Carlos Rivera

Carlos Rivera Guerra, or better known as Carlos Rivera ( March 15, 1986, Huamantla, Tlaxcala, Mexico), is a Mexican singer who rose to fame by becoming the winner of the third generation of La Academia.

Born March 15, 1986 in Huamantla, Mexico, Rivera has released four studio albums and participated in six theater productions. But, his love for the arts began at a very young age.

His wit made him a local celebrity in his small hometown, and he had won several singing competitions and hosted a radio show on Radio Huamantla. His break came in 2004, after countless try-outs and auditions, he garnered a spot in the reality television singing competition La Academia produced by TV Azteca.

After a series of challenges, including solos and duets, and countless critiques, Rivera won over 80% of the votes from the series’ judges and was ultimately crowned the winner for season three. After the win, Rivera was named "Huamantla’s Favorite Son", by members of Huamatla’s City Council.

In 2005, he signed with Sony Music and began working on his first self-titled album and that same year he recorded “Y Si tu Supieras” for the feature film Mar de Sueños. The song was nominated for Best Original Song at the 2006 Diosas de Plata, an annual Mexican award ceremony hosted by the Mexican Film Journalism Association (Asociación de Periodistas Cinematográficos de México), which recognizes excellence in cinematic achievements in the Mexican film industry.

While working on his first album, Rivera also dabbled into theater. In 2006, he starred in the musical Besame Mucho, and the following year performed in Orgasmos La Comedia. By 2008, at 22 years old, Rivera became the youngest actor in the world to star in the male lead role in Beauty and the Beast, the first major Broadway-like production produced by Disney in Mexico.

Rivera starred in his fourth theater production, Mamma Mia! in 2009. The project garnered him a nomination in the Best Co-Actor of the Year category by the Association of Journalists Theater (Agrupación de Periodistas Teatrales).

His second studio album, Mexicano, it was recorded in 2010. And like its predecessor, which includes hits like “Te me vas” and “No soy el aire,” it was certified gold. The project was produced by Kiko Campos, who has worked with several Mexican artists, including Alejandro Fernández, Timbiriche, Ninel Conde, Kalimba and Grupo Límite.

In 2011, Rivera was presented with another opportunity: The Lion King. The new Disney production in Spain welcomed Rivera with open arms, but before securing the role of Simba, he had to audition. After several failed attempts to register online, the company Ocesa helped Rivera secure a video audition. His interpretation was so good that the Spanish production company, Stage Entertainment, invited him to a live audition in front of Disney directors in the Iberian Peninsula. Rivera beat out approximately 10,000 actors from around the world and became the first Mexican actor to star in a Disney production outside of Mexico.

For the next two years, more than a million people saw Rivera in the role of Simba. He sold out approximately 700 shows at the Lope de Vega Theater on the famous Gran Via de Madrid, and won Best New Actor at the 2012 Broadway World Spain Awards.

In 2013, Rivera focused on his last Lion King production and the release of his third studio album titled, El hubiera no existe. The album, which was also certified gold in Mexico, was released in Spain, Argentina, Venezuela, Central America and Portugal.