People cite the Grammy Awards as the pivotal turning point for you. When you look back on your performance that night, what was it about you that caught the fancy of so many people?

R.M.: You know, when people think Latin, they're expecting a stereotype, and all of a sudden they got this guy with, yes, very intense Latin influences but also with a very futuristic visual aspect and a different style, and it kept them off-balance. And the fact that I make the audience part of the stage and raised the sound level -- it was like theater, different than the Grammys usually are.

It also seemed like you actually got off on being there, which is more than you could say for a lot of the performers.

R.M.: You kidding me? Look who I was performing for! Besides the millions of people watching, I was performing for the industry, and I need to be respected by my peers. When you see Sting looking at you and analyzing what you're doing and analyzing your style and the way you're coming across, that's beautiful. I'm young and everything, but you know, look at me. I have something to say.

Was there a moment when you got off the stage and realized, "Damn, I just became a superstar"?

R.M.: No. But I said, "This is going to be awesome." Laughs "This is going to be beautiful." I said to myself, "Hold on tight, buddy, it's gonna happen right now."

It's occurred to me that much of your mystique is derived from this raw sex appeal, and yet you've consciously shied away from it sometimes. You've complained that the focus on you as a sex symbol takes away from your credibility as a musician.

R.M.: I believed that in the past but not really now. Because if you start looking back -- I mean, look at Elvis. He was a sex symbol, and now he's a legend. The same thing with Valentino. Even Diana's kid, the prince, he's become a sex symbol. You know, in the end sexuality is important. We are here because of a sexual relationship, and on top of that I am a Latin guy. When you meet someone in the Latin culture, you kiss immediately. "Hi, nice to meet you -- mmmmuhhh." So I am not going to try to go against the tide. I'll just have fun with it while I still have it.

So you don't mind being a sex object anymore laughs. Me neither!

R.M.: An object? I don't know. I am a person too. A man that has feelings. And at the same time, I want respect from the audience, and in order for me to get respect, I have to have some quality in my music. Not just shake my ass.