Juan Gabriel is without a doubt one of the most iconic and influential entertainers out of Mexico ever. His songs have been covered by some of the most popular musicians in the world, including Roberto Jordan, Rocío Dúrcal, José José, among many others. However, before reaching fame as JuanGa, he was known only by his original name, Alberto Aguilera Valadez.

So why after breaking into the music industry using his original name did he decide to change it? 

JuanGa wasn’t always known as Juan Gabriel, here’s why he made the change.

Un día como hoy, 7 de enero de 1950, nace uno de los más grandes íconos de la música en nuestro país. Su nombre real es Alberto Aguilera Valadez, mejor conocido por todos como Juan Gabriel. pic.twitter.com/4aGU9CoMeJ

— 🇲🇽Carlos Sánchez/Agente 4T🇲🇽🇦🇷🇷🇺🇨🇳⚽😎🤘 (@CarlosDPicos) January 7, 2021

Like so many of the world’s most famous artists, Juan Gabriel – or Alberto Aguilera Valadez – didn’t have the easiest upbringing. In fact, he faced many problems during his childhood as the youngest of his brothers. He didn’t get to spend much time with his mother since he was enrolled in boarding school so that she could focus on work. And Alberto lost his father at a very young age, so he never actually had the opportunity to even meet him. 

In an interview on The Story Behind The Myth, Juan Gabriel explained why he had been named Alberto: “They named me Alberto because at that time the telenovela called El Derecho de Nacer was in fashion, and the main character was Alberto Limonta.” However, when he grew up and lived at the Escuela de Mejoramiento boarding school in Ciudad Juárez when he was a child, he met Juan Contreras, a piano and guitar teacher who taught him music.

“He told me that I had an ear for music and that he was going to teach me,” recalled Divo de Juárez in an interview. Juanito, as the singer called him, became his greatest confidante. “The times I was with Juanito, he would talk to me and listen to me and I would cry because my mother was not going to come see me or because I was locked up.”

And Juan Gabriel wasn’t the singer’s first stage name.

#Gente Confirman quién es el único heredero de Juan Gabriel

El testamento de Juan Gabriel cuyo nombre real es Alberto Aguilera Valadez, fue impugnado y desde su muerte ha existido un pleito entre quienes dicen ser sus herederos

Estos dice la justicia: https://t.co/Hr8qRJPXCh pic.twitter.com/f0mviJdsSF

— Soy 502 (@soy_502) May 24, 2019

Upon finishing boarding school, Alberto started looking for a career in music. In 1965, he appeared on the nightly talk show, Noches Rancheras in Ciudad Juárez and the show’s host began to call him Adán Luna, which would be the singer’s first stage name. 

However, over the years and with the opportunity to record his first album, Alberto Aguilera Valadez decided to change the name of Adán Luna to Juan Gabriel. The origin of this name is derived from two of the most important men in his life and whom he was most fond of.

The first, Juan, is in honor of the teacher that the Divo de Juárez met in the boarding school where he lived when he was a child, while Gabriel was his father’s first name.

Throughout his successful career, Alberto Aguilera Valadez managed to establish himself as one of the best artists in Mexico, despite the fact that he died almost 5 years ago, his legacy continues.

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This year has been a great time to get intimately acquainted with your apartment and home. It was also a time to get very familiar with what there is to watch on your streaming platforms. Here’s what we spent the year of quarantine binge watching.

“The Queen’s Gambit”

“The Queen’s Gambit” was one of the most popular shows of the year. The limited series was all about chess and a young woman’s journey to become the best in the world. She learns while in an orphanage and eventually starts to become a mastermind of chess. The show has brought a lot of attention to chess and more people than ever are interested in the board game. Anya Taylor-Joy as the main character is one of the best performances of the year.

“The Mandalorian”

“The Mandalorian” is the Star Wars show that everyone can’t stop talking about. Pedro Pascal brings the Latino essence to the show without even knowing it. The Star Wars universe is never-ending and this show proves that the fans will show up whenever there is anything Star Wars.

“Los Espookys”

The HBO series is giving you all of the dry, senseless humor you can stand. It is worth watching the show just to get some much needed laughs after this dumpster fire of a year. Let yourself be lost in the hilarity that is Julio Torres.

“Pose”

Afro-Latino queer ballroom culture takes center stage in the FX original show “Pose.” So much of queer culture is thanks to queer people of color and this show honors them. It is one of the best queer shows to ever hit a streaming platform and will open your eyes to a part of the queer community that is often ignored and overlooked.

“Happiest Season”

Another brilliant queer production, “Happiest Season” is all about lesbian love and coming out of the closet. Aubrey Plaza, while not a leading character, plays an important role in helping Abby and Harper’s relationship move to the next level. Harper is left trying to decide if it is worth coming out to her family during the holidays and the result is everything you hoped for.

“The Expanding Universe of Ashley Garcia”

“The Expanding Universe of Ashley Garcia” a young robotics genius is living her teenage life with all of the awkward moments you would expect. The show was definitely a sleeper but it makes the list because of the wonderful representation. It isn’t often that you see young Latinas in tech or robotics in media. It’s worth a watch just to fill you with all kinds of good feels.

READ: Netflix Is Bringing Back Seven Classic Black Sitcoms And They’re Already On My Binge List

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