Luís Miguel del Amargue is a bachata singer from the Dominican Republic who was successful as a recording artist in Spain for a decade prior to breaking into the American music market with the compilation album Mis Canciones in 2009. Born in Azua, Dominican Republic, he made his album debut with Amor de una Noche in 1998. A collection of both bachatas and merengues, Amor de una Noche was released on the independent label Chaira Records and distributed in the United States, Puerto Rico, and Spain. Though commercial success was limited, del Amargue was offered a new recording contract with the label JM Records, and found a niche market for his music in Spain, where bachata and merengue are less commonplace than in the United States. He proceeded to release several albums on JM Records, including Luisa María (1999), Te Echo de Menos (2000), Quiero Amanecer Contigo (2001), and Amor de Locos (2003). These albums proved popular enough in Spain to warrant a television-advertised double-disc greatest-hits collection, Grandes Exitos (2003). Successive albums include Corazón de Dinero (2004), Quiero Saber (2005), Buscame (2006), and De Nuevo Contigo (2007). Del Amargue's next album, De Rodillas de Te Pido (2008), is particularly notable for its title track. The popularity of the song was such that it was featured once again on the follow-up album Mi Regreso (2009). By this time, del Amargue had dedicated himself primarily to bachata, which positioned him well for the American marketplace. Well aware of the growing popularity of bachata in the United States, Sony Music signed del Amargue and repackaged Mi Regreso for stateside release in summer 2009. Later in the year, Sony released the best-of compilation Mis Canciones, which included the tropical radio favorites "De Rodillas de Te Pido," "Se Acabó lo Bonito," and "Abrazame Amor." ~ Jason Birchmeier