Salsa’s next definitive voice effortlessly blends tradition with pop, rock and reggaeton
Featuring 4pm Latin Percussion workshop with Conga & Timbal
Frankie Negrón
Frankie Negrón is the pride of Newark, New Jersey, an ambassador of neo-salsa. Of Puerto Rican descent, he meshes the native sounds of his country with elements of modern pop, rock, gospel music, R&B, hip-hop, and reggaetón. As a teen in the 90’s, Negrón was a member of an R&B group called Base Harmony; they performed all over Jersey and the tri-state area. Here he mastered the nuances of soul and the complexities of harmonics. His love of salsa goes back to his discovery of his father’s vast record collection. All these musical influences came together to form the basis of Negrón’s dynamic sound. The first of his seven studio albums to date, Con Amor Se Gana (roughly translatable as “Love Conquers All”), was released in May 1997. His last salsa release, Mejor Que Nunca (“Better than Ever”), was released in 2006. His first crossover into the English market came in 2009 with Independence Day, a critical success and fan favorite. He has won two Gold Album awards, for Con Amor Se Gana and No Me Compares (“Don’t Compare Me”), and nine Billboard Top 40 Hot Latin Tracks. He’s also earned Grammy Award nominations, Billboard Award nods and two Premio Lo Nuestro Awards for Song of the Year.