Latin Grammy-winning singer/songwriter/producer Robi ‘Draco’ Rosa, who also has a new album due later this year, has signed with SESAC, a spokesperson for the performing rights organization has announced.
News of the signing comes about a year after Rosa, 41, announced through his representatives, and later during television interviews, that he was being treated for stomach cancer (non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma).
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Rosa, who was born on Long Island and raised in Puerto Rico, has had a long and successful career that started as a child when he was a member of the popular Puerto Rican boy band Menudo. In 1987 he left the group and moved to Rio de Janeiro where he focused on his writing.
He eventually returned to New York where he was a member of the alt-rock group Maggie’s Dream. In 1996 he released Vagabundo, which was recorded in England.
It is perhaps his 1999 collaboration with Ricky Martin that further established Rosa as a hitmaker after co-writing and co-producing “Livin’ La Vida Loca” which was No. 1 for nine weeks on the Hot Latin Songs chart, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
Rosa has also had several other top 10s on the same chart including “Maria” (No. 6), “Cup of Life” (No. 2), “Perdido Sin Ti” (No. 1), “She’s All I Ever Had” (No. 1 for three weeks) and “She Bangs” (No. 1 for one week).
Rosa also wrote Sisqo’s “Thong Song,” which went to No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 2 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. “Livin’ La Vida Loca” was also No. 1 for five weeks on the same chart.
“Draco is a multifaceted talent who has had great success as an artist, composer, producer and entrepreneur, ” said J. J. Cheng, Vice President of Writer and Publisher Relations at SESAC Latina, in a prepared statement. “He has an established reputation as a musical great.”
Rosa, an independent artist, released his second Spanish album, Vino, in October of 2008. His production of Draco: Limited Collector’s Edition, included the “Teatro Live” DVD. “Teatro Live” led to two Latin Grammy nominations and one Latin Grammy win for best rock vocal performance.
In 2009 he released Amor Vincit Omnia (Love Conquers All), a collection of songs influenced by Puerto Rican folk music. That project led to a 2010 Grammy nomination for best Latin rock alternative album.
His most recent untitled (Sony) project includes a duets album scheduled for release during the third quarter of 2012, according to spokesperson for the artist.
The new project includes collaborations with some of Latin music’s biggest names including Calle 13, Tego Calderón, Juan Luis Guerra, Ricky Martin, Juanes, Alejandro Sanz, Rubén Blades, Maná, José Feliciano, Enrique Bunbury, Andrés Calamaro, Marc Anthony, Ednita Nazario, Shakira, Romeo and Mima.
Most recently, Rosa has performed with Guerra and Blades in a series of sold-out concerts at the José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum in San Juan, Puerto Rico.