Rik Indio is a salsero of Puerto Rican origins whose sound is firmly rooted in the Nuyorican tradition, but equally informed by less urban Puerto Rican sources and Latin pop. His singles and albums have received considerable airplay, and his stage presence has been admired across the United States and the Caribbean. Born Ricardo Ramos in Paterson, New Jersey, Indio got the salsa bug early from his parents, who'd emigrated from Naguado, Puerto Rico. His father was a professional salsero and recorded four albums. He began singing at age eight, and while in high school decided to pursue music as a career. His family spent summers in El Duque, Puerto Rico, allowing Indio to study his famous inspirations Hector Lavoe and Frankie Ruiz, but also the sound on the ground in the small town. He worked hard, studying and singing wherever and whenever he could. In 2007, at the age of 19, he got a break when the legendary Domingo Quiñones asked him onto a New York club stage to sing with his band. Impressed by his talent, the master encouraged the young singer to begin his own project and made some connections for him. Three days later, he was cutting his debut album, Taino de Puerto Rico Para del Mundo. The recording garnered unanimous media acclaim and received solid radio airplay at home and in the Caribbean. The single "Quiero Amar a Otra" quickly climbed the charts and reached number seven at BDS Radio and four on Miami's Zol Radio. His second single, "How Would It Be," also climbed the ranks in tropical radios across the country, reaching number eight at Latin Airplay. That same year he was nominated for Revelación Tropical del Año 2009 en Premio Lo Nuestro and toured the U.S. Indio's second album, 2015's more ballad-centric Te Voy a Enamorar, was produced by Junito Dávila (Víctor Manuelle, DLG, Jerry Rivera) and independently released in 2015 on Select-O-Hits. Its first single, "El Tiempo Sin Ti," was penned by Jorge Luis Piloto as were other tracks on the set, including the follow-ups "Ella" and "Demasiado Fuerte." All charted at radio and streaming. The reason for the long break between albums was that Indio, who had lost a sister to cancer earlier in life, lost two more to the disease in those intervening years. Understandably, these tragedies sent him reeling. Even before he began his recording career, Indio was an active warrior in raising awareness and fundraising for cancer research. ~ Thom Jurek