MEXICO: Mexican singer Alejandro Fernandez discusses latest album during recent news conference in Mexico City

Performances with opera legends, award-winning album sales and a star in the Hollywood Hall of Fame have all made 2005 a memorable year for Mexican singer Alejandro Fernandez. The singer has already secured gold and platinum discs having sold over 800,000 copies of his album 'A Corazon Abierto' ('With An Open Heart') in the US, Spain, Argentina, Colombia and Venezuela. This follows wowing Spanish fans in his first concert there in June, when he performed duets with Amaia Montero, Malu and Diego 'El Cigala'. The show was recorded and the ensuing album, 'Mexico-Madrid: Directo y Sin Escalas' (Mexico-Madrid: Direct and Non-Stop), has already sold 350,000 copies since it was released on November At a news conference in Mexico City on Tuesday (December 6) where he was presented with a double platinum disc for sales of the Mexico-Madrid album, and a triple platinum for 'A Corazon Abierto', the singer, known as 'El Potrillo' ('The Colt'), said all his successes over the year counted to make it special. "All the nominations, all the prizes, the record sales, the shows I had, it was an incredible tour that I just did in Central and South America, the Spanish concert, it all counts, it all adds up," he told journalists. In June, he performed alongside opera greats, the tenors Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras in Monterrey, singing traditional songs from his beloved Mexico. And in October he joined Latin superstars Chayanne and Marc Anthony for a whirlwind tour of America, visiting 15 cities and performing to crowds of 200,000 people. Earlier this month, the Mexican singer was given his own star in Hollywood's Hall of Fame, an experience he counts as possibly his highlight so far. "The best moment . . . I think inarguably what just happened three days ago, the Hollywood star," he said. The 34-year-old singer is the son of Mexican legendary singer Vicente Fernandez and found fame singing rural Mexico Ranchera music, releasing over 10 albums. Later he began to attract a different audience with his rock music but maintains a love of his roots, blending old and new into his shows.

ITN Source | December 8, 2005

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