Torres Launches World Tour in His Native Puerto Rico

Tommy Torres is making music on the road…

The 41-year-old Puerto Rican singer-songwriter kicked off his 12 historias world tour this weekend, which will take him to several countries in Latin America, the United States and Spain.

Tommy Torres

Torres opened his tour with a concert at the Jose M. Agrelot Coliseum in San Juan, where he performed such songs as “El abrigo,” “Vinito pal’ corazon,” “Mar adentro” and “Un poquito.”

“How great to return home. How beautiful you look from here,” Torres told the crowd of 12,000 who came to his first show in Puerto Rico.

Torres then proceeded to sing “Por un beso tuyo,” “Un dia mas,” “11:11” and “Imparable,” and announced that the concert was being taped to be sold as a DVD.

He continued by performing a number of songs that other artists had written for him that he made into smash hits.

After launching the tour, Torres – who has won Grammys and Latin Grammys – will travel to Mexico, Colombia, Argentina and Chile, several U.S. cities and then will perform in Spain in June.

Torres was named producer of the year by Billboard in 2007 and composer of the year by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, or ASCAP, in 2009.

Torres Releases Latest Album, 12 Historias

Tommy Torres is back with new music…

The 40-year-old Puerto Rican singer-songwriter has just released his fourth album, 12 Historias, which includes collaborations with Ricardo Arjona and Nelly Furtado.

Tommy Torres

Torres, a Grammy-winning music producer says the 12 subjects of his new album are anecdotes “of love, of friends, of acquaintances, about some very personal things,” as well as other stories from his Twitter account about happenings and feelings.

In particular, Torres notes the song “El Abrigo,” in which he worked with Juanes on guitar, deals with the problems of young college students after they take their degree and try to get a job in the field they studied.

“It’s a reality that many are going through right now,” Torres told EFE. “Going to college used to guarantee getting a job, now it’s about growing and learning.”

The first single to be released to promote the new disc, “Querido Tommy,” was inspired by a Chilean follower who told him on Twitter that he was madly in love and asked the artist to help him declare his love to the girl of his dreams.

While he considers himself a fan of social media, when he has to compose new music Torres disconnects from them entirely. He did say, however, that he uses them to get a little “relief.”

Torres was named “#1 Hot Latin Tracks Producer” of 2007 by Billboard magazine and Composer of the Year at 2010 ASCAP‘s Latin Music Awards.