A supermarket clerk before his appearance on the top-rated American Idol-like program, Rivero had grown up a fan of American soul and R&B. Without any prior performance experience, Rivero was not widely regarded as a serious contender. Having received his undergraduate degree from English-speaking schools, Rivero distinguished himself among his competitors for excellent pronunciation and interpretation of English-language material. Following a surprise victory, Rivero released his debut disc, Quiero (RLM), in November of 2005. The disc went platinum only five days after its release, selling more than 150,000 copies. One year later, Rivero's second disc was released, this time by Sony BMG. Contigo placed in AFYVE's Top 20, but never matched its predecessor for sales, only moving 35,000 units in its first several weeks on the market. ~ Evan C. Gutierrez