Jean Carlos Santiago, the Puerto Rican artist better known as Guaynaa, the 26-year-old became an internet sensation in late 2017. In the aftermath of Hurricane María’s battering of Puerto Rico, the Carolina native released a freestyle titled “María” in which, tongue planted firmly in cheek, he lampooned the adversity and misfortune he went through during the months of blackouts and criticized President Trump’s maligned visit to the island.
But before he became Guaynaa, Santiago had a few other ideas about what he wanted to be. There was his stint as a baseball player when he was a high school student; then, he moved to Boston, in a serious bid to make it as a professional jockey. Later, he got a job at a chemical plant in Puerto Rico and started working toward a chemical engineering degree.
Born: January 12, 1992 (age 28 years), Caguas, Puerto Rico
Nationality: Puerto Rican
Genre: Latin Pop
Nominations: iHeartRadio Music Award for Best New Latin Pop/Urban Artist
Visit Guaynaa: