Jon Secada

Jon Secada, born Juan Francisco Secada Ramírez on October 4, 1961, in Havana, Cuba, is a singer, songwriter, and Broadway performer whose career spans recording, live performance, and education. His family emigrated from Cuba in 1971 after his father, José, spent three years as a political prisoner of the Cuban government, and the Secadas settled in Miami, where his parents opened a coffee shop. Secada grew up in Hialeah, Florida, and graduated from Hialeah Senior High School in 1979. A performance of A Christmas Carol during his eleventh-grade year led teachers to encourage him to pursue music professionally.

Secada went on to study at the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami, earning a Bachelor of Music in 1983 and a Master of Music in jazz vocal performance in 1986, graduating cum laude. He was later inducted into the Iron Arrow Honor Society, the University of Miami's highest honor. Following his graduate studies, he taught at Miami Dade College from 1986 to 1991. During that same period, acquaintances from the University of Miami introduced him to Emilio Estefan, who became his mentor and manager and brought him on as a backup singer for Miami Sound Machine.

In 1991, Secada co-wrote and sang backup on "Coming Out of the Dark," a number-one hit for Gloria Estefan inspired by a 1990 tour-bus accident in which she broke her back. His self-titled debut album followed in 1992 and sold seven million copies. His music draws on funk, soul, pop, and Latin percussion, and over the course of his recording career he has sold fifteen million records and received two Grammy Awards. He has written songs for Gloria Estefan, Ricky Martin, and Jennifer Lopez, and in 1994 he recorded a duet with Frank Sinatra — a re-recording of "The Best Is Yet to Come" — released on Sinatra's album Duets II. He also recorded "If I Never Knew You" as a duet with Shanice for the film Pocahontas in 1995, and in 1999 he co-wrote and co-produced "She's All I Ever Had" for Ricky Martin. He has additionally toured with Luciano Pavarotti and recorded duets with Jim Brickman and Olivia Newton-John.

Secada's Broadway career ran from 1994 to 1998 and included two productions. He performed in Grease in 1995 and later appeared in Cabaret in 2003. In 1995 he also presented at the 49th Tony Awards. Beyond Broadway, he served as a judge on Latin American Idol from 2006 to 2009 and has performed multiple times at A Capitol Fourth, the annual Independence Day concert held at the United States Capitol. In 2017, he released a tribute album of cover versions of songs by Benny Moré. In January 2025, he began teaching at the Wertheim School of Music at Florida International University.

Secada was married to Jo Pat Cafro from 1988 to 1993. He began a relationship with Maritere Vilar in May 1995, and the two married in February 1997; they have two children together. He resides in Coral Gables, Florida, a few blocks from the University of Miami. He established the Jon Secada Music Scholarship at the University of Miami and has raised funds for the Recording Academy's Keeping Music in Schools initiative. He also supports the Pediatric AIDS Unit at Jackson Memorial Hospital, the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and the Boys & Girls Clubs of America.