Reza ([ɾeˈzɒː], also spelled Raza, Reda, Redha, Rida, Ridha [rɪˈdˤɑ], Rizah, Rıza [ɾɯˈzɑ], Ridho, Ridlo or Roda; Arabic: رضا‎, Riḍā) is a male given name used commonly in the Muslim world, mainly between Persian-speakers. It comes from Arabic and means contentment. It also appears as a surname.

Etymology[link]

Rida (Reza) is an Islamic concept rooted in the Qur'an and the practices. This idea of contentment is expressed in two Qur'anic verses which discuss the contentment of Allah with believers and, conversely, of believers with Allah:

Allah was well pleased with the believers... (^{[Quran 48:18]})

Muslims believe that Allah's pleasure with the servant is expressed through his gifts both material and spiritual and the servant's pleasure with Allah is the name of his obedience to Allah's commands and submission to his will. Rida on the part of the human also includes his determination to accept Allah's decree irrespective of whether it is favourable or unfavourable.^{[citation needed]}

Because the Arabic dh sound (comparable to the English th) does not exist in the Persian language, Persian-speakers replace the sound with a z. This pronunciation was also adopted by other languages influenced by Persian, most of all Turkish and Hindustani. In the Maghreb region, the name is spelled Reda, due to the French influence during the colonial times.

Given name[link]

• Reda Acimi, Algerian footballer
• Reda El Amrani, Moroccan tennis player
• Reda El-Weshi, Egyptian footballer
• Redha al-Najar, Tunisian prisoner
• Redha Tukar, Saudi Arabian footballer
• Reza Abbasi (1565–1635), a Persian painter and calligrapher
• Reza Abdoh, Iranian-born American director
• Reza Abedini, Iranian designer
• Reza Ahadi, Iranian footballer
• Reza Afshari, Iranian historian
• Reza Alamouti, Iranian political activist
• Reza Alinejad, Iranian juvenile offender
• Reza Allamehzadeh, Persian-born Dutch film-maker
• Reza Amirkhani, Persian novelist
• Reza Davari Ardakani, Iranian philosopher
• Reza Aslan, Iranian-American scholar, author, and journalist
• Reza Badiyi, American film director
• Reza Baraheni, Iranian novelist
• Reza Chahkhandagh, Iranian judoka
• Reza Deghati, professionally known as Reza, an Iranian-born photojournalist
• Reza Dehghani, Iranian fashion designer
• Reza Khelili Dylami, Swedish politician
• Reza Enayati, Iranian footballer
• Reza Fayazi, Iranian film director
• Reza Ghadiri, Iranian-American chemist
• Reza Ghoochannejhad, Iranian-Dutch footballer
• Reza Ghotbi, Iranian politician
• Reza Hassanzadeh, Iranian footballer
• Reza Qolikhan Hedayat, Persian writer
• Reza Hosseini, Iranian humanitarian
• Reza Iravani, Iranian academic
• Reza Jabbari, Iranian footballer
• Reza Shafiei Jam, Iranian actor
• Reza Khaleghifar, Iranian footballer
• Reza Khan, Afghan Islamist
• Reza Kianian, Iranian actor
• Reza Shah-Kazemi, British author
• Reza Malekzadeh, Iranian physician
• Reza Mansouri, Iranian physicist
• Reza Moridi, Canadian politician
• Reza Naji, Iranian actor
• Reza Niknazar, Iranian footballer
• Reza Feiz Noroozi, Iranian actor
• Reza Ostadi, Iranian politician
• Reza Pahlavi, last crown prince of the former Imperial State of Iran
• Reza Parsa, Swedish film director
• Reza Olfati-Saber, Iranian roboticist
• Reza Sadeghi, Iranian pop singer
• Reza Sahebi, Iranian footballer
• Reza Samani, Iranian musician
• Reza Soukhteh Saraei, Iranian wrestler
• Reza Shah Pahlavi, Shah of Iran
• Reza Shahroudi, Iranian footballer
• Reza Talabeh, Iranian footballer
• Reza Torabian, Iranian footballer
• Reza Taslimi, Iranian intelligence officer
• Reza Vatankhah, Iranian footballer
• Reza Vohdani, Iranian musician
• Reza Yazdani, Iranian wrestler
• Reza Zanjani, Iranian politician
• Reza Zarei, Iranian military commander
• Rida Al Abdullah, Iraqi singer
• Rida al-Rikabi, Syrian politician
• Rida Lah Douliazale, Moroccan footballer
• Rida Said, Syrian physician
• Rıza Çalımbay, Turkish footballer
• Rıza Kayaalp (born 1989), Turkish wrestler
• Rıza Nur, Turkish politician
• Rıza Şen, Turkish footballer
• Rıza Tevfik Bölükbaşı, Turkish scientist
• Rizah Mešković, Bosnian footballer

This page or section lists people that share the same given name. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change that link to point directly to the intended article.

Derived names[link]

Ali Reza[link]

• People with the given name, after Ali Reza (765-818), Imam, more commonly known as Ali ar-Ridha

Mohammad Reza[link]

• Mohammad Reza Adelkhani
• Mohammad-Reza Aref
• Mohammad Reza Bateni
• Mohammad Reza Bahonar
• Mohammad Reza Eskandari
• Mohammad-Reza Foroutan
• Mohammad Reza Golzar
• Mohammad Reza Golpaygani
• Mohammad Reza Hedayati
• Mohammad Reza Hafeznia
• Mohammad Reza Honarmand
• Mohammad Reza Heidarian
• Mohammad Reza Jozi
• Mohammad Reza Khalatbari
• Mohammad-Reza Shafiei-Kadkani
• Mohammad-Reza Mahdavi Kani
• Mohammad-Reza Lotfi
• Mohammad Reza Mamani
• Mohammad Reza Mahdavi
• Mohammad Reza Mahdavi
• Mohammad Reza Pahlavi (October 26, 1919 – July 27, 1980), the second Shah of the Pahlavi Dynasty and the last Shah of Iran
• Mohammad Reza Roudaki
• Mohammad Reza Rahimi
• Mohammad Reza Saket
• Mohammad-Reza Shajarian
• Mohamad Reza Sharifinia
• Mohammed Reza Taheri-azar
• Mohammad Reza Tavassoli
• Muhammad Reza Widodo (September 1990 - Present) Former President of Asian Law Students Association 2010/2011
• Mohammad Reza Modarresi-Yazdi
• Mohammad-Reza Zahedi
• Mohammad Reza Zarrindast

Surname[link]

• Ahmed Rıza, Turkish academic
• Farhad Reza (born 1986), Bangladeshi cricketer
• Fazlollah Reza (born 1915), an Iranian university professor
• Ghaleb Rida, Lebanese basketball player
• Hadem Rida, Palestinian politician
• Lilia Merodio Reza (born 1978), Mexican politician
• Liudvikas Rėza (1776–1840), Prussian-Lithuanian author a.k.a. Ludwig Rhesa
• Maruf Reza (fl. 2000s), Bangladeshi cricketer
• Ömer Rıza, English footballer
• Rashid Rida, Syrian scholar
• Yasmina Reza (born 1959), an Iranian-French playwright

This page or section lists people with the surname Reza. If an internal link intending to refer to a specific person led you to this page, you may wish to change that link by adding the person's given name(s) to the link.

Fictional characters[link]

• Reza, character in Gol & Gincu television series
• Reza Temiz, character in Dreamfall: The Longest Journey game

External links[link]

• Reza – Origin and Meaning of the name Reza at BabyNames.com

This article relies on references to primary sources or sources affiliated with the subject, rather than references from independent authors and third-party publications. Please add citations from reliable sources. (November 2007)

Reza Aslan
Born	(1972-05-03) 3 May 1972 (age 40) Tehran, Tehran Province, Iran
Occupation	Writer, Islamic thinker
Nationality	American
Spouse(s)	Jessica Jackley

Reza Aslan (Persian رضا اصلان, born May 3, 1972) is an Iranian-American activist, a nationally acclaimed writer of religions. He is on the faculty at the University of California, Riverside, and is a contributing editor for The Daily Beast. His books include the international bestseller, No god but God: The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam, which has been translated into thirteen languages, and named one of the 100 most important books of the last decade. He is also the author of How to Win a Cosmic War, published in paperback as Beyond Fundamentalism: Confronting Religious Extremism in a Globalized Age. He is also editor of Tablet & Pen: Literary Landscapes from the Modern Middle East, published by W. W. Norton, and co-editor with Aaron Hahn-Tapper of Muslims and Jews in America: Commonalities, Contentions, and Complexities, published by Palgrave Macmillan. Dr. Reza Aslan is CEO of Aslan Media Inc., whose holdings include BoomGen Studios, the first ever motion picture studio entirely focused on entertainment content about the Greater Middle East and its globally dispersed communities. His non-profit organization, Aslan Media Initiatives (AslanMedia.com), uses social-media technology to provide news and information about the Middle East to young people all over the world.

Background[link]

Aslan's family came to the United States from Tehran in 1979, fleeing the Iranian Revolution. He grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area. In the early 1990s, Aslan taught courses at De La Salle High School in Concord, California. Iranian singer Leila Forouhar is his aunt.

Aslan holds a Bachelor of Arts' degree in religions from Santa Clara University, a Master of Theological Studies' degree from Harvard Divinity School, a doctorate in the sociology of religions from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and a Master of Fine Arts' degree from the University of Iowa's Writers' Workshop, where he was named the Truman Capote Fellow in Fiction. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the Los Angeles Institute for the Humanities, and the Pacific Council on International Policy. He has served as Legislative Assistant for the Friends Committee on National Legislation in Washington D.C., and was elected President of the World Conference of Religions for Peace, Harvard Chapter. He serves on the board of directors of the Ploughshares Fund, PEN Center USA, and serves on the national advisory board of the Levantine Cultural Center.

As Contributing Editor, Aslan has written numerous articles for The Daily Beast. He has also written for various newspapers and periodicals, including The Christian Science Monitor, the Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, Slate, The Boston Globe, The Washington Post, The Guardian, the Chicago Tribune, and The Nation. He has made numerous appearances on TV and radio, including National Public Radio (NPR), PBS, The Rachel Maddow Show, Meet the Press, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, The Colbert Report, Anderson Cooper 360°, Hardball, Nightline, Real Time with Bill Maher, Fareed Zakaria GPS, and ABC Australia's Big Ideas.^[1]

Currently[link]

Aslan is President and CEO of Aslan Media Inc., whose holdings include BoomGen Studios, a mini-motion picture and media company focused entirely on entertainment about the Greater Middle East and its Diaspora communities. He currently lives in Hollywood, California where he is Associate Professor of Creative Writing at the University of California, Riverside. In addition, he is a Research Associate at the University of Southern California's Center on Public Diplomacy.

War on Terrorism[link]

Aslan refers to Al Qaeda's jihad against west as "a cosmic war", distinct from holy war, in which rival religious groups are engaged in an earthly battle for material goals. "A cosmic war is like a ritual drama in which participants act out on earth a battle they believe is actually taking place in the heavens." American rhetoric of "war on terrorism", Aslan says, is in precise "cosmic dualism" to Al Qaeda's jihad. Aslan draws a distinction between Islamism and Jihadism. Islamists have legitimate goals and can be negotiated with, unlike Jihadists, who dream of an idealized past of a pan Islamic borderless "religious communalism". Aslan's prescription for winning the cosmic war is to not fight one and engage moderate Islamic political forces in democratic process. "Throughout the Middle East, whenever moderate Islamist parties have been allowed to participate in the political process, popular support for more extremist groups has diminished."^[2]

Other publications[link]

• 'The Struggle for Islam's Soul', essay in With All Our Might: A Progressive Strategy for Defeating Jihadism and Defending Liberty, Will Marshall, ed. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 2006.
• 'From Here to Mullahcracy', essay in My Sister, Guard Your Veil; My Brother, Guard Your Eyes: Uncensored Iranian Voices, Lila Azam Zanganeh, ed. Beacon Press, 2006.
• 'Forward', Ritual: Perspectives and Dimensions, Catherine Bell, Oxford University Press, 2009.
• 'Losing the War', The New World Reader, Gilbert H Muller, ed., CUNY Press, 2010.
• 'Preface', Reframing 9/11: Film, Popular Culture and the War on Terror, Jeff Birkenstein, Anna Froula, and Karen Randell, eds. Continuum, 2010.
• 'Preface'. Religion and the New Atheism: A Critical Appraisal, Amarnath Amarasingam, ed. Brill, 2010.

Quotations[link]

This section is a candidate to be copied to Wikiquote using the Transwiki process.

This biographical section of an article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (April 2012)

• "I believe we are living in the time of the Islamic reformation. In fact, I think we are living in the twilight of that reformation. For me, the word reform is defined by its inevitability. This process cannot be stopped; it can be slowed down for a time but reform is inevitable. It's an historic reformation taking place within Islam — it's adapting itself to the realities of the world around it. I think we'll see the same process we saw in the Christian reformation from doctrinal absolutism to doctrinal relativism; toward a truly indigenous Islamic enlightenment. And it's up to us as Muslims in the US to give voice to that for our brothers and sisters who don't have the voice or the same ability to speak out as we do."
• "It is pluralism—the peaceful coexistence and legal equality between different ethnic, religious or political ideologies—that defines democracy, not secularism."
• "The veil is seen as a symbol of Islam but like all symbols, it's meaningless unless interpreted. The veil is as much a symbol of oppression of women as it is an expression of Muslim femininity. The strangeness of this is that if you go to a country where the veil is either mandatory or there is a lot of pressure to wear it, you'll find the vast majority of women are against it. But, if you go to a country like Turkey where the veil is outlawed in much of the public realm — in the latest polls, 70 percent of the Muslim women want to remove that law."
• "Iraq should look to Israel for a model that combines democracy and religious belief."
• "Despite the apartheid state that has resulted from over half a century of bloody territorial conflicts with its neighboring Palestinian territories, few would deny that the state of Israel is a democracy. At the same time, Israel is a country founded upon an exclusivist Jewish moral framework, which offers all the world's Jews — regardless of their nationality — immediate citizenship, providing them with a host of benefits and privileges over its non-Jewish citizens. It is a country in which the Orthodox rabbinical courts have jurisdiction over all matters relating to Judaism (including who is a Jew); where religious schools (yeshivas) are subsidized by the state, and marriages are religious, rather than civil affairs (meaning no official will marry a Jew to a non-Jew); and the government is dominated by religious parties such as the ultra-Orthodox Shas, the Yahadut Hatorah, and of course the ruling Likud."
• "If we don't figure out a way to strip these conflicts of their religious connotations, then we will never figure out a way to put an end to them. Because as long as these remain cosmic conflicts, they will go on for eternity."
• "A lot of scholars, myself included, believe the future of Islam, especially Islamic democracy, rests in the Shia world. It's Iran and Iraq where the most exciting experiments are being carried out."
• "Iraq’s 2,000-year-old Christian community is on the brink of extinction, its members targeted by al Qaeda attacks and fleeing abroad... This silence cannot stand. Americans of all faiths must band together and pressure the State Department to do something about the wanton murder of Iraqi Christians before it's too late and there are no more Christians in Iraq to protect. What is happening in Iraq is genocide, plain and simple. It must be stopped now."
• "The fact of the matter is that Islam, like all religions, has been in a constant state of evolution for 1400 years. It has been constantly adapting to the spiritual, the cultural, the political, the social realities and the landscape in which it finds itself, which is why there is such a wide diversity of belief and practices within the Muslim world."

See also[link]

• No God but God (book)
• List of Islamic scholars
• Extremism
• List of Muslim reformers

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Reza Aslan speaks at Asia Society, November 2010 (w/ video)
• at Levantine Cultural Center
• Interview with Reza Aslan from the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum
• Reza Aslan's Intellectual Groupie's on Livejournal
• His biography
• The Islamic reformation Reza Aslan speaks with Madrid11.net
• LA Weekly Interview
• Reza Aslan Interview with Islamica Magazine
• Aslan's articles in the Public Diplomacy Blog

Video and audio[link]

• Reza Aslan is a keynote speaker in the upcoming conference December 4–6, 2009 Los Angeles, USC CA
• Reza Aslan interviewed by Bree Walker March 30, 2008
• Reza Aslan talks about The Future of U.S./Iran Relations (video)
• Reza Aslan in Conversation with Jack Miles (video)
• Reza Aslan vs. Sam Harris Debate
• Video debates featuring Aslan on Bloggingheads.tv
• Raza's talk, "How to Get Out of the Cosmic War in the Middle East."
• Reza talks to Cenk Uygur of The Young Turks.

Rita Lee
Rita Lee in 2010
Background information
Birth name	Rita Lee Jones
Also known as	A Rainha do Rock (Queen of Rock)
Born	(1947-12-31) December 31, 1947 (age 64)
Origin	São Paulo, Brazil
Genres	Rock, pop, tropicália, psychedelic rock, avant-garde
Occupations	Singer, songwriter, actress, author, TV host
Instruments	Vocals, flute, theremin, guitar, bass guitar, drums, percussion, piano, synthesizer, harmonica
Years active	1966–present
Labels	Som Livre EMI
Associated acts	Os Mutantes, Gilberto Gil, Pitty, Ronnie Von, Caetano Veloso, Tutti Frutti, Elis Regina, Roberto de Carvalho
Website	Official website

Rita Lee Jones Carvalho (born Rita Lee Jones on December 31, 1947), simply known as Rita Lee, is a Brazilian rock singer and composer. Lee continues to be a popular figure in Brazilian entertainment, where she is also known for being an animal rights activist and a vegetarian. She has sold more than 60 million albums worldwide.

Early life and career[link]

Rita Lee was born in São Paulo, Brazil, to an American Brazilian father, descended from the Confederados, a dentist, and a Brazilian mother of Italian ancestry. She was educated in a French language school and became fluent in Spanish, French and Italian, as well as her native Portuguese and the English that her parents spoke at home.^[1] She went to college, where she was a colleague of the popular actress Regina Duarte, but she soon left to pursue her musical career.

In 1966 Lee formed the band Os Mutantes with Arnaldo Baptista and Sérgio Dias. The band released five albums between 1968 and 1972. In that time, Lee had also released her first two solo works, although these records were produced with fellow members of Os Mutantes. When the band reformed in 2006, she refused to join, calling the reunion an attempt to "earn cash to pay for geriatry".^[2]

Going solo[link]

In late 1972, Rita left Os Mutantes and started a solo career. She was initially part of a female duo with singer Lúcia Turnbull called Cilibrinas do Éden, and after a short time the duo gave birth to the band Rita Lee & Tutti Frutti. This eventually became Lee's backing band. In 1975, she recorded the album Fruto Proibido with the band. The album was praised by critics, sold more than 200,000 copies - a record to Brazilian rock & roll singers at the time - and Rita was given the title "Queen of Rock".^[3] In 2007, the Brazilian edition of Rolling Stone magazine ranked this album as the 16º best Brazilian album of all time in its "100 Best List".^[4] The producer was Andy Mills, producer of Alice Cooper and then Rita's boyfriend.^[3]

In the late 1970s, Lee started a partnership with her husband, Roberto de Carvalho, and many subsequent albums were credited to the duo Lee/Carvalho.^[5] In the late 70s, Lee was mentioned in the Caetano Veloso song Sampa.

In 1976, she was arrested for possession of cannabis. Soon after, she recorded the single "Doce de Pimenta" with singer Elis Regina, and recorded and toured with Gilberto Gil in the show/album "Refestança". Facing trouble with her tutti frutti band mates, Lee started recording with her husband, guitarist Roberto de Carvalho. The couple wrote big hits like "Mania de Você" (79), "Lança Perfume" (80, "Saúde" (81), "Flagra" (82) and "On The Rocks" (83), which presented a new side of Rita Lee as a composer who alternates ballads and pop songs.^[6]

Personal life[link]

Rita Lee was married to fellow Mutante Arnaldo Baptista from 1971 to 1972. In 1976, fellow MPB singer Ney Matogrosso introduced her to guitarist Roberto de Carvalho, whom she married and had three children: Beto Lee, João Lee and Antônio. She's been married to Carvalho for 35 years and refers to him as her "boyfriend".

Other activities[link]

Aside from her musical career, Rita Lee had a humor program called Radio Amador on Brazilian radio for nine months in 1986. That same year, Lee wrote three children's books and appeared in Brazilian movies and TV shows. In 1990 she started her own talk show, called TvLeeZão (a play on "televisão," the Portuguese word for television), on MTV Brasil. From 2002 to 2004 she hosted the Brazilian cable TV talk show Saia Justa. In 2005 she and her husband started a new talk show, called Madame Lee. She also made a brief cameo in the 2002 film Durval Discos. In 2008/2009 she performed a new show called 'Pic Nic Tour.' In 2010 She performed another new show called 'Etc...Tour' revisiting some forgotten songs from her long career. In 2011 she began to produce and record two new albums. The first one with new unreleased songs, the second one called 'Bossa'n Movies' where she continues the project first stated with 'Bossa'n Roll' 1991, 'Bossa'n Beatles' (Aqui, ali, em qualquer lugar). In the album she'll record Brazilian and international movie themes (American, French, Spanish, Italian...). She also confirmed her new tour for May/2011 with Erasmo Carlos, called 'Os Reis do Rock' (King & Queen of the Rock) where they'll change repertoire (She sings his songs, and he sings her songs) plus, a homage to Raul Seixas, and some classic international Rock songs.

In 2011, she contributed the track "Pistis Sophia" to the Red Hot Organization's most recent charitable album "Red Hot+Rio 2." The album is a follow-up to the 1996 "Red Hot + Rio." Proceeds from the sales will be donated to raise awareness and money to fight AIDS/HIV and related health and social issues.

Discography[link]

With Os Mutantes[link]

• 1972: Mutantes e Seus Cometas no País do Baurets (Polydor, 1972)
• 1971: Jardim Elétrico (Polydor, 1971)
• 1971: Tecnicolor (abandoned, released 29 years later) (Universal, 2000)
• 1970: A Divina Comédia ou Ando Meio Desligado (Polydor, 1970)
• 1969: Mutantes (Polydor, 1969)
• 1968: Os Mutantes (Polydor, 1968)
• 1968: Tropicália: ou Panis et Circenses (Philips, 1968. Collective album with Gilberto Gil, Caetano Veloso, Tom Zé, Nara Leão and Gal Costa)

Solo albums[link]

• 2012: Reza
• 2003: Balacobaco
• 2001: Aqui, Ali, Em Qualquer Lugar (aka Bossa'n Beatles)
• 2000: Rita ReLEEda (remixes)
• 2000: 3001
• 1997: Santa Rita de Sampa
• 1993: Todas as Mulheres do Mundo
• 1990: Rita Lee e Roberto de Carvalho
• 1989: Dias Melhores Virão (soundtrack)
• 1988: Zona Zen
• 1987: Flerte Fatal
• 1985: Rita e Roberto
• 1984: Rita Hits (two medleys remixed compilation)
• 1983: Bombom
• 1983: Baila Conmigo (in Spanish)
• 1982: Rita Lee e Roberto de Carvalho
• 1981: Saúde
• 1980: Rita Lee
• 1979: Rita Lee
• 1978: Babilônia
• 1976: Entradas e Bandeiras
• 1975: Fruto Proibido
• 1974: Atrás do Porto Tem uma Cidade
• 1972: Hoje é o Primero Dia do Resto da Sua Vida (Cláudio César Dias Baptista talking and playing "zabumba")
• 1970: Build Up

Live albums[link]

• 2009: Multishow Ao Vivo Rita Lee
• 2004: MTV Ao Vivo (MTV Live)
• 1998: Acústico MTV (MTV Unplugged)
• 1995: A Marca Da Zorra
• 1991: Rita Lee em Bossa 'n' Roll
• 1977: Refestança (with Gilberto Gil)
• 1975: Hollywood Rock (with Erasmo Carlos, Peso & Raul Seixas)

Singles/EPs[link]

• 2002: Rita Lee Novelas
• 1983: Desculpe o Auê / Yoko Ono (Single in Spanish)
• 1977: Arrombou a Festa (Single)
• 1976: Lá Vou Eu (EP)

Spoken albums[link]

• 1996: Tutu, O Menino Indio (spoken album as narrator)
• 1989: Pedro e o Lobo (spoken album as narrator to Peter and the Wolf)

DVDs[link]

• 2009: Multishow Ao Vivo Rita Lee
• 2007: Biograffiti (Box Set 3 DVDs)
• 2006: Grandes Nomes: Rita Lee Jones (Original TV Special From 1980)
• 2004: MTV Ao Vivo (MTV Live)
• 1998: Acústico MTV (Live) (MTV Unplugged)

References[link]

Anthony "Romeo" Santos (born July 21, 1981) is an American singer, featured composer and former lead singer of the Bachata group Aventura. As a member of Aventura, Santos has been a key figure in popularizing Bachata, with hits reaching near the top of the Billboard Latin charts and the top of charts in Europe. In 2002, the band's song "Obsesión" was number one in Italy for sixteen consecutive weeks.^[1]

Santos was born in The Bronx, New York, United States to a Argentinian father and a Puerto-Rican mother. At twelve years of age, he became a member of the church choir. While the group performs in both English and Spanish, their work was widely ignored by the English-language media during the early part of their career.^[1] On May 9, 2011, Santos released his first single, "You", from his upcoming solo debut album, Formula.^[2] The song became a number-one debut on the Hot Latin Songs and Tropical Songs chart.^[3] The second single revealed from his album was "Promise" which features a duet with Usher.^[4] The single has peaked at number #1 on the Hot Latin Songs chart and number one on the Tropical Songs chart.^[5]

Discography[link]

Studio albums[link]

• 2011: Formula, Vol. 1

Singles[link]

References[link]

1. ^ ^{a b} Rosen 2009
2. ^ "Billboard Bits: Charlie Sheen Releases 'Winning' Single, Bruno Mars Responds to Tyler Dis". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2011-05-10. http://www.billboard.com/news/billboard-bits-charlie-sheen-releases-winning-1005178372.story#/news/billboard-bits-charlie-sheen-releases-winning-1005178372.story. Retrieved 2011-05-16. 
3. ^ "Chart Highlights: Pop, Dance/Club Play Songs & More". 2011-05-16. http://www.billboard.com/column/chartbeat#/column/chartbeat/chart-highlights-pop-dance-club-play-songs-1005185612.story. Retrieved 2011-05-16. 
4. ^ "Romeo Santos junto a Usher en "Promise"" (in Spanish). Terra Networks. 2011-08-30. http://musica.terra.com/generos/urbano/romeo-santos-junto-a-usher-en-promise,2f9cc31c80c12310VgnVCM20000099f154d0RCRD.html. Retrieved 2011-09-02. 
5. ^ "Chart Highlights: Rodney Atkins Takes 'Back Road' To No. 1 On Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2011-09-12. http://www.billboard.com/column/chartbeat#/column/chartbeat/chart-highlights-rodney-atkins-takes-back-1005359862.story. Retrieved 2011-09-12. 
6. ^ "Romeo Santos Billboard singles chart history". Allmusic. Prometheus Global Media. http://allmusic.com/artist/romeo-santos-p2071490/charts-awards/billboard-singles. Retrieved December 19, 2011. 
7. ^ "Latin Songs – Week of May 28, 2011". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. May 28, 2011. http://www.billboard.com/#/charts/latin-songs?chartDate=2011-05-28. Retrieved November 2, 2011. 
8. ^ "Latin Songs – Week of October 29, 2011". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. October 29, 2011. http://www.billboard.com/#/charts/latin-songs?chartDate=2011-10-29. Retrieved November 2, 2011. 

Further reading[link]

• Rosen, Jody. "Crossover Dreams of a Bronx Bachatero". New York Times. Arts:Music. June 3, 2009
• Symkus, Ed. "Listen to the Tale of Aventura". The Edge. The Boston Herald.com December 1, 2009

Draco Cornelius Rosa Suárez (born June 27, 1970), also known as Robi Draco Rosa, Robby Rosa, Draco Rosa or simply Draco, is a Puerto Rican Grammy Award and Latin Grammy Award winning musician, dancer, singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and actor.

Born as Robert Edward Rosa Suárez on Long Island, New York and raised in Peñuelas, Puerto Rico and Ponce, Puerto Rico, he originally garnered fame as a member of boy band Menudo in the 1980s. In recent years, he has appeared on VH1's Behind the Music, I Love the '80s and Where Are They Now? in archived footage of early concerts and videos. He has released four concept albums, consisting of "Vagabundo", "Mad Love", "Vino" and "Amor Vincit Omnia". He studied on 9th grade on Colegio San Conrado and graduated from Academia Santa Maria, both in Ponce.

Biography[link]

Menudo Years (1984-1987)[link]

Rosa's early interest in music led him to audition for the Latin pop boy band, Menudo, where he replaced Johnny Lozada in 1984 and quickly became a fan favorite. He was the second band member to join the singing group who was not a native of Puerto Rico (Miguel Cancel was born in Illinois). He was also the first member who spoke English fluently, having been born in New York. With the group's cross-over to English, his timing in joining Menudo was perfect, as he was able to sing most of the English songs. The group's first English album Reaching Out, featured a single which was in the Hollywood film Cannonball Run 2, "Like A Cannonball." Rosa sang the single.

On his second album with the group, he sang his first Spanish-language single hit, "Sabes A Chocolate" ("You taste like chocolate"). His third album with Menudo featured another English hit with "Hold Me", which gained airplay on most mainstream radio stations and had a music video that gained play. In 1987, he was replaced in Menudo by Rubén Gómez after the band's manager denied Rosa the opportunity to contribute songs to the group. Rosa was also 17 years old when he quit, 1 year over the age limit set by management.

Other work[link]

Rosa has been highly influenced by the works of Bob Dylan, Miles Davis, Iggy Pop, Jimi Hendrix, Johnny Cash, Luis Alberto Spinetta, The Doors, Camarón de la Isla, Caetano Veloso and Glenn Danzig. In 1996 he released the Latino alternative rock CD Vagabundo produced by Phil Manzanera.

He helped launch Ricky Martin's musical career into a new global setting by writing and producing some of his hottest singles including "Livin' la Vida Loca" and "She Bangs". Rosa toured with Lenny Kravitz during the summer of 2004 to promote his 2nd (all English) concept album Mad Love.^{[citation needed]}

In 1988 he starred in his only Motion Picture role in the movie "Salsa: The Motion Picture" which was a big hit in Puerto Rico, and made $8,892,589 and is still a popular movie today.

His 2008 album Vino is filled with Dark Ambient electronica and Alternative Rock melodrama.

His 2009 album Amor Vincit Omnia was nominated for Best Latin Rock, Alternative Or Urban Album for the 53rd Grammy Awards.^[1]

New musical project and stage comeback (2011- )[link]

On December 2011, it was announced that Rosa was working on a new musical project involving other artists, an album of duet songs. Alejandro Sanz publicly announced through Twitter his collaboration with Tommy Torres and other artists on a new CD produced by Phantom Vox and Draco himself. The new musical project consists of an all-star album in which artists, chosen by Draco Rosa, will sing duets with him of some of his confirmed famous hits like Vagabundo, Cruzando Puertas and Penélope. Angelo Medina, producer, manager and close personal friend of Draco's confirmed this to the local press. Juan Luis Guerra, Rubén Blades and Enrique Bunbury also confirmed to participate.^[2] At the time, other artists rumored to participate included Ricky Martin, Juanes and Calle 13.^[3] On March 12, 2012, it was confirmed that Blades will cover El Tiempo Va and Guerra will cover Esto Es Vida, both songs from Draco's 2009 album Amor Vincit Omnia.^[4]

On May 11, 2012, the full set of collaborations was released to the press. So far, this is not the official order of the tracklist.^[5]

The new musical project marks the first time Ricky Martin and Draco collaborated together after nearly 12 since Martin's Sound Loaded.

On January 28, 2012, it was confirmed that Draco would make a comeback, after his long absence due to cancer treatment, with a concert sharing the stage with Juan Luis Guerra and Rubén Blades. The concert will take place on March 30, 2012 at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico José Miguel Agrelot. Last time the three collaborated was nearly ten years before in the Banco Popular Christmas special Encuentro in 2002.^[6] Angelo Medina, producer of the event, announced on February 24, 2012, that the concert was quickly sold-out and a second concert was added for March 31.^[7]

Both concerts premiered two of the multiple the collaborations planned for Draco's next album. Guerra joined Draco in Esto Es Vida and then Blades with El Tiempo Va alongside Draco. Both shows were such big hits that it is rumored two concerts will be programmed to take place in Dominican Republic and Panama, home places of Juan Luis Guerra and Rubén Blades respectively.

Personal life[link]

Rosa currently lives in Los Angeles with his wife Angela Alvarado and two sons, Revel Angel and Redamo. He owns a recording studio, an independent music label and a multimedia company under the name of Phantom Vox and a private hacienda in Utuado, Puerto Rico under the name Hacienda Horizonte, where he has shot two music videos of his Amor Vincit Omnia album: Hay Que Llegar (Paraíso Prometido), and Reza Por Mí.

On April 25, 2011, Rosa was diagnosed with stomach cancer: a non-Hodgkin lymphoma in his lower abdomen, near his liver.^[8]

Legacy[link]

Rosa has also contributed towards the improvement of artistic and cultural life in Puerto Rico, sponsoring the Museum of Art and Museum of Contemporary Art, and setting up an annual scholarship for outstanding students at the Music Conservatory.

Discography[link]

Maggie's Dream[link]

• Maggie's Dream (1990)

Robi Draco Rosa[link]

Studio Albums[link]

• Frio (1994)
• Vagabundo (1996 Concept Album)
• Mad Love (2004 Concept Album)
• Y El Teatro Del Absurdo (2007 Album)
• Vino (2008 Concept Album)
• Amor Vincit Omnia (2009 Album)

Compilation Albums[link]

• Libertad Del Alma (2001 Compilation)
• Como Me Acuerdo (2004 Compilation)
• Untitled compilation album (2012 Duets album)

Live Albums[link]

• Draco al Natural (2005 Live Album)
• Teatro (2008 Live Album)
• La Pena Negra (2011 Live Album)

Other Albums[link]

• Songbirds & Roosters (1998 English Versions from Frio and Vagabundo)
• Padre Mío (2008 Single)
• Ensayos al Natural (2009 Outtakes)

See also[link]

	Puerto Rico portal
	Biography portal
	Latin American music portal

• List of famous Puerto Ricans

References[link]

External links[link]

• Phantom Vox
• MySpace
• Facebook
• Twitter
• IMDb profile