Omar Alfanno

Omar Enrique Alfanno Velásquez,[1] better known as Omar Alfanno, is a Panamanian singer-songwriter of Latin music who is most active in the salsa and merengue genres.

Reuters noted him as "one of Latin music's premiere songwriters and the man behind countless hits".[2]

He has composed for musicians like Tony Vega, Luis Enrique, Melina Leon, Jerry Rivera, Victor Manuelle, Gilberto Santa Rosa, and Marc Anthony. His most successful song, "A Puro Dolor" performed by the Son by Four, reached the Billboard Hot 100. The song was awarded a Lo Nuestro Award, the Billboard Music Award, and a Latin Grammy Award nomination in 2000. His song "Amores Como el Nuestro" which was written for Jerry Rivera was sampled by Shakira and Wyclef Jean on the song "Hips Don't Lie".

In April 2013 he performed with many of his collaborators in a concert in Panama.[3]

Life

Alfanno was born January 4, 1957, in Santiago de Veraguas, Panama, and lives in Panama City, Panama today. He studied to be a dental surgeon in Mexico but his true passion was music. Once he graduated, he pursued a career as a singer making his professional debut in 1987 with the prestigious company RCA Records. His first album in the salsa genre was titled "Cosas de Barrio." The next year he moved to Puerto Rico where he made the productions "Joe de Barrio" and "Cuerpos al Calor." In 1990, he signed a contract with CBS, where he recorded "En Torno Al Amor", his fourth and last album in his short but blooming career as a singer. His career as a composer started right there in Puerto Rico where artists such as Willie Colon, Gilberto Santa Rosa, Tony Vega, Luis Enrique, and Jenny Rivera recorded songs by Alfanno who made history and marked his career as a composer forever. He moved to Miami in 1993 where Omar decided to internationalize his music. A year later he worked with Marc Anthony, where he recorded three songs for his album "Todo A Su Tiempo." After that his career took off and he composed many hit songs. He also worked with Victor Manuelle. Alfanno's success is credited with 16 gold records, 39 platinum discs which included 9 double platinum, 4 triple platinum, 1 quadruple platinum and 3 quintuple platinum. He continues to compose with many greatly known artists and continues to win awards that recognize his huge talent and success as a composer. Today, he is married to Carmen Alfanno and they have three children: Giancarlo, Gianna and Giovanna.[4]

Discography
  • Cosas de Barrio (1987)
  • Cuerpos al Calor (1988)
  • En Torno al Amor (1991)
  • Joe de Barrio

Awards and nominations

American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers Awards

Alfanno has won the following ASCAP awards.[5]

Year Nominee / work Award Result
1994 Himself Songwriters of the Year Won
"Que Hay de Malo" Tropical Songs Won
"Sin Voluntad" Won
1995 Himself Songwriter of the Year - Tropical Won
"Que Hay de Malo" Tropical Songs Won
"Ella Es" Won
1996 "Te Conozco Bien" Won
"Si Tú Supieras" Won
2000 "Qué Habría Sido de Mi" Salsa Songs Won
"No Sabes Como Duele" Won
2001 Himself Composer of the Year Won
"A Puro Dolor" Song of the Year Won
Pop/Balada Song of the Year Won
"Que Alguien Me Diga" Salsa Song of the Year Won
Pop/Balada Songs Won
"Si la Ves" Salsa Songs Won
"Cuando Una Mujer" Pop/Balada Songs Won
Merengue Song of the Year Won
2002 Himself Composers of the Year Won
"Me Da lo Mismo" Salsa Songs Won
"Pueden Decir" Won
Pop/Balada Songs Won
"Cuando Seas Mía (Miss Me So Bad)" Won
2003 "En Nombre de los Dos" Tropical Songs Won
2004 Won
2007 "Hips Don't Lie" Pop/Ballad Songs Won
2009 "No Te Vayas" Tropical Songs Won

Billboard Latin Music Awards

Alfanno has received the following Billboard Latin Music Awards and nominations.[6]

Year Nominee / work Award Result
1999 Himself Songwriter of the Year Nominated
2002 Himself Songwriter of the Year Nominated

Latin Grammy Awards

Alfanno has received the following Latin Grammy nominations.[7]

Year Nominee / work Award Result
2000 "A Puro Dolor" Best Tropical Song Nominated
2002 "Pueden Decir" Nominated
2016 "Vine A Buscarte" Best Tropical Song Won
gollark: Histograms are just... why. Did they think "we must invent the most confusing and irritating possible way to represent data" or something?
gollark: I quite like maths. Except circle theorems and histograms.
gollark: They get around the fact that common calculators can do a not insignificant amount of the maths-exam stuff automatically by having a non-calculator paper for further maths, requiring working, and having more complex multi-step questions.
gollark: Maths, physics, chemistry, biology (very occasionally, it's not that mathy).
gollark: A single board one with an ARM CPU, but it definitely beats the calculator.

References
  1. Biografría de Omar Alfanno Musica.com Accessed on September 29, 2013.
  2. "Success with Son by Four hit". Reuters. Retrieved 2013-04-14.
  3. "Panama concert". Dia a Dia. Retrieved 2013-04-14.
  4. Morgan, Al. "Omar Alfanno - Biografía". www.omaralfanno.com. Retrieved 2017-06-12.
  5. ASCAP Awards:
  6. Billboard Latin Music Awards:
    • 2000 Awards
    Lannert, John (2000-04-29). "Catching Some Stars Artist Showcases Offer A Glimpse Into The Future Of Latin Music". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 112 (18): LM-16, 18. Retrieved 2013-08-23.
    • 2002 Awards
    Cobo, Leila (2002-05-18). "Billboard Awards Recognize The Best In Latin Music". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 114 (20): 92. Retrieved 2013-08-23.
  7. Latin Grammy Awards:
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