Elizabeth Vargas: Good Morning.� Good to have you here.
Ricky Martin: Good Morning.� I�m glad to be here.
EV: So, you�re known at your record label as the hardest working man in music.
{Ricky sorta blushes}
RM: Well. {Laughs} I love working.� I enjoy what I do.� I�ve been doing this for 17 years now, and it�s part of my life.� This is addictive, it�s fun, it�s a lot of fun.� I don�t see myself doing anything else.� This is my music.
EV: I am told that you actually recorded this second album by taking days off touring with your first English speaking album.
RM: That�s right, and that�s the way I did it.� Every time I had a day off, right after the stage, right after the show, I would hop on a plane, go to Miami, record what I needed to record.� I am very nosey you see, and I trust all my producers and everybody, but I feel like I need to be there.
EV: �La Vida Loca,� that first single off that first English album was huge.� That first album was so huge.
RM: Thank you.
EV: How do you top that?� Do you worry about topping that?� Or even equaling that?
RM: Well, whoever recorded �Livin La Vida Loca,� as an artist, is not the same person that recorded this new album.� Ah, two years of, like I said before, exchanging ideas with a lot of people does make a difference.� Um, I don�t wanna, I don�t wanna compare productions.� I�m really happy with what I have done.� The audience already is having a really good time with it.
EV: Let�s talk about this single we�re going to the video to today.� It�s called �She Bangs�
RM: Um, hum.
EV: I�m afraid to ask you this but, what exactly does the title mean?
RM: You know, they told me backstage you already knew what it was.
EV: Oh they did, did they?
{They both laugh}
RM: Yeah, you knew what it was, right?� No, this is the first time I�m being asked this question, and , ah, maybe a little bit of sexuality is in there, but uh, maybe it means, She�s got it.
EV: She Rocks?
RM: She rocks.� She�s has it, or you can make up your own story, that�s the beauty of music, ya know. {laughs}
EV: I have to tell you before the audience takes a look at this for the first time.� Half of the video is underwater?
RM: Half of this video is underwater.� It�s ah, I spent at least 30 hours underwater trying to shoot this video.� It�s, it took our time, besides the visual effects and everything that we created with computers.� I just needed to take a couple of scuba lessons. {laughs}
EV: I�ll say.� I mean it�s amazing that you were all able to do as much as you did, all submerged.
RM: That�s right!� It felt amazing.
EV: Now let�s take a look at the new video.� It�s called �She Bangs� from Ricky Martin�s second album.� Ladies and gentleman, here it is.
Starts showing the video, and allows it to play for about a minute, then they voice over the video.
EV: Whoa.
RM: It�s freedom, it�s happiness, it�s joy.� Feeling good with yourself, it�s not being afraid of who you are, and ah, and it�s completely judgmental, I think.
EV: It�s Ricky Martin having a heck of a good time.
RM: I had a blast!� I�ve never has such a good time shooting a video.
EV: You look like you were really enjoying yourself.
RM: I was.� Everybody was I think.� But we took our time.� It was very intense work.
EV: It has to be tough doing all that underwater work.
RM: Especially the underwater part, because you have no communication with your director, and you don�t know if it was good or if it was bad.� You have to go to the surface.� That�s why it took so long.
EV: Well, you can only shoot as long as you can hold your breath, right? I mean.
RM: Well, no.� You have your tank and regulator, and you just go, ump {Holds his thumb up} or {cuts off with his hand across his neck, then grabs an imaginary regulator} you know.
EV: Meaning air?
RM: Yeah, but ah, you need to be centered and focused because, you don�t belong to the water and it could be stressful if you�re not focused I guess.
EV: So, as we look at that video.� The one thing that you were struck by is those moves.� You are one of the most famous people in music known for his moves.� You know.� Shades of Elvis there.�
RM: Well, Thank you so much.
EV: Is that all right from the heart or from the....
RM: No coreography.� It�s all from the heart.�
EV: It is?
RM: I think, it�s a cultural thing.� You know coming,� growing up in Puerto Rico, and when you show to your family a sense of rhythm, they throw a feast, throw a party.� And ah, and that�s what I�ve been trying to tell everyone.� You know that it�s nothing.� It�s not an one two three four kind of thing, where you put every move in place with the music.� It�s whatever come with the heart.��� And ah, you know when I walk onstage every time I do a show Ladies and Gentlemen we are here to feel good and we�re here to do whatever we feel like we want to do.� Just dance. You�re not going to be judged, and ah, that�s what it feels like.
{Back to the last scene of the video.}
Show Ricky and Elizabeth through the fish tank on the set.
EV: We have much more with Ricky Martin throughout the morning, on Good Morning America, so don�t go away.
Ricky pretends he is swimming through the tank
RM: We�ll be right back. {Continues to pretend he�s swimming} Bloop Bloop Bloop.
Next part of the interview.
Diane Sawyer: Well imagine being Ricky Martin.� And the explosive adulation after �La Vida Loca.� the whole world clamoring for you.� He�s says you have to find a way to stay centered in the middle of all that.� As he tells us as we bring you more Elizabeth Vargas�s interview with Ricky Martin.
EV: You say that it�s a different person, you are a different person now, than you were two years ago when you recorded that first huge album.� 17 million copies.� How have you changed?
RM: I�m a little bit more stubborn. Definitely, I think I�ve become a more spiritual person.� I�ve known how to channel my energies and my thoughts towards everything that�s positive.
EV: Do you hear that spirituality in this new album?
RM: You hear a lot of it.� You hear a lot of it.� You hear a lot of freedom.� You hear a lot of nostalgia as well.� But when I talk about freedom, is that, we�re in the year 2000, and we need to feel free, we need to, we just need to feel good with ourselves.� In order for that to happen, we have to stop looking outside for a little while.� We have to a internal search, and this is definitely part of my music today.
EV: What�s your touch stone?� How do you keep your sense of self?
RM: Breathing.� Breathing.� And a lot of silence.� I look for silence.� I beg for silence if it�s� necessary.� I do my meditation, and I think that�s my key to success.� I do my yoga, which I learned a couple of years ago in India and it has definitely changed my life.� There�s a lot to deal with when you are in the music business, when you�re in front of the camera, when you�re in front of the audience, it�s a lot of pressure.� It�s so much vuluerablity, you have to deal so much vulnerablitity, that sometimes it�s scary.
EV: So how did you spiritually find that way to hang on?� Is this something new?� I know you told me you�ve spent a lot of time in India.� Is that something new for you?
RM: It�s completely new.� With my music I had the opportunity to perform in India and I saw something in Indians eyes that we don�t have here in America.� And it�s all about spirituality.� I learned a lot.� I�ve been reading a lot about Hinduism and Buddhism, I�m definitely captivated and fascinated by this for fear of loss of life. It�s all about learning.
EV: Do you consider yourself a Buddhist?
RM: I practice Buddhism.� I grew up catholic, it�s a fascinating religion as well.� You know the beautiful part of everything?�� It�s that, every religion has one mission and one goal, and that is to get closer to God.
EV: You come from a very close knit family.� They actually travel with you on the road?
RM: That�s right.� My mother is in charge of the money. {he smiles and laughes.} Everybody likes her.�
EV: Put Mom in charge of the books.
RM: Well who else?� Also my brother as well.� My older brother.
EV: Let me get this straight Ricky.� Ricky Martin sex symbol to millions tours with his Mom?
RM: Of course?� Why not?� And I�m very proud of it.� She�s my friend, she gives me a lot of balance.
EV: You were hugely famous as a young kid as part of Menudo.� How is it different now,� hitting this huge success being this famous again, from the first time around?
RM: Well, you don�t want to share the stage with anybody now.� It�s all about MY stage.� It was a beautiful experience.� I�m so proud of my beginning in the music business.� I learned a lot.� I was 12 years old.� I was traveling around the world, meeting different people, dealing with emotions and feelings.� Crying once in a while.� Mom, I miss I need to go back home.� But if I was born again, I would do it all over again.
Last part of the interview.� Questions from the audience.
He walks out to screaming fans...cheers, screams, and applause.
RM:�� I need the contact.
EV: Well you�re gonna get it Ricky, whether you like it or not.� We�ve got questions from the audience.�� Okay, let�s start with you.
Audience member: If you were not a singer what would you want to be and why?
RM: I would be the most frustrated man on the face of the earth probably. {laughs} Um, I would do something with the music business.� Maybe producing albums, I would be, something in show business.
EV: It�s a calling for you?
RM: It�s a calling, yeah, it�s more than that.� I like psychology, I like medicine, but I�m here.�
Audience member: Do you still get nervous, each time you perform, even though you have done it so many times?
RM: You know, I hate waiting in dressing rooms.� Take me from the car to the stage.
EV: Let�s go around this way.� I think you�ve got some other fans who are dying to see you.
Audience member: Hi.� What inspires you to sing your music?
RM: Well, I think I have the need to talk to people.� I think I have the need to create consciousness.� I think I have need to let people know that there are a lot things out there we shouldn�t be concerned about.� To every generation. {He hands her a copy of the �She Bangs� single} Here, this is for you.� Enjoy.
EV: Let�s go over here, we�ve got some more fans that want to say hello.
RM: This way?
Audience member: Hola {starts speaking in Spanish.� Don�t know how to type it correctly.� Sorry, maybe someone else can enlighten us. :D }�
RM: Answers, in Spanish.
Audience member: What do you like to do when you�re just hanging out?
RM: Very simple.� When I�m not following a schedule, it�s all about being at home with my friends, washing my car, playing with my dogs, watching a lot of movies.� I like to rent DVDs.
EV: Are you a romantic?
RM: Very romantic.�
EV:� Thank you very much folks, a real pleasure.
RM: Bye-Bye.
Diane Sawyer: He�s a great and gracious star.
