Carlos Alberto Vives Restrepo (born 7 August 1961) is a Colombian singer, songwriter and actor.
One of the best-selling Latin music artists ever, with over 20 million records sold worldwide, Vives is regarded as one of the most influential artists in the world as he has progressively helped vallenato gain popularity globally and for his interpretation of traditional music styles, such as cumbia, champeta, bambuco and porro, with Latin pop, rock, reggaeton, dance-pop and tropical music.
Through his career he was honored with two Grammy Awards and eighteen Latin Grammy Awards, being awarded with the Latin Recording Academy Person of the Year in 2024. Vives has been honored with several accolades for his songwriting and producer contribution including the BMI President’s Award, the ASCAP Founders Award, and an induction into the Billboard Latin Music Hall of Fame. In 2019, Vives was selected as number 45 on both the Greatest of All Time Latin Artists and Top Latin Artists 2010s by Billboard.
He worked with some of the most influential artists in the Latin music scene, including Juan Luis Guerra, Ricky Martin, Shakira, Wisin, Daddy Yankee, Alejandro Sanz, Camilo, Sebastián Yatra, Mau y Ricky, Michel Teló, Gente de Zona, Carlos Rivera, Silvestre Dangond and Juanes.
Vives is also a successful actor. His roles as the titular character in the soap opera Gallito Ramírez and as Rafael Escalona in Escalona, a story about the famous Colombian composer of the same name, are among his most important and well-remembered appearances.
