Linar Espinal, born December 4, 1978 in Juncalito, Jánico, Dominican Republic,
is a Dominican singer, songwriter, and producer known by the stage name El
Chaval de la Bachata. Espinal began playing the accordion before switching to
the guitar at seven years of age, later moving to Santiago where he was
influenced by the music of Blas Durán. A breakthrough came in 1997 with the
single “Cuando el amor se va” from the debut album Sentimiento Único (1997),
which earned a gold certification in 1998. Subsequent albums include Enfermo de
amor (1998), Devuélveme todo (2004), Ya me cansé ...