Chayanne walks into a rehearsal space at Blue Dolphin Studios in Miami, dressed head-to-toe in black — skinny pants and shirt, crisp blazer, formal leather shoes — and warmly embraces his manager, his assistant, the creative director of. He then extends his hand to greet the photographer who is waiting for a cover shoot. “Nice to meet you,” he says with a big smile. “I'm Chayanne.”
“I think we all know who you are here,” I say lightly, but Chayanne stops and turns to look at me.
“No,” he tells me non-accusingly, his smile intact and his voice steady. “My dad taught me that wherever you are, say hello and introduce yourself. You can't assume people know who you are.”
And just like that, this encounter becomes another in a long list of anecdotes about Elmer Figueroa Arce, better known as Chayanne. The artist who goes out to eat and gets up several times to greet his fans. The first performer to arrive at rehearsals and the last to leave. The star who greets housewives by name and dances with them in the aisles. The guy who runs in the mornings, alone.
“He is an exemplary father, an exemplary husband. handsome, tall; is she dancing he's the perfect man,” says Henry Cárdenas, CEO of Cárdenas Marketing Network, which has produced Chayanne's tours for decades, including his upcoming trek to the world arena. “He was a guy unsullied by scandals. [Chayanne has been married to Marilisa Maronesse for over 30 years and has two children with her: Lorenzo and Isadora, the latter also a singer.] I've known him for years. I've spent a lot of time with him, and what you see is who he is. He's the guy who stops his golf game to take a picture with a fan.”
Check out the exclusive photos below and read the Billboard Español cover story by Leila Cobo here.
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/photos/chayanne-photos-billboard-espanol-cover-shoot-1235752377/
