Pratik Handore
Netflix’s ‘Luis Miguel: The Series’ (also known as ‘Luis Miguel: La Serie’) is a Spanish language drama television series that revolves around the tumultuous life of the eponymous Puerto Rican-born Mexican pop singer. With Karla Gonzales as the showrunner, it stars Diego Boneta in the titular character, along with Martín Bello, César Bordón and Óscar Jaenada in the lead roles.
The series explores the fascinating fame of a popular music star who has captivated audiences with his talents for decades. However, his personal life is heavily impacted by his fame. If the story’s larger-than-life aesthetics made you wonder whether it was inspired by events that actually transpired in the singer’s life, you’ve come to the right place. Here’s everything we know in that regard.
Is Luis Miguel: The Series Based On a True Story?
Yes, ‘Luis Miguel: The Series’ is based on a true story. It is an official biographical series based on the life of the Puerto Rican-born Mexican singer Luis Miguel. Popularly known as El Sol de México (The Sun of Mexico), Luis Miguel Gallego Basteri was born on April 19, 1970, in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Miguel rose to fame at an early age and got his first taste of success with his debut album ‘Un Sol’ in 1982, which won him the gold disc at the tender age of eleven. Miguel’s popularity continued to skyrocket throughout the 80s in the Latin American music scene. He won his first Grammy Award, aged 14, for his duet Me Gustas Tal Como Eres” (“I Like You Just The Way You Are”) with Sheena Easton.
In his highly distinguished career, the pop icon has amassed six Grammys and six Latin Grammys, among various other accolades. Miguel’s music and showmanship have entertained and enamored fans of Latin music for decades, and he is considered the most successful Latin singer of all time who has strictly sung in Spanish. Aside from the fanfare and popularity, the singer has had a chaotic personal life, which he likes to keep private. The series makes an effort to bring forth the relatively lesser-known personal life of the singer while also depicting the ups and downs of his career.
Miguel is the son of Spanish singer, songwriter, and guitarist, Luis Gallego Sanchez, also known as “Luisito Rey,” and Italian actress Marcela Basteri. Miguel was born on April 18 but registered in the Puerto Rican Civil Registry a day later. The singer shared a contentious relationship with his father, who was very strict with Miguel’s rehearsals and served as his manager during the early stages of his career. In 1986, when Miguel was only 16, his mother allegedly left the family and never came back.
The disappearance of Miguel’s mother remains shrouded in mystery to this date, and the singer nor his brothers have revealed any information about her whereabouts. Shortly after this, Miguel fired his father from the role of his manager citing misrepresentations that caused the singer financial problems. His father, who was a heavy drinker, reportedly spiraled into depression and passed away in 1992. Miguel has never spoken about his personal life publicly.
However, all these elements are presented in the series in a dramatized fashion. The series hints that his father stole money from him and also shows the trauma he faced due to his mom’s disappearance. It also implies that Lusito used Marcela to promote his son’s music career. Another aspect of Miguel’s life the series brings to light is his relationship with his first daughter, Michelle Salas. The series depicts that Miguel’s daughter was born out of a “one-night stand” with the Mexican singer and actress Stephanie Salas. However, multiple reports suggest Stephanie and Miguel dated in the late ’80s.
In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, actress Macarena Achaga, who essays the role of Michelle, revealed details about how much of Michelle and Miguel’s relationship is based on reality. She said, “I had the opportunity to speak with Michelle, but at the end of the day, we decided that this was going to be my own interpretation of what I thought happened between the two, as well as what the scripts provided. While this story is based on real events, it’s still a version of their real story.”
Miguel himself spoke about bringing his personal life in front of the public eyes for the first time through the show in a statement released to the press. He said, “For decades, I have been asked to tell my story, many have created their own versions, now I have decided to tell the true story of my life. I am ready to revisit my past and its many aspects that have sparked so much curiosity and speculation. People will travel alongside with me through a surprising, unexpected, and emotional journey that has shaped the artist and the person that I am today.”
From his words, we can concur that while ‘Luis Miguel: The Series’ fictionalizes certain events to suit the needs of its narrative, the crux of the story is still based on real events. The series is as personal to Miguel as it is to his fans and can be considered coming straight from his heart told through the perspective of the creative minds behind the series.
Read More: Where Is Luis Miguel: The Series Filmed?
