Ricky Martin plans to settle down

Latin pop superstar Ricky Martin

LAS VEGAS • Latin pop superstar Ricky Martin is settling down with plans for marriage and a Las Vegas residency.

He announced that he is following in the footsteps of artists such as Celine Dion, Elton John and Britney Spears and doing a concert residency in Las Vegas starting in April.

The 44-year-old also announced his engagement to his partner of one year, Syrian-born artist Jwan Yosef, on Wednesday's episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show. No wedding date has been announced.

"I'm just really excited to find this time where I can just be in one place," said Martin, the father of eight-year-old twin boys.

"I heard at least 40 million people visit Vegas every year looking for shows and so I'm... going to be able to perform to all of these cultures in one place and, at the same time, my family will be stable and sitting in one city."

The Las Vegas residency runs through September and Martin hopes it will allow him to get back to recording new material, something that can be difficult while on tour.

The Puerto Rico-born singer, one of the most prominent gay Latin celebrities, campaigned against Republican Donald Trump in the United States presidential election.

"I can only just hope for the best and see what happens," he said. "If things go sour, in the sense that I, as a member of the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) community or a member of the Latino community in this country, if I feel threatened, I am going to be really loud."

REUTERS

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on November 19, 2016, with the headline Ricky Martin plans to settle down. Subscribe