Flex

Panamanian reggaeton singer-songwriter Flex was discovered in 2000 by manager/producer Celia Torres, who was impressed by the vocal features he’d done on mixtapes. ∙ Recording under his original stage name N**ga, Flex had a breakthrough hit in Latin America with “Dejala,” recorded with singer Duende for the 2000 mixtape Las Propias Vol. 2. ∙ “Te Quiero,” his first single released as Flex, went to No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Latin Tracks chart in 2007 and won a Latin Grammy Award for Best Urban Song. ∙ “La Balada de Flex”—a song of thanks to Flex’s late mother—has become an urban Mother’s Day standard in Latin America. ∙ In 2008, he guested on the Kumbia All Starz track “Bésame”; two years later, Kumbia All Starz vocalist Ricky Rick returned the favor on Flex’s hit “Besos de Amor.” ∙ He was nominated for 13 Billboard Latin Music Awards in 2009, winning 7, including Top Latin Album of the Year for his chart-topping debut solo LP, Te Quiero. ∙ Flex and J Álvarez teamed up with Antonio Barullo on his 2015 hit, “Disfruta La Vida,” which received a Lo Nuestro Awards nomination for Urban Collaboration of the Year.