Ricky Martin is sharing some rare insight on his four children, including his “artist” daughter, Lucia.
The singer and actor spoke at Creative Artists Agency’s Amplify summit in Ojai, California, on June 11, where he joked that his 5-year-old daughter is the “only girl in the house and she knows it,” before sharing what she hopes to be when she grows up.
“She is five years old and and she’s an artist. My ex-husband (Jwan Yosef) is a painter,” Martin said. “And it’s beautiful to see that I walk into the house every day, she has a new drawing for me.”
Impressed with her artistic skills, Martin added that his little girl, “draws inside of the line. She doesn’t draw outside of the line.”
However, when he asked about her future aspirations, the Latin super star was surprised to hear her answer.
“The other day I go, ‘Lucia, what do you want to be when you grow up?’” he said, thinking she was going to say a painter. “She says, ‘A singer, dad.’”
When he asked why, she responded, “Because I love what you do, dad.” The “Palm Royale” star said he would “definitely support her” in anything she did.
Martin shares Lucia and son Renn with his ex, Jwan Yosef. In 2023, Martin filed for divorce and sought joint custody of their two children together.
Martin welcomed his twins, Matteo and Valentino, with the help of a surrogate as a single parent in 2008.
During the June 11 event, Martin also shared that he calls his 4-year-old son Renn, “Renn Zen because he’s so cool. He’s just super, super cool. Sometimes he gets tantrums, just got to give him some space.”
As for Matteo, 15, Martin says he “loves sports” and hopes to get a sports scholarship, go to University of California, Los Angeles and study film. Valentino, on his end, “is programming computers and coding and decoding stuff.”
“So they’re completely different,” the dad of four said.
When his sons were born, Martin had not come out as gay. It wasn’t until 2010 that he announced on his website that he was “a fortunate hom*osexual man.”
During a sit-down interview with Oprah Winfrey that same year, he explained that his children were the reason why he decided to make the announcement.
“When I was holding them in my arms, I was like, ‘What, am I going to teach them how to lie?’” he said. “Before I decided to become a father, I already accepted who I was and I was happy with who I was. And when I was holding my children, I said, ‘OK, it’s time to tell the world.’”
In 2020, Martin toldOut magazine that he feared he might never be able to be a father due to his sexuality and “went through this grieving process of ‘I am gay, I am a closeted gay man, and I’m not going to be able to be a daddy.’”
“Obviously adoption is an option and it’s very beautiful, but unfortunately for gay men it’s very difficult to adopt in some countries,” he said, before deciding to find a surrogate.
Here is everything to know about Ricky Martin's four children.
Matteo, 15
Born in August 2008, Matteo was first to arrive, weighing in at 6 lbs., 13 oz, according to People. The singer told the magazine that Matteo means “gift from God” and described his newborn as “more alert and active.”
During a March 20, 2024, appearance on TODAY, Martin expressed how much he loves his kids while also mentioning that Matteo and Valentino can be his biggest critics.
“They’re very honest. No filter,” he said.
Martin said he watched his new Apple TV+ series “Palm Royale” with one of his sons, and the singer found his child reading critic reviews.
“He goes, ‘Dad, things are good. Things are looking really good,’” Martin said of his son’s feedback on the reviews.
The singer's twin made a rare appearance when they accompanied him to the March 14 premiere of “Palm Royale” in Los Angeles.
“I’m very happy they came with me to the premiere. I just love them because they’re real, they’re honest and I bring them with me everywhere, so they are exposed to my world,” Martin said on TODAY.
“They know the ins and outs of this world at a very short age.”
He also told Extra that Matteo was “more into the arts.” In 2022, Matteo accompanied his famous father to the set of one of his music videos. The singer posted a photo of his son, smiling and seated in a director’s chair.
During the Creative Artists Agency’s Amplify summit in Ojai, California, on June 11, Martin told the audience that his son is "loves sports."
Matteo is hoping to get a sports scholarship, he said, adding that he wants to attend UCLA and study film.
Valentino, 15
Valentino was born after his twin brother, weighing 5 lbs., 6 oz. His son’s name, Martin told People, means “brave one.”
According to the superstar, as a newborn, Valentino loved to sleep. “I call him Mr. Peace And Love because he’s so chill and serene,” he told the magazine.
While Matteo has been seen with his father on red carpets over the years, Valentino maintains a more private life away from the spotlight.
When the twins were 11, Martin shared some insight on Valentino’s interests, telling Extra his son was “gonna spend his life in front of a screen because he wants to be the best YouTuber in the world.”
At the CAA Amplify event on June 11, 2024, Martin said Valentino is into programming computers and coding.
He also joked that his song did not like to sweat. He said that after the pandemic, he told his sons to get off the coach and “do sports.”
“You guys need to do sports. If you don’t choose it, I’m going to choose it for you,” he recalled. “And Valentino goes, ‘What dad?! You want me to sweat? Is that what it is? You want me to sweat, dad?!’”
Martin said Valentino chose parkour and “is really good.”
In July 2023, Matteo and Valentino surprised Martin on stage during one of his shows.
“What a beautiful surprise! When my twins jumped on stage with me for the first time in Locarno, Switzerland. #Matteo y #Valentino,” he captioned his video.
Lucia, 5
Daughter Lucia was born on Dec. 24, 2018. She and Martin share the same birthdate.
“We are beyond happy to announce that we have become parents to a beautiful and healthy baby girl, Lucia Martin-Yosef,” the actor announced on social media on Dec. 31, 2018. “It has been a special time for us and we can't wait to see where this stellar baby will take us. Both her beautiful brothers, me and Jwan have fallen in love with Lucia.”
During a 2021 interview with Ellen DeGeneres, the superstar shared how his then-2-year-old daughter "runs the house."
He recalled singing Cocomelon songs with her before she told him, “No, no, daddy. Stop, stop.”
“She doesn’t let me sing, and this is serious business,” he said.
Lucia makes rare appearances on his social media, but when she does, Martin reminds his followers that she’s “the boss of the house and we love it that way.” The singer wrote that in a photo of the two walking on the beach on their birthdays.
At the CAA Amplify summit on June 11, 2024, Martin shared that his daughter is an "artist" just like his ex.
“She is five years old and and she’s an artist. My ex-husband is a painter. And it’s beautiful to see that I walk into the house every day, she has a new drawing for me,” he said, adding that his little girl, “draws inside of the line. She doesn’t draw outside of the line.”
But when he asked her what she wanted to be when she grew up, he was surprised she said she wanted to be a singer.
When he asked why, Lucia had the sweetest response: “Because I love what you do, dad.”
Renn, 4
Martin and Yosef announced the arrival of their son Renn in late October 2019.
“Our son Renn Martin-Yosef has been born,” Martin captioned the Instagram announcement.
Martin is private with baby Renn, who like his sister, makes rare appearances on Instagram. When he does, they are absolutely adorable.
However, at the CCA event on June 11, the pop star called his son “Renn Zen.”
Explaining, “Because he’s so cool. He’s just super, super cool. Sometimes he gets tantrums, just got to give him some space.”
