(Article taken from dotmusic.com - please note we will be adding private photos shortly)

London's Oxford Street was brought to a standstill last night (July 15) as thousands swarmed the streets surrounding the Virgin Megastore where Latin pop superstar Ricky Martin was due to sign autographs. Despite being a relative newcomer on the British pop scene - his debut single 'Livin' La Vida Loca' entered the charts at number one last week - it seems Ricky mania has quickly caught on. He was scheduled to arrive at 5 o'clock and sign autographs for two hours. After a few false alarms - 'It's Ricky! It's Ricky!' - followed by screams from the near hysterical crowd consisting mainly of teenage girls, tourists and bemused onlookers, his dancers appeared. They took to the mini-stage and danced a raunchy salsa to the tune of 'Un. Dos. Tres. Maria!' Then after ten minutes the crowd surged forward and the volume peaked - this time it was definitely Ricky. Assisted by security he made his way through the crowd to the stage. Looking stocky and a little older than his twenty five years, he greeted the screaming crowd and waved. "Thank you for coming London," he shouted. "If you're all patient we can hopefully get through the autographs." With that he headed into the store where some fans had been queuing since 9am. The more fanatical had camped outside overnight to secure a good spot. "I've never seen anything like this," commented sales assistant John Burke. "This is the biggest crowd we've had here for any star. There's over four thousand people here to day." Boosted by his Latin good looks and his uptempo blend of salsa pop it looks like Puerto Rican Ricky Martin is the next big thing on the global music scene. It helps that he sings in both Spanish and English, thus increasing his market from Latin countries to the US and Europe. It also helps that he has recorded a duet with Madonna, 'Be Careful With My Heart (Cuidado Con Mi Corazon)', which looks likely to be the next single from his album 'Vuelve'. Be prepared - Ricky Martin has landed.