Kike Santander

Kike Santander
Background information
Birth name	Flavio Enrique Santander Lora
Born	May 11, 1960 (1960-05-11) Santiago de Cali, Colombia
Occupations	Composer and producer
Years active	1987–present
Website	KikeSantander.com – official site in Spanish and English

Dr. Flavio Enrique Santander Lora (born May 11, 1960), commonly known as Kike Santander, is a Colombian composer, record producer, arranger and entrepreneur. He is considered to be one of the principal Latino composers of the day, having worked with artists such as David Bisbal, Cristian Castro, Thalía, Chayanne, Diego Torres, Alejandro Fernández, Olga Tañón, Bacilos, José Luis Rodríguez «El Puma» and Gloria Estefan among others. More than 25 of his songs have won the coveted Top Ten, as reflected in the Latin charts for Billboard since 1999. More than 15 of his songs are featured within the top 100 played songs by the BMI Association of Authors and Composers. His songs and productions have surpassed 25 million albums worldwide and Santander has won also prizes and awards that are given in the music industry on multiple occasions: Grammy Awards, Billboard, Lo Nuestro Awards, Premios TVyNovelas", El Heraldo, and BMI in which he has received the most awards in its Latin division, and many more.

Early years

Kike Santander was born in Santiago de Cali, Colombia and he was raised in La Flora, a typical upper middle class neighborhood of Cali. His father was the dentist, poet and guitarist Flavio Santander and his mother's name is Judith. His brother is the architect and composer Gustavo Santander. In Cali he spent his first years learning different rhythms and musical skills while studying at Colegio San Juan Berchmans from which he graduated in 1977. He began his musical studies at an early age, playing the accordion and experimenting with instruments like guitar, piano, and later devoted himself to the electric bass. His earliest musical influences came from a wide mix of genres that include indigenous artists of his native country. His main influences were bolero, rock and roll, Anglo-American pop, classical music and jazz. He studied music at the Cali Conservatory. In 1978, when he was 18, he began his medical studies at the Central University of Valle del Cauca from which he graduated and received institution where he received the professional title in Medicine and Surgery. He worked as a doctor for one year before deciding to dedicate himself completely to his musical career. Simultaneously he continued his musical studies in progress, improving his piano playing and studying music synthesis, midi sequencing, sound engineering, arrangements and harmony.

Musical career

He moved to Bogotá in 1987 where he worked as a jazz bassist until he met producer Bernardo Ossa, who introduced him to the "big leagues" of advertising agencies, where he devoted his time and effort to write and produce "commercial jingles." This work earned him the credibility of the advertising agencies in which he became the leading figure in this genre. Kike wrote and produced over 1500 jingles. In 1993, Kike began his career as a composer and producer, working for various Colombian artists such as Marcelo Cezan, for whom he wrote and produced the hits: " Una en un millón" (She is one in a million) and "Hierba Mojada" (Wet Grass) as well as for several local rock and pop bands. It was precisely in that year when Kike received his first award - the BMI award for the song "Boca Dulce Boca" (mouth, sweet mouth) a song he composed along with Stefano and José Luis Rodríguez, "El Puma". It was then, and due to his already recognized talent, that Kike Santander joined forces with Emilio Estefan. This experience officially marked the beginning of his career as a composer and music producer on 7 January 1994.

In 1995 Kike received a call from Emilio Estefan, who proposed that he write some songs for a Christmas album that Gloria Estefan would record. He agreed, and ended up writing all the songs for the production. The album became one of the most successful albums of Gloria Estefan. This was the start of an intense and extremely successful international career as a songwriter, producer and businessman in Miami, Fl. In 1997 Santander created Santander Music Group, a company that is principally engaged in musical production.

After Gloria Estefan's album " Abriendo Puertas " he received the Latin Grammy for Best Tropical Album in 1997. During this year, he composed and produced six songs for the album "Me Estoy Enamorando" (I'm In Love) for Alejandro Fernández, who was nominated for a Grammy and sold more than three million copies worldwide, making the transition from Ranchero to the Pop music market. Kike also obtained his second Grammy Award for his song "Mi Verdad" (My Truth), performed by Alejandro Fernández, winner for "Best Regional Song" and, in 1999, he also won a second consecutive award BMI "Songwriter of the Year" for "Best Latin Song" with "Si tú supieras" (If You Knew). The following year (2000) he garnered the award "Songwriter of the Year" and four honorable mentions. In 2000, he was also honored with another Latin Grammy Awards, this time in the "Best Tropical Song" for "Swear" performed by Giselle. In 2002, Santander received the Latin Grammy Award for Producer of the Year for his work on the tracks "Perdidos En La Noche", "Por Ti Yo Iré", "Que No Me Pierda", "Quisiera", "Si Tu Te Vas" and "Soy De La Gente" by Diego Torres, and the albums Azul by Cristian Castro and Una Vez Mas by Jaime Camil.

During the same year, Santander also produced for artists such as Chayanne, Amaury Gutiérrez, Illegal, Jaime Camil and Cristian Castro, whose single "Azul" reached the top of the charts in USA and Latin America, and remained at number-one in the Hot Latin Songs of the Billboard (Magazine) for 11 consecutive weeks.

After being one of the founding members and serving as Chairman of the Board of the Latin Grammy Academy for four consecutive years, Kike is currently their Chairman Emeritus. In 2002 he was named Chairman of the Latin Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, Inc., and he is very involved with the talent show Operación Triunfo (a program of which he became director in 2005 and 2006).

In 2005 Kike moved to Barcelona, Spain where he created BATUKA, a group fitness workout method with original music he composed. BATUKA was launched on the Spanish market in July 2005 and became an instant phenomenon selling more than 1.5 Million DVD's in the first 16 months in Spain only. BATUKA created a new trend in the way to do group fitness and started expanding to other European countries such as Italy, Germany and France. BATUKA is going through an aggressive expansion phase with the creation of six new fitness programs for the Health Club markets as well as its own nutrition method created and developed by Miriam Nelson, one of the most respected authorities in nutrition in the US, as well as its own " Batuka Philosophy " also created by Kike Santander, which is a way to educate people about how to achieve a more balanced way of life and a more harmonious inner state. BATUKA will be officially launched in North America in 2011 and the rest of Europe in 2012.

Kike's career continued to rise by producing and writing hit after hit. In 2002 he produced "Corazón Latino", the first album of Spanish singer David Bisbal, an artist who has been one of the most successful Latino singers. During this year, Kike also wrote the hit "Por mas que intento" (As much as I try) played by Gilberto Santa Rosa, a song nominated for the Latin Grammy Awards for "Best Tropical Song". The song "Tú no Podrás" (You won't be able to) for Olga Tañón, also successful on Billboard Magazine. In 2007, he was named the Best Songwriter of The Year by Billboard magazine.

Kike Santander also partnered with the renowned musician, composer and producer Mark Portmann to start a company to create music for film and television. In 2008 he published an autobiography, "Por amor a la música" (For the love of music). The book comes with a CD with the "Cancionero de su vida" (song of his life) in which the composer sings the themes that touch him. The repertoire ranges from a lullaby his mother sang to him, to hits like "Quiero perderme en tu cuerpo" (I want to lose myself in you) (David Bisbal).

In August 2010, he launched his label 'Santander Records", primarily oriented towards regional Mexican music, and whose philosophy is to launch and develop different artists and position them.

His work as songwriter and producer also includes Let's Get Loud by Jennifer Lopez, Abriendo puertas by Gloria Estefan, Me Estoy Enamorando by Alejandro Fernández, Mi Vida Sin Tu Amor by Cristian Castro, and Premonición by David Bisbal, as well as many songs recorded by artists such as Thalía, Natalia Oreiro, Gisselle, Edith Márquez, Luis Miguel, Soledad Pastorutti and the Spanish song for Eurovision Song Contest 2004, amongst others. In October 2010, he and his family settled in Huntington Park, California.

Personal life

In 2001 Santander sued Emilio Estefan for breach of contract, lack of benefit payments and for the title of Producer, where supposedly Estefan was not physically present, thus ending a successful business relationship which began in 1995.

Santander is married a second time, with Paraguayan Adriana López and they have three children: Sebastián, his son by blood, Andrea the daughter of his wife, and Alejandro (born 2008), son of the two. Kike Santander was nationalized in the U.S. in 2004.

Curiosities

• Santander had a myriad of professions and vocations before engaging in music composition and production: While he was studying medicine he started a business, with his brother Gustavo, processing and distributing fish and seafood . They started another of toothpaste, plaster dolls and sausages which also failed (they lost the house, the money from their parents).

External links

• [1]
• free pic
• Kike Santander Fan Site - news and discography of Kike Santander (In Spanish).