Chino Nacho were a Venezuelan reggaeton duo with a romantic, tropical style who made their album debut nationally in 2008 and later scored an international chart-topping smash hit with "Mi Niña Bonita" in 2010. Founded in 2007, the duo is comprised of
Chino (born
Jesús Alberto Miranda Pérez on November 15, 1984, in Caracas, Venezuela) and
Nacho (born
Miguel Ignacio Mendoza on August 22, 1983, in Lecherías, Anzoátegui, Venezuela). Prior to founding Chino Nacho, they were members of the Caracas-based tropical boy band
Calle Ciega. Active from 1998 to 2007,
Calle Ciega released several albums and scored numerous hits, most notably "Mi Cachorrita," which topped the Venezuelan singles chart for several months in 2005. Following the incredible success of "Mi Cachorrita," Chino Nacho split from
Calle Ciega after the group's final album,
Más Caliente (2007). Known informally as "los Mackediches", they made their full-length album debut shortly thereafter with
Época de Reyes (2008). Showcasing a wide-ranging reggaeton style that is both romantic and tropical, the album was a blockbuster success in Venezuela, spawning the smash hits "Vagabundo de Amor," an
Eliel production featuring
Divino, and "Dentro de Mí," a
Richy Peña production featuring
Don Omar. Well established as Venezuela's top homegrown urban act, Chino Nacho signed an international recording contract with Universal Music in November 2009 and made their stateside debut with another
Peña production, "Mi Niña Bonita." Over the course of the next several months, "Mi Niña Bonita" rose to the top of the Billboard Latin Songs chart. Meanwhile, Universal released the full-length album
Mi Niña Bonita (2010) on its Machete Music imprint. Though comprised primarily of previously released material from
Época de Reyes,
Mi Niña Bonita features three other new songs in addition to the title track. Chino Nacho have had four albums on the Top Latin Albums chart, including 2011's chart-topper
Supremo. They placed 11 songs on the Hot Latin Songs chart between 2010's "Nina Bonita" and their final recording together, 2016's "Andas en Mi Cabeza,” featuring
Daddy Yankee.
In late 2016, rumors began circulating that the duo had split. In February of 2017, the duo were nominated for a Premio Lo Nuestro award, but appeared at the show without their manager, who posted a photo of himself with Chino with the message: "Everything started here, and here I finish everything." He also confirmed that he would continue to manage Chino. Nacho issued a statement the following month that the desire to spend more time with his young family was the motivating factor for the split. He signed with Universal in a dual role as a solo artist and an A&R executive. In April, his first single and video, "Báilame," was released, racking up a million views in its first day and over 208 million six months later. ~ Jason Birchmeier, Rovi