With his mastery of the Dominican Republic's merengue tradition, New York-born and Puerto Rico-raised vocalist Elvis Crespo wasted no time in reaching the apex of contemporary Latin music. His debut album, Suavemente, reached the top slot on Billboard's “National Hot Latin Top 40"," in 1998, and spawned two record-breaking singles "Tu Sonrisa" and the title track. Crespo received Billboard awards for “Latin album of the year," “male artist of the year," “group or duet of the year," and “song of the year."

Raised by his mother in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, from the age of six, Crespo served a long apprenticeship. Launching his career, in 1988, as a member of the Willie Berrios Orchestra, he spent two years with the Lenny Perez Orchestra and six years with the Tono Rosario Orchestra.
Leaving Rosario's group in 1994, Crespo briefly attended the Metropolitan University of Puerto Rico, where he studied business administration. An invitation to join Grupo Mania, however, was too tempting to resist. Agreeing to join the popular Latin band, he wrote and sang on their hit, "Linda Es". He left the group after three years to focus on his solo career.