A few months after reaching the age of majority, Valentino Martin decided to raise his voice to draw a clear boundary between his creative path and the artistic shadow of his father, the Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin.

Through a video broadcast on his social networks, the young man sent an honest and direct message to his followers with a forceful request: to be recognized for his own name and talent.

"I don't want you to see me as Ricky Martin's son, you should see me as Valentino. My name is Valentino Martin, not Ricky Martin," he expressed during the recording. In his speech, spoken in Spanish and with a fluent Puerto Rican accent, the young man emphasized that the intention of his words is not to disassociate himself from his affection for his father.

With nearly 120,000 followers on Instagram, Valentino has begun to forge his own community by sharing content focused on acting, dance, and the creation of original choreography. However, the persistence of comments that reduce his work to the simple influence or inheritance of his famous father has begun to cause him discomfort.

"My father is my father, I am Valentino. You have to understand, just because I am his son, we are not the same person," he said, adding that these types of comparisons hurt, since they detract from his own personal effort.

Despite the serious tone of his demand, Valentino reiterated the deep admiration, affection and pride he feels for the career and achievements of the “Livin’ la Vida Loca” singer. “I am so proud of my father, of everything he has done in life,” he stated in the video, ensuring that the singer has been a fundamental figure in his life.

Although the video was deleted from his social networks shortly after being published, his followers rescued the images and supported the young man's position of seeking his own identity.

“If you are going to follow me, you are going to follow me because I am Valentino and nothing more,” he said.