Daniel Santacruz — Daniel Cruz Sánchez, born in New Jersey on 23 November 1976 and raised in the Dominican Republic — is a singer, songwriter and producer of bachata, merengue and kizomba. A former singer with Rikarena, he has written hits for Prince Royce, Monchy & Alexandra and Héctor Acosta “El Torito”, was named Songwriter of the Year at the «Premios Soberano» in 2017 and 2018, and won his first Latin Grammy in 2020, with his seventh album, «Larimar».

A family of music

His father is Cuban and his mother Dominican. The stage name joins his two surnames, a way of honouring his mother, Milagros Sánchez, who writes poetry and used to sing him boleros. His maternal grandmother, a pianist and piano teacher, gave him his first lessons, though he says he paid little attention until his teens. His brother is the singer and songwriter Manny Cruz.

Merengue bands and a first guitar

He turned professional in 1996. At twenty he sang with the merengue band «Massá» and two years later moved to Rikarena; on a tour of Colombia with that orchestra, at the end of the nineties, he bought his first guitar, taught himself to play and began writing songs. In the same years he sang backing vocals on other artists’ records and on radio and television jingles, and worked with Manuel Tejada. From 2000 to 2002 he sang in the choir of the church where Juan Luis Guerra 4.40 is musical director.

Records under his own name

His first solo album, «Por un beso» (2003), co-produced with Ambiorix Francisco, earned him a «Premio Lo Nuestro» nomination as best new artist. He then spent several years writing and producing for others. «Radio Rompecorazones» (2008), made with Alejandro Jaén, and its single «¿A dónde va el amor?» brought two Latin Grammy nominations in 2009, and «Bachata Stereo» (2011) a third. «Lo dice la gente» followed in 2014, «Toda la vida» (2016), a tribute to the Mexican singer Emmanuel, and «Momentos de cine» (2018), both nominated as well. «Larimar» (2020), named after the blue stone found only in the Dominican Republic, won Best Contemporary Tropical Album, after eight nominations. He releases his records independently and produces them himself.

Kizomba

In the mid-2010s he took up kizomba, the Angolan dance music, and reshaped it with tropical harmonies and Spanish lyrics. «Lento», with a video featuring the dancer Sara López, became the most requested song at his concerts, and in the summer of 2020 more than half a million TikTok videos used it. His music found a large audience in Europe, where he has toured Switzerland, Spain, France and Portugal.

Songs for other voices

Much of his reputation rests on his writing. Prince Royce has recorded his «Incondicional», «Soy el mismo» and «La carretera», which they wrote together; with Manny Cruz he wrote «Deja vu» for Prince Royce and Shakira. Monchy & Alexandra won a Billboard award with his «Perdidos» and also recorded «No es una novela», and Héctor Acosta “El Torito” had a hit with «Tu veneno». His songs have also been recorded by Milly Quezada, Frank Reyes, Wason Brazobán, Eddy Herrera and Ilegales. He has received twelve «ASCAP» awards and, in 2018, a Latin Billboard shared with his brother. He has also sung in duet with Henry Santos, on «Friends & Legends» (2021), and with Voz a Voz, on «Duele saber».

Legacy

Daniel Santacruz belongs to the generation of Dominican songwriters whose work travels mostly under other names, and alongside that work he built a recording career of his own that reached audiences far from the Caribbean. His Spanish-language kizomba made him one of the genre’s pioneers in the Latin market.