Latin pop underdog
Fulano was born
Elsen Torres in Cuba, though like many Cuban families
Elsten and his family soon relocated to New York City.
Elsten demonstrated an interest and affinity for music early on, and in his teens began forming and playing in original bands. His skills as a singer/songwriter began to emerge, taking center stage in 1992 when he co-wrote and produced his first Latin alternative album, Ataque, which was released in Mexico. Two years later
Torres moved to the Latin music mecca of Miami. He formed a group he called
Fulano de Tal, which wasted no time recording their debut record for BMG,
Normal. In 1997
Torres was signed to Warner/Chappel Music Publishing as a writer, offering
Torres other inroads to the recording industry.
Fulano de Tal's 2000 follow-up release,
Etc, was met with critical acclaim but did not manage to break through into the mainstream market. While writing hits for artists like
Michael Stuart,
Enrique Iglesias, and
Obie Bermúdez,
Torres was also creating new repertoire for and working on repackaging his band. In 2006,
Torres released Individual as a solo artist under the name
Fulano. That record went on to be the only independently released album to be nominated for a Best Latin Pop Album Grammy in 2006. ~ Evan C. Gutierrez