It was a risky album that became a global sensation.
Back in 2013, Marc Anthony released 3.0, his first salsa album in a decade, a risky release at a time when tropical music had already begun to wane in the face of reggaeton.
The risk has paid off, handsomely.
This week, 3.0 became the first ever salsa album in history to be certified “Diamante,” the RIAA’s highest certification for a Latin album, for shipments of over 600,000 copies in the U.S. alone.
It’s only the latest accomplishment for an album that, in 2013, became the top-selling release of the year, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The set was propelled by the hit single “Vivir Mi Vida,” which spent 18 weeks at No. 1 on the Hot Latin Songs chart, becoming the first tropical single in a decade to top the chart (and without the aid of remixes) and the longest-running No. 1 tropical song in the history of the chart.
“It’s a huge honor for us at Sony Music Latin to work with Marc,” said Sony Music Latin Iberia Chairman and CEO Afo Verde, who gave Marc Anthony his RIAA Diamante plaque in a virtual ceremony. “He continues to break records time and time again and creates new ones all on his own. His music is forever. He’s proven that his recordings, from birth and even five, 10, 20 years later, are everlasting and will be sung by everyone for a lifetime.”
“The arrival of this new achievement in this particular time is truly gratifying and inspiring for me,” said Marc Anthony. “3.0 was an album that I considered risky at the time of its release. The Latin music industry was beginning to shift and the main attention was going to other genres. The album was embraced by everyone in such a powerful way. That response gave a boost of reassurance in my career and my instincts as a music creator.”
3.0, produced by Sergio George, also led to Marc Anthony’s longest ever tour. While the entire album is a gem, with huge hits like “Flor Pálida” and “Cambio de Piel,” the game changer was Vivir,” a remake of Algerian singer Khaled’s “C’est la Vie” co-written by hit-maker Red One, a good friend of Marc Anthony’s. The track and its life-affirming message of joy in the face of adversity struck a collective chord, shooting to No. 1 in at least 10 countries.
“It became my war cry,” Anthony told Billboard recently. “You know what? Life is going to happen, no need to cry about it. Sometimes there’s a drought, so a rainy day is not always a shitty situation. It’s just looking at the positive of everything. Because s–t happens it doesn’t mean it’s the end of the world.”
Anthony is currently working on new music.