Manuel Medrano is an award-winning pop singer and songwriter from Colombia. Born in Cartagena de Indias in 1987, his musical career appears to have been destined rather than deliberately pursued -- at least initially. After missing a year of high school due to youthful mishaps, he was "punished" with the gift of a guitar. He taught himself to play and began writing songs at 16, observing the folk and pop styles of his country. He learned his craft by playing Bogota's bars for several years while continuing to compose. Some of the songs written during this period became hits la...