Carlos Vives was born on 7 August 1961[1] in Santa Marta, Magdalena, Colombia, where he spent his first 12 years of life. At that age, he and his family moved to Bogotá in search of a better life. They lived with Diego Martínez and his family. He enrolled in Jorge Tadeo Lozano University and holds a publicist degree from the university. In Bogota, he also acquired a taste for rock, getting involved in the local music scene, and started playing in bars and cafés around the city.