From Comeback to Retirement: a Look at Nicky Jam's Career

Nicky Jam

Nicky Jam has left his fans shocked with the announcement that he will retire "soon."

"My people, I'm retiring soon but this is my legacy Motivation and Improvement... coming soon My last Global Tour, and my Last Album I Love You," said the 42-year-old artist.

The post was accompanied by a video from his biographical series "Nicky Jam: El Ganador" which streams on Netflix.

Nicky Jam — born as Nick Rivera Caminero — has been making music since the 1990s. He rose to prominence with "Los Cangris", a duo he formed with fellow icon Daddy Yankee. The two released hits such as "En la Cama", "Sentirte", and "Guayando".

The duo separated as a result of Caminero struggling with addiction and depression. "My mother was a drug addict, my dad was a drug addict, and my uncle died of it in my house. It was like a family thing, it was in my blood already," he said about it in an interview with IMPAULSIVE.

Medellín, Colombia played a crucial role in his life. He traveled to the city in 2007 hoping to recover and and focus on his career. In 2015 he told Billboard: "They made me feel like I was a legend. The boost they gave me made me want to be a better person." "I started eating OK, I stopped with drugs, I stopped with alcohol. People came to love me because I was loving myself," he added.

Nicky Jam finally released his comeback album "Fenix" in 2017, which included hit singles "El Amante", "Hasta el Amanecer"- which had a remix along with Daddy Yankee - , and "El Perdón" featuring Enrique Iglesias . The album took his fame to a new level.

Caminero formed part of the fan-favorite track "Te Bote" that included artists Bad Bunny, Ozuna, Nio Garcia, and Casper Mágico, which became the number one song on the chart for 13 consecutive weeks. Also in 2018 Billboard considered "Fenix" to be the Top Latin Album of the Year.

Nicky Jam expanded his repertoire outside of music with "The Rockstar Show," a series of interviews that featured Maluma, Karol G, Rauw Alejandro, Arcangel, Luis Fonsi, among others. He brought the show live for two consecutive years at Billboard's Latin Music Week, and recent interviews include Ivy Queen and Jesús Ortiz Paz from Fuerza Regida.

He's also delved into the gastronomic scene by opening a bakery and cafe in Miami called "La Industria".

Nicky Jam was enshrined into the Billboard Hall of Fame in 2021. He was taken by surprise when his father came to hand him the trophy, "Quiero darle las gracias a toda la gente que me ayudaron a mi para llegar hasta donde estoy hoy en dia porque nunca hice esto solo," he said.