Cole and Dannii Minogue: "What are they going to tell me about fucking music? ... When have you ever done anything? You're useless. The pair of you. I mean you look great and I'd like to fucking shag you but that's all." During his performance on the show, the pair talked continuously and refused to applaud at the end. Notably, neither of the other two judges stood up either.

Paparazzi confrontations

In 2001, Kay was charged with assaulting a photographer and damaging his camera outside a nightclub. Kay pleaded not guilty and the charges were later dropped. On 12 September 2006, Kay was cautioned by police over an incident outside a London nightclub. He allegedly assaulted two photographers.

Personal life

Kay's father is Portuguese. Kay's mother is former singer and television personality Karen Kay. His primary home is in Buckinghamshire, but also he owns homes in Westminster and Gairloch.

From 1998 to 2001, Kay dated Denise Van Outen. They were engaged and reported to be on the verge of marriage, but split up in 2001; Jamiroquai's album A Funk Odyssey is mostly about their breakup.

In a 2010 interview, Kay indicated that at one time he had a "substantial" cocaine habit. He has however been free of drugs since 2003.

Kay continues to support the Burma Campaign UK and the need for democracy in Burma. He is also a patron of the Captive Animals Protection Society, a charity campaigning for an end to the use of animals in circuses, zoos and exotic pet trade. He has spoken out against animal exploitation for entertainment.

Cars and vehicles

Kay has a strong interest in exotic cars and owns over 30 luxury cars, mainly sports cars. His love of motors was expressed with the release of the album ''Travelling Without Moving''. The album's cover featured an adaptation of the "Buffalo Man" logo and the Ferrari crest. Three of his cars appeared in the video for the song ''Cosmic Girl''. In total he has 37 vehicles including what he calls "staff cars".

A combination of cars and music is evident in the song ''Black Devil Car'' on the album ''Dynamite'' which is a tribute to his black Ferrari Enzo. The Enzo suffered damage to the windows after an altercation with hotel chef Aaron Billington at the Brudenell Hotel in Aldeburgh, Suffolk.

In occasion of his 39th birthday, he admitted he has become a Porsche fan. In the last years he has bought a black 356 Speedster, a blue 911 Carrera RS, and a 911 GT3 RS in orange livery. Porsche Carrera RS of 1973 has been used in the clip of "White Knuckle Ride", one of the last singles of the band, included in their last album.

Kay's love of fast cars has occasionally landed him in legal trouble. In May 1998, Kay was caught driving at and his licence was suspended for 42 days. He said in an interview: "I should count myself lucky. I've clocked up 175 mph on a public road. If I'd been caught doing that, it would have been a prison sentence." He appeared in court in Scotland to face charges for speeding after being clocked at in a Mercedes-Benz G-Class, on 26 February 2004. The speed limit for the road was . He was later banned from driving for six months.

Kay participated in the 2007 Gumball 3000 rally as part of Team Adidas in a brand new Maserati Quattroporte. In 2010 he took part in the Mille Miglia in his Maserati A6G/54.

He holds the record on the BBC show ''Top Gear'' for the fastest lap in the (now retired) Chevrolet Lacetti on the "Star in a Reasonably-Priced Car" segment. His time of 1:45.81 was four-hundredths of a second ahead of Kevin McCloud, one-tenth of a second ahead of Brian Johnson, lead singer of the rock band AC/DC, and one tenth of a second above then-leader, Simon Cowell. He was invited back as Cowell had been "on the top for long enough".

Kay also likes motorcycles and was at the Ace Cafe to see Charley Boorman off for his television series ''By Any Means''. He rides a Rizla Suzuki GSXR-600. He owns a motorhome, and holds a C LGV (class 2) driving license just to drive it. He persuaded his close friend James Martin to also purchase one. Kay also leases a Robinson R44 helicopter, registration G-JKAY.

See also

List of number-one dance hits (United States)

List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. Dance chart

References

Category:1969 births Category:Alumni of the University of West London Category:Blue-eyed soul singers Category:British electronic music groups Category:British funk musicians Category:English male singers Category:English people of Portuguese descent Category:English rhythm and blues singers Category:English singer-songwriters Category:English soul singers Category:Car collectors Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Ivor Novello Award winners Category:Jamiroquai members Category:Living people Category:Old Oakhamians Category:People from Stretford

ca:Jay Kay da:Jay Kay de:Jay Kay es:Jay Kay fa:جیسن کی fr:Jason Kay it:Jason Kay he:ג'ייסון קיי lt:Jason Kay hu:Jason Kay nl:Jay Kay ja:ジェイソン・ケイ pl:Jay Kay pt:Jay Kay ru:Кей, Джей fi:Jay Kay sv:Jason Kay

Coordinates	12°58′0″N77°34′0″N
Name	Don Omar
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	William Omar Landrón Rivera
Alias	El Rey
Birth date	February 10, 1978
Origin	Puerto Rico
Genre	Reggaeton, Pop, Rap, R&B;
Occupation	Singer-songwriter, composer, CEO, actor
Years active	1999–present
Label	Orfanato Music Group (His Label)VI MusicUniversal Music LatinoMachete Music
Website	Don Omar }}

Don Omar, also known as El Rey (born William Omar Landrón Rivera; February 10, 1978, is a Puerto Rican Reggaetón singer and actor.

Early life

William Omar Landrón Rivera is the oldest son of William Landrón and Luz Antonia Rivera. He was raised in Santurce, a barrio of San Juan, Puerto Rico, specifically in the Villa Palmeras area. From an early age, he showed interest in the music of Vico C and Brewley MC, but never actually followed it. During his youth, he became an active member of a Protestant church, Iglesia Evangélica Restauración en Cristo, in Bayamón where he occasionally offered sermons. However, after four years, he left the church to dedicate himself to singing.

Several months later, he had his first public presentation in a night club, accompanied by disc jockey Eliel Lind Osorio. Afterwards he appeared regularly on compilation albums from popular DJ's and producers like Luny Tunes, Noriega, and DJ Eric. He also started working as a backup singer for the duo Héctor & Tito. One of the members, Héctor Delgado, helped him produce his first solo album.

Career

2000–2005: The Last Don

Don Omar's career catapulted to stardom with the release of his first studio album, ''The Last Don''. Both the studio version and its live edition have been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. Worldwide, ''The Last Don: Live [CD & DVD]'' has sold over one million copies, according to his official website. Omar's debut single, “Dale Don Dale”, sold over 500,000 copies in South America. He earned awards for “Latin Pop Album of the Year” and "New Artist & Latin Rap/Hip-Hop Album of the Year” by the Billboard Latin Music Awards in 2003. ''The Last Don: Live [CD & DVD]'' was also nominated for "Urban Music Album" at the 2005 Latin Grammy Awards.

2006–2008: King of Kings

Omar's May 2006 album ''King of Kings'', became history's highest ranking reggaeton LP in the top 10 US charts, with its debut at #1 on the Latin sales charts and the #1 spot on the Billboard Latin Rhythm Radio Chart with his single “Angelito”. Omar was also able to beat the in-store appearance sales record at Disney World's Virgin music store previously set by pop star Britney Spears.

With the highest charting debut by a reggaeton artist, Don Omar's "King of Kings" entered at No. 7 with 74,000, beating Daddy Yankee's No. 24 entry with 2005's "Barrio Fino En Directo". In April 2007, Don Omar received the Latin Billboard award for "Reggaeton Album Of The Year" for King of Kings. The songs "Los Bandoleros" and "Conteo" were featured in the movie ''The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift'' in the ending credits.

On September 18, 2007, Landrón was briefly under police custody in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, when a local company sued him after he canceled a concert scheduled for earlier that year in La Paz, Bolivia as part of an international tour titled "Up Close". The organization claimed that he had stolen $70,000 due to the cancellation. Landrón responded that he canceled the concert because the company did not provide air tickets in time. After the case was presented before a local judge, both parts reached an agreement. Landrón was allowed to leave the country in order to comply with a previously scheduled appearance in Buenos Aires on Argentine television and returned the next day to hold his concert in Santa Cruz's Tahuichi Aguilera soccer stadium.

Landrón participated as in Gilberto Santa Rosa's presentation in an event titled "Concierto del Amor", presented in the Madison Square Garden on February 9, 2008. Where he closed the event and performed reggaeton themes.

In late 2009 Billboard recognized that this was the most successful album of the decade (since 2000) in Latin America, besides being the most successful in the history of the genre of Reggaeton and Latin music, Don Omar ended in 2009 devoting even more over its rivals as the best of this genre and urban music. It is estimated that the album until the end of 2009 according to Billboard recount has sold just over 4.1 million copies.

"Salió El Sol" is featured in the video game Grand Theft Auto IV.

2009: iDon

Don Omar's third studio album titled ''iDon'' was released on April 28, 2009. This album was dedicated to his cousin Cordell Brown. He misses his family in St.Louis, thats's why the first single from this album titled "Virtual Diva" was performed on MTV's Tr3s variety show, ''Virtual Diva''. ''iDon'''s Virtual Diva became the most requested song on Latin radio stations. The second official single, titled "Sexy Robotica", was released on June 5, 2009.

2010–present: Meet the Orphans

Don Omar confirmed the name of his upcoming collaborative album, titled ''Meet the Orphans''. The single "Hasta Abajo" was released in advance of the album. The album was set to be released on August 24, 2010 through Orfanato Music Group, but now is scheduled on October 19, 2010. He is currently signed to VI Music and Machete Music through Universal Music Latino.

Personal life

William Omar Landrón is the father of three children. He married forecaster/journalist Jackie Guerrido on April 18, 2008. Divorce rumors surrounded the couple two years into the marriage and were compounded by comments Landrón made via Twitter. In March 2011, it was revealed they had divorced. Landrón is banned from Univision, after Univision got involved with his marriage, he is no longer allowed to attend any award shows from Univision. Omar is also the owner of Orfanato Music Group.

On September 2004, Landrón and three companions were detained by police personnel in Puerto Rico. The jury was selected on July 8, 2008. Two days later, Judge Angel Ramírez Ramírez of the Tribunal de Carolina denied a prosecutor's request to extract a DNA sample from a marijuana cigarette, noting that if a previous test done in June brings back negative results the charges against Landrón may be dropped. The hearings had to be postponed on July 10, 2008, because one of the prosecution's witnesses was unable to attend due to pregnancy. The DNA tests were "inconclusive". On July 22, 2008, the charges against Landrón were dropped by the prosecution, after several inconsistencies appeared in the witness accounts.

Discography

Studio Albums

2003: ''The Last Don''

2006: ''King of Kings''

2009: ''iDon''

Live / Special Edition Albums

2004: ''The Last Don Live''

2006: ''The Last Don: The Gold Series''

2006: ''King of Kings: Armageddon Edition''

2007: ''King of Kings Live''

Compilation Albums

2005: ''Don Omar Presenta: Los Bandoleros''

2005: ''Da Hitman Presents Reggaetón Latino''

2006: ''Don Omar Presenta: Los Bandoleros Reloaded''

2007: ''Don Omar Presenta: El Pentágono''

2010: ''Don Omar Presents: Meet the Orphans''

Filmography

! Year	! Title	! Role
	''Fast & Furious''	Rico Santos
	''Los Bandoleros''	Rico Santos
		Rico Santos

See also

List of famous Puerto Ricans

List of Puerto Rican songwriters

References

External links

Official IDon Album Website

Official Website

Official MySpace

Official Facebook

Category:1978 births * Category:Living people Category:People from Carolina, Puerto Rico Category:Puerto Rican male singers Category:Puerto Rican people of African descent Category:Puerto Rican rappers Category:Puerto Rican reggaeton artists Category:Reggaeton musicians Category:Spanish-language singers

ca:William Omar Landrón de:Don Omar es:Don Omar fr:Don Omar ko:돈 오마르 it:Don Omar nl:Don Omar ja:ドン・オマール no:Don Omar pl:William Omar Landrón pt:Don Omar ro:Don Omar ru:Дон Омар fi:Don Omar sv:Don Omar ta:டான் ஒமார் tr:Don Omar