Ricky Martin announced his U.S. concert dates for his 2011 “MAS (Música Alma Sexo)” World Tour, his first concert tour in over three years [also see previous post Ricky Martin announces his tour dates.] He also recently spoke to Billboard about his book, his upcoming role in “Evita,” and his new CD of the same title, which is “already the #1 selling Latin album at Amazon on the strength of pre-sales alone.” The new album features hits such as “Te vas,” “Shine,” “No te miento,” “Será Será,” “Frío” (featuring Wisin & Yandel), “Lo mejor de mi vida eres tú” (featuring Natalia Jiménez), and the English version, “The Best Thing about Me is You (featuring Joss Stone). “Lo mejor de mi vida eres tú” is currently the #1 Latin pop song in the U.S.

Here are excerpts from his Billboard interview:
 
So you wrote and recorded the new album here [Miami]? Between here and my home in Golden Beach, Fla. Desmond Child practically moved in with his entire family. We had two studios: one for the programmer, another to record bass, guitars and drums.

This album has gone through many changes to become what it is today: A very personal, very up-tempo, fun, danceable album. Did the change in the music come about as a result of the changes in your personal life? Everything changed last year. I started writing the book and my mind opened up in a thousand ways. And my need to talk about other things and do other sounds solidified.  Because writing the book began almost like a game. I’m going to talk about my foundation, my career, my work, without going into great detail. And suddenly, you realize there are missing links and you see very clearly what this book is going to mean for my life. It was a vital pressure that led me to this creative catharsis, for lack of a better word.

When did he book take you in another place? Within the first 500 words I knew where I stood. It’s my way of tearing barriers down and getting rid of a lot of excess baggage I was carrying around. That’s why I say that musically we started from scratch. Because lyrically there have to be different texture and nuance.

Why is it a more up-tempo album? When I get up on stage, the first thing I say is, ‘We’re here to forget everything and to have a blast the next two hours.’ And when I work with my producers, we look for that liberty. It’s up-tempo because I’m at a point in my life where I simply want to be, and be free and not be contrived at all.

So you spent all this time worrying over nothing… Yes. That’s why I say in the book that fear is in your head. But everybody has to go through their own process. I feel very fortunate that I was able to open up in my 30s and find this sense of peace and calm when there are people in their 40s, their 50s, their 60s who go through life and lie and can never fully love themselves.

There are few ballads in this album. Well we wrote at least 60 songs and obviously, not all are in here. The ones that felt right are in the album. I think there are songs here that can become ballads. The most important thing about this album is it’s for the audience, but also for musicians. There’s great musicianship here.

In 2012 you’re going to play Che Guevara in the Broadway revival of “Evita.” Why? “Evita” is a classic, and the opportunity is huge career-wise. After a one-year tour [in support of the album] I think that the stability of Broadway will be great for my kids and [for] me. I’ll be able to take them to school, and in the evenings I’ll take the stage from 7-10 p.m. Life is wonderful, isn’t it?

For article, see http://events.theday.com/uncasville-ct/events/show/164597925-ricky-martin-musica-almo-sexo-world-tour-2011#

For interview, see http://www.billboard.com/news/ricky-martin-talks-book-coming-out-and-mas-1005012792.story

For purchasing information, see http://www.amazon.com/Musica-Alma-Sexo-Ricky-Martin/dp/B004D7GU3C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1297637208&sr=8-1