José Monti Montañez

The oldest member of Menudo is 18-year-old Monti, whose full name is José Antonio Montañez. He's Puerto Rican, originally from Caguas, but now lives in Laredo, Texas, where his step dad is with the U.S. Border Patrol. He's the "dad" of the group, a role he developed growing up during stressful years of relocation to different places (he learned English in Germany) while his stepfather was in the military. "What got me through was my music," Monti recalls. "Singing in my school choir, singing in the praise team in the church choir, joining the drama team in church, that really helped me get my mind together and stop worrying so much about the great danger that he was in being in Iraq. It was hard for my mom, it was hard for my sister, and I had to step up and be a father to my two little brothers." What does he bring to the group? With salsa, bachata, and merengue on his iPod, keeping his beloved Puerto Rico close to his heart, he's the traditional Latin one.

His Other Group mates are Carlos Olivero, Chris Moy, Emmanuel Vélez Pagán, and José Bordonada Collazo