Oscar D’Leon and Juanes at Curaçao North Sea Jazz

Salsa singer Oscar D’Leon is one of the world’s leading Latin musicians with a career spanning over forty years. At the start of his career, he balanced singing with a job as a taxi and bus driver in Caracas, but he soon exchanged passengers for large audiences. D’Leon taught himself to play the bass. In 1973 he formed his first band, La Dimension Latina, and they quickly scored their first hit. In the 1980s he paid a lengthy visit to Cuba, the country which he says is the source of all his musical influences and achievements. He is known as the most Cuban of all non-Cuban singers. In Curaçao, the charismatic Venezuelan won’t rest until everyone in the audience is having fun. No fewer than sixteen musicians will aid him in achieving this aim: a hefty brass section, several violins, a chorus of singers and, naturally, the irresistible percussion of top-class salseros.

Juanes is the most successful and most important contemporary Latin rock pop artist. Born Juan Esteban Aristizábal Vásquez the singer / guitarist was raised in Medellín, Colombia. Juanes started his career at age 15 with the band Ekhymosis which went on to release five albums. After the band broke up, he released his first solo album ‘Fíjate Bien’ in 2000, which earned him three Latin Grammys. His follow-up album, ‘Un Día Normal’, featuring the hit ‘A Dios le Pido’ released in 2002 was an even bigger success. The album was certified platinum in multiple countries throughout Latin America. Juanes' third album, ‘Mi Sangre’ also achieved great success in the rest of the world. The single ‘La Camisa Negra’ reaches the top position in a number of countries around the world. Until now the Colombian singer has sold more than 15 million albums worldwide and has won, among others, twenty Latin Grammy Awards, two Grammy Awards and nine MTV Awards. Juanes also received the BMI President's Award at the 2010 BMI Latin Awards.