Name: Juan Esteban Aristizábal Vásquez
Age: 33
Occupation: singer, songwriter, guitarist
Place of Residence: Miami and Medellín
Bio: From Wikipedia: “Juan Esteban Aristizábal Vásquez, is a Colombian singer ,songwriter and guitarist born in Medellín. When he was younger, his father started calling him Juanes, rather than Juan, a contraction of his two first names Juan and Esteban. As his friends grew to know him by this name, he chose to keep it for his musical career, which started when he, Andrés García, Fernando “Toby” Tobón and José David Lopera, formed the rock band Ekhymosis.” Juanes went solo in 2000 after the band broke up. His debut album, Fijate Bien earned him three Latin Grammys. In the 2005 Latin Grammys, Juanes won three additional awards to his nine previous Grammy awards. Juanes just completed his world wide “Mi Sangre” tour and is resting up, but first he became a Knight in France.

Why he’s loved: Besides his songwriting, singing, and performance skills, Juanes is a humanitarian, working specifically as a Goodwill Ambassador for United for Colombia, a non-profit organization that raises awareness about the impact of land mines within Colombia.

Why he’s hated: People hate Juanes? Ok maybe some people can say his music isn’t “rock” enough.

Why he’s influential: Well we don’t just think so. Time Magazine named him as one of the world’s 100 most influential people. Juanes has sold an estimated 4.8 million records worldwide, becoming one of the few Colombians who have sold over 1 million records (Carlos Vives and Shakira are some others).

VOTE for Juanes as VL’s Most Influential Latino 2006.