Frankie J

Early life

Frankie J was born in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico, and raised in San Diego, California, from age two after his uncle brought him and his siblings to the United States. He attended Southwest Senior High School in San Diego, where he began participating in talent shows and performing at school functions. He graduated high school in 1995.

Career

Bautista's first taste of the music business came in 1993 when he briefly signed to Canadian independent label Ventura International Records and appeared on the song "Margarita" by Turkish artist Atilla. In 1997, he signed with Hola Recordings, the brainchild of producer Jellybean Benitez, performing as freestyle artist Frankie Boy; his music appeared on three Maximum Freestyle compilations, but his solo CD was shelved before release. In 1999, he became a member of the Kumbia Kings, created by A.B. Quintanilla, performing under the name Cisko.

Solo career: What's a Man to Do

As a solo artist, he signed with Columbia Records and released his debut album What's a Man to Do on May 27, 2003, followed later that year by his self-titled first Spanish-language album Frankie J. The single "Don't Wanna Try" peaked at number 19 on the Billboard Hot 100, while "Ya No Es Igual" went top 10 on the World Latin charts. He was featured on Baby Bash's top-10 Hot 100 hit "Suga Suga". His second album The One, released March 22, 2005, produced the number 3 Hot 100 hit "Obsession (No Es Amor)" featuring Baby Bash, and the top-40 singles "How To Deal" and "More Than Words".

The One and breakthrough

By January 2006, The One was certified platinum by the RIAA. His second Spanish album Un Nuevo Dia came out June 13, 2006, with the single "Pensado En Ti". His third English album Priceless, released October 17, 2006, debuted at number 30 on the Billboard 200; its lead single "That Girl" featuring Chamillionaire and Mannie Fresh peaked at number 43 on the Hot 100. After leaving Columbia Records, Frankie J released singles including "Pictures", "If You Were My Girlfriend", and "Crush" between 2008 and 2011, and started his own label Soulsick Records.

Independent route

He also wrote the number 2 UK hit "Take a Chance on Me" for boyband JLS. He released his fourth English studio album Courage on December 7, 2011.

On July 12, 2012, it was announced he would join Jennifer Lopez and Enrique Iglesias on their joint North America tour as a special guest. In 2013, he released Faith, Hope y Amor on May 28, which was nominated for a Grammy for Best Latin Pop Album. He released the studio album Eleven on July 27 through his own label Soulsick Musick Inc.