Listen to Marc Anthony on Batanga

Big is the No.1-selling tropical/salsa artist in the world and has been called the salsa phenomenon of his generation. With memorable melodies, deeply traditional clave grooves and rock-influenced sustained notes, he offers a new twist to the genre. The singer also has been described as the quintessential urban Latino renaissance man. In the wake of his Broadway debut in the title role of the Paul Simon musical The Capeman, he joins Australian singer Tina Arena on Sony Classical's original soundtrack recording for the romantic adventure film The Mask of Zorro. Arena and Anthony sing the duet "I Want To Spend My Lifetime Loving You", the first song by composer James Horner and lyricist Will Jennings since they won Oscars for "My HeartWill Go On" from Titanic. Anthony's cultural sensibility was formed both by the New York City of his upbringing and the Puerto Rico of his parents' roots. As a result, he has been uniquely able to capture in his music an emerging Latino-American consciousness in the urban United States. His third salsa album, Contra La Corriente, has been breaking records since its release in November 1997. Time Magazine voted it one of the Top 10 Albums of the Year. It was also the first salsa album in history to debut in Billboard's Top 200 and reach the No. 1 position on both Hot Latin Tracks and Top Latin 50, all at the same time. The album's release was followed by another milestone. In October 1997, Big became the first salsa performer ever to sell out New York's Madison Square Garden. Early in 1998, the singer joined the legendary Ruben Blades and Puerto Rico's own Ednita Nazario in The Capeman -- the first time a Broadway musical with a Latino theme featured a predominantly Latino cast. As an actor, he has also appeared in the films Hackers, Big Night and The Substitute. Anthony's career started when he was a teenager doing back-up vocals for English language "Freestyle" dance music and penning songs for various artists. At age 19, he performed at Carnegie Hall, and later that same year at Madison Square Garden, where he opened a tribute concert for Tito Puente, in celebration of his 100th landmark album. In 1991, the music industry began to take notice when Anthony's single "Ride On The Rhythm" from the album When the Night is Over reached No. 1 on the Billboard charts. Two years later his manager offered him the opportunity to record his first salsa album, Otra Nota. The album went double platinum, and it remains one of the top-selling albums on the tropical market, in the mainland U.S. and Puerto Rico. Todo a Su Tiempo, his second album, was released in 1995, selling more than 550,000 copies worldwide. In 1996, Anthony was nominated for a Grammy award. He also garnered Billboard's Hot Tropical Artist of the Year award in 1996, as well as awards for Male Tropical Album of the Year and Hot Latin Track of the Year in 1998. Big's achievements have earned him major media attention. In the U.S., he has appeared as a featured guest on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Late Show With David Letterman, VH1 Storytellers and Good Morning America. He was voted one of the 10 Most Influential People by New York Magazine and was also profiled by The New Yorker. Early in his career he was honoured with Billboard's award for Best New Artist of the Year, the Lo Nuestro and Ace Awards, and a Diplo Award in Puerto Rico.