Miguelito is reggaeton sensation

Miguelito is reggaeton sensation

It's 11 p.m., the Puerto Rico Coliseum is packed, the reggaeton is blaring, and it's way past Miguel Angel Valenzuela's bedtime.

Despite the solo he just performed at Daddy Yankee's sold-out concert, or the rhinestone-studded bling around his neck, or the backup dancers in short plaid skirts, bedtime was at 9. But on this night, the 8-year-old is Miguelito, a Latin Grammy nominee who gets to stay up late, at least on concert nights.

''I have liked reggaeton since I was little,'' he said. "When I was small, I thought I was going to be the boss of my father's company. Then when I turned 6, I thought, 'no, I am going to become an artist.' I have reached my dreams. Now, I am an artist -- Miguelito.''

He is also one of Puerto Rico's littlest celebrities. A Daddy Yankee protégé, Miguelito not only scored a Latin Grammy nomination, but helped spawn the latest fad in the San Juan music scene: pint-size reggaetoneros. The island that gave birth to the popular '80s pre-teen group Menudo and where Daddy Yankee first sold his sounds on underground cassettes has created a new wave of musicians who hope to capitalize on kids' fascination with urban Latino music.

The third-grader has signed with Daddy Yankee's El Cartel Records and has videos on YouTube that show about a million hits. His first CD sold 50,000 copies, and he's now working on a second. His song ''Móntala'' -- Ride it -- has the kind of raunchy puns you'd expect from the gritty music genre that is wildly popular here despite a reputation for exploitation of women.

''That's talent right there,'' Daddy Yankee said in a recent interview. "I have a vision with artists. I don't sign regular artists. I sign super stars. Right now, he's a super star.''

Other kids are hoping to become stars, too. Another boy, Xavi ''The Destroyer,'' is 7 years old, sports diamond-like studs in both earlobes and has tweezed eyebrows. And a fifth-grader dubbed ''Mimi'' is known as ''the pretty girl of reggaeton.'' A group of kids from New York called Reggaeton Niños who sing cleaned up versions of reggaeton songs for the children's market sold more than 150,000 copies.

Univision television has gotten into the act by putting together a group of child singers called The Mini-Raperitos.

''When we held a concert, there were 18-year-olds in the audience!'' said producer Hector Marcano, host of Qué Suerte, the variety show where the Mini-Raperitos perform each week. "I thought, 'These singers are 6 to 11 years old -- how can this be?' We discovered there was a market there.''

The Mini Raperitos were born when Qué Suerte -- What Luck -- held a Daddy Yankee lookalike concert. Hundreds of children entered the contest, Marcano said, and lots of them were good enough to win.

When Marcano saw how many youngsters knew all Daddy Yankee's lyrics by heart, he saw the makings of a hit.

''Reggaeton has some hardcore songs about killing, so here you have a possibility for a clean product, for kids to have fun with catchy music,'' he said. "It would be naive to think this genre has not already invaded our society.''

The winner of Univision's contest is one of the group's singers, as are Marcano's three children and the kids of other Puerto Rican television personalities.

But while this suburban boy band is deliberately toned down, other childreggaetoneros are out for a more authentic ''gangsta'' look.

Miguelito wears a rhinestone studded skull as a belt buckle, and Xavi acknowledges that he had to start wearing smaller earrings, because people criticized him.

''People ask how can a kid who is 7 years old tweeze his eyebrows and wear earrings,'' said Xavi's father, Rufino Soto. "It's no different than other bands that wore tight pants and lipstick. What's different is the context and the era. Who knows if Xavi will become the next Ricky Martin of reggaeton?

"There is a vacuum there, and these boys can fill it.''

The boys also occasionally slap girls on their behinds on stage and in videos. Xavi incorporates insults directed at Miguelito into his songs, trying to engage his rival in lyrical combat, as adult reggaeton stars often do.

Miguelito's mother, Dorcas Morales, said she isn't bothered by the scantily-clad backup dancers, two of whom are his sisters. Miguelito insists that his get-up is just a gimmick for the stage.

''When I'm playing at home, I dress normal,'' he said. "I have to make my bed and brush my teeth and obey my parents. I have not sacrificed my childhood to be an artist. I have always been a boy. When my parents tell me to clean up the house, I do it.''

Morales said she has tried to make sure Miguelito enjoys childhood. She refuses to home school him, even if he sometimes has to attend class by web cam. He has two tutors who help him catch up on the schoolwork he missed this year while on tour in Chile, New York, Miami and Ecuador.

''He can't leap over a phase of his life,'' Morales said. "I will not participate in that.''

On Thursday, Miguelito is up for his first Latin Grammy, in the best children's album category. His CD is a far cry from the baby songs and religious tunes competing in the same category.

On a recent evening, a few days after his solo at Daddy Yankee's concert, Miguelito sat at a luxury hotel rooftop in San Juan and explained how he balanced stardom, chores and schoolwork. He was interrupted by Miami music mogul Emilio Estefan, a hotel guest.

Estefan enthusiastically greeted the boy, and Miguelito politely returned the gesture, as he would for any other fan. A child accustomed to hanging out with the likes of Daddy Yankee and Don Omar clearly was not dazzled.

''I like him a lot; he has charisma,'' Estefan said later. "Reggaeton is the language of youth. He probably looks at me and says, 'Who is that guy?'''

Once Estefan bid farewell, Miguel Angel had to go home: It was getting dark, and it was a school night.