Yiyo Sarante —Eduardo Sarante, born in 1979 in Baní— is a Dominican salsa singer known as “La Voz de la Salsa”, the voice of salsa. He is the younger brother of the merengue singer Julián Oro Duro.

From the congas to the microphone

He grew up in a musical family, the seventh of nine children, five of whom became musicians. He began as a percussionist and by the age of seven was playing the conga in local orchestras. In 1999 he made his debut as a singer in the tourist area of Bávaro, and in 2003 he joined the orchestra Oro Duro, led by his brother Julián.

Solo career

In 2010, encouraged by his brother and producer José Sarante, he started a solo career and began recording salsa versions of popular songs, among them «Pirata», «Maldita primavera» and «Tierra mala». In 2011 «Tierra mala» reached second place on the annual list of the fifty most played salsa songs in the Dominican Republic, and in 2012 «Maldita primavera» began to be heard on radio in Florida and along the East Coast of the United States. His album «La Voz de la Salsa», with twelve songs, came out in 2013, and he later released «El Álbum». Among his best-known songs are «Me vas a extrañar», «Corazón de acero» and «Mi todo».

Recognition

He won the Premio Soberano for Salsa Performer of the Year in 2014, the year he also played the Festival Presidente, and again in 2025 and 2026.

Recent work

On 31 August 2026 he released a new official video of «Corazón de acero» on his YouTube channel.

Legacy

A 2025 profile on a Mexican salsa radio site described him as one of the leading figures of contemporary salsa.