In February 1999, Ricky Martin performed his smash hit "The Cup of Life" at the 41st Annual Grammy Awards, which was greeted with a massive standing ovation and met with acclaim from music critics. After the success of the song and his performance, it was announced that he started recording his first English album, "Ricky Martin". On March 6, 1999, "Billboard" revealed the lead single's name as "Livin' la Vida Loca" in an article and mentioned that it is set for release later that month. Martin wrote about the recording of the song in his book: