Carlos Rivera

Singer and stage star Carlos Rivera won the popular Mexican music talent show La Academia in 2004. ∙ Rivera’s debut single, “Y Si tú supieras,” was used in the film Mar de Sueños and was nominated for Best Original Song at Mexico’s annual Diosas de Plata awards. ∙ When he was 22, Disney cast him as the male lead in its Mexico City production of Beauty and the Beast, making him the youngest actor to play the musical’s title role. ∙ He played Simba in a Madrid production of The Lion King—the first time a Mexican actor starred in a Disney musical outside the country—and he reprised the role in a record-breaking run in Mexico four years later. ∙ The 2013 album El Hubiera No Existe was his first hit outside of Mexico—a Gold record supported by a sold-out world tour. ∙ Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto presented him with the Artistic Merit Award during 2013’s Premios Antena awards ceremony. ∙ His 2016 album, Yo Creo, debuted at No. 1 in Mexico and Spain.