Ricky finds inspiration in Puerto Rico protests

Ricky Martin's wide smile began to fade as the Puerto Rican superstar talked about his next album.It's influenced by the US territory's political turmoil as people struggle to recover from Hurricane Maria and a recent 6.4 magnitude earthquake that killed one person and destroyed hundreds of homes amid a 13-year recession.

"I'm going to use my music to carry the message of all those who aren't being heard," he told The Associated Press on Monday while preparing for a concert on his native island.

The 48-year-old father of four children joined in the big demonstrations last year that led Ricardo Rosselló to resign as the island's governor, and although he hasn't been at the most recent protests against current Gov. Wanda Vázquez, he has gone on social media urging her to step down.

"It would be an act of justice for our island," he said in a video Thursday. "There are no immediate legal mechanisms for you and your entire team to leave and pay for all our suffering. But I have good news. The elections come in November and I am certain, certain, that the people will rise up more than ever."

Martin's upcoming album is not the one he originally envisioned. He said he was going through a very romantic period in his life when he began recording, but all that changed when the 2019 protests in Puerto Rico erupted. The demonstrations were fed by anger over corruption and over the way the government responded to Hurricane Maria, the September 2017 storm that wreaked havoc on the island, killing an estimated 2,975 people in its aftermath.