Born in Madrid to parents from Andalusia, Sanz began playing guitar at age seven, taking influence from his family's flamenco roots. Sanz released his debut album at age nineteen, although he did not gain commercial success in Spain until his second release, "Viviendo Deprisa". His next two records, "Si Tú Me Miras" (1993) and "3" (1995) also fared well commercially, but it was his 1997 breakthrough album "Más" that garnered international success. "El Alma al Aire" followed in 2000, selling more than a million copies in its first week. In 2002, he became the first Spanish artist to record an "MTV Unplugged" album.