Jencarlos Canela

Music career

Canela started his musical journey at age 12 as the lead singer of Boom Boom Pop. After two years, he launched a solo career in late 2002. Over the next five years, he performed at international events including the Miss World 2004 and 2005 pageants, the Latin Fiesta Festival in Toronto, and the CALLE OCHO Festival in Miami. He studied music and acting at the New World School of the Arts, graduating with honors in May 2006.

In 2006, Ford Motor Company chose him as model and singer for its "Ride it Like a Ford" ad campaign, where he sang a jingle he wrote. His first two albums were produced by Rudy Pérez at his Miami Beach studio under Bullseye Music Entertainment. His debut album Búscame hit #2 in 2009, and his second album Un Nuevo Día reached #1 in its first week in 2011. In 2012, he collaborated with Emilio Estefan on the song "Sueña" for Telemundo's coverage of the 2012 Summer Olympics; it was also set to be the official song of Miss America 2013, but a contract dispute with Telemundo led to its replacement by Pitbull's "Don't Stop the Party." That same year, Canela signed with Universal Music Latin Entertainment.

Acting career

Canela made his acting debut in 2007 as Alfredo Torres in the telenovela Pecados Ajenos, working with Dominican singer Cristal Marie on the theme song. He appeared in Doña Barbara in 2008. That year, he debuted as a theater actor in the stage musical Miami Libre at the Arsht Center, which tells the story of a young Cuban who arrives in Miami dreaming of becoming a singer; Canela acted, sang, and danced in the production, performed in both English and Spanish.

On January 16, 2009, he signed an exclusivity contract with Telemundo. In 2009, he starred as Ángel Salvador in Más sabe el diablo alongside Gaby Espino and Miguel Varoni. A 2010 movie, Más Sabe el Diablo: El Primer Golpe, again featured Canela, Espino, and Varoni. In 2011, he began recording Mi corazón insiste en Lola Volcán with Carmen Villalobos; at the 2012 Premios Tu Mundo, the telenovela won Novela of the Year and Canela won Favorite Lead Actor.

He reappeared in 2013 in Pasión prohibida with Mónica Spear, and won Favorite Lead Actor for the second time at Premios Tu Mundo 2013. On December 7, 2015, he made his English-language television debut on Eva Longoria's NBC show Telenovela. In March 2016, he portrayed Jesus Christ in the Fox musical special The Passion. In 2020, he played Uncle Victor in the Netflix series The Expanding Universe of Ashley Garcia, and in 2022 he starred alongside Kevin Hart in the Netflix film The Man from Toronto.