Having formed Elefante in the late '90s and led them to a good amount of success alongside Spanish rocker Joaquín Sabina, Barba needed more creative freedom than the well-established, even pigeonholed Latin alternative Elefante could offer. Though Elefante was known for creative musical ideas and excellent songwriting, Barba longed to be able to express his more emotive, romantic side. Barba left Elefante in 2003, the same year that he released his solo debut, En la Luna, which was met with much acclaim. The radio hit "Desde Que Llegaste" launched Barba into the public eye. The single was featured in the Mexican film Ladie's Night and remained on the charts for months. Another single, "La Descarada," was featured in the year's most prominent telenovela, Rubi, which introduced all of Latin America to Barba's new flavor of creative Latin pop. The third hit of his first record to make a splash in film/television was "Se Quien Soy," which was featured as the theme song for the Mexican version of Big Brother. Having sold over 300,000 copies of his first release, it seemed that Barba's risky decision in leaving Elefante was well made. ~ Evan C. Gutierrez