Emerging Salsero Bucks Trend : George Lamond, a member of N.Y.’s ‘Puerto Rican Brat Pack,’ leaves his English-pop past to embrace the genre--at a time when salsa superstars are crossing over the other way.

Strange how the universe balances itself.

Just as salsa’s top-selling superstar, Marc Anthony, shifts his focus to English-language pop, it is George Lamond--an English-language pop singer--who emerges as salsa’s newest star.

As Anthony’s debut English single, “I Need to Know,” climbs pop radio playlists nationwide, Lamond’s debut salsa single, “Que Te Vas,” has become the most-played Latin song on New York radio and a U.S. tropical hit.

Strange. But not surprising.

Anthony, 30, and Lamond, 32, are part of a loosely knit group of Puerto Rican singers from New York who flourished in the 1980s’ “freestyle” house music movement and who in the ‘90s turned to salsa--usually under the guidance of producer, arranger and fellow “Nuyorican” Sergio George, the first to realize that folding elements of R&B; and soul into salsa would resonate with young listeners.

Singers who moved from English dance music into this “new salsa” genre include India, once a chart-topping club diva, now salsa’s top-selling female artist; Brenda K. Starr; Frankie Negron, who appeared in Paul Simon’s Broadway musical “The Capeman” with Anthony; Safire; and Huey Dunbar, lead singer for the popular salsa/hip-hop group DLG (Dark Latin Groove).

“We call ourselves the Puerto Rican Brat Pack,” Lamond says of his New York musical peers. “We’re schizophrenic. We don’t know where we belong, so we do it all.”

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Most of these artists, including Anthony and Lamond, spoke very little Spanish when they began recording salsa, but were familiar with the music because of their parents and neighborhoods.

They are now among modern salsa’s top artists, with the handsome and charismatic Lamond poised for the superstardom so far enjoyed only by Anthony and India.

At his recent Conga Room performance, Lamond addressed the crowd in rapid, flawless Spanish, showing that he, like Anthony before him, had finally mastered his parents’ language.

Because there is no full-time commercial radio outlet for salsa in Los Angeles, popularity of salsa artists here is best gauged by live performances. Lamond’s Conga Room appearance packed the club with screaming fans on a Thursday night. The following night, he also packed the Mayan nightclub downtown.

Several days later, Lamond sat in the sunny dining room of a Marina del Rey hotel, site of the Sony Discos conference where he was a featured performer; his label, Prestigio Records, is distributed by Sony Discos.

Dressed in cargo shorts and a loud Hawaiian-print shirt, Lamond--a dead ringer for boxer Oscar de la Hoya--spoke of his career switch, peppering his life story with surprising anecdotes and self-deprecating jokes.

One surprising anecdote: “Jennifer Lopez used to come by to record with all of us,” Lamond says of the early freestyle days. “Everybody knew everybody. We still do.”

That this particular group of singers can move so seamlessly between the worlds of mainstream dance/pop and salsa reflects the unique position Puerto Ricans hold in American society.

All Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens, and travel between the Spanish-speaking U.S. commonwealth and mainland U.S. is frequent, and easier than it is for Latinos whose roots lie in foreign countries.

In fact, most current “crossover” Latin artists are Puerto Ricans from New York, including Jennifer Lopez and Elvis Crespo. Even Ricky Martin lived in Queens after his Menudo years.

This has led Columbia Records President Don Ienner and others to compare the musical fertility of Puerto Rican New York today to that of grunge Seattle in the early ‘90s.

Even though Prestigio is promoting Lamond as “the next Marc Anthony,” Lamond is not comfortable being compared to the Grammy-winning salsero.

“Marc is the one who encouraged me to go into salsa,” Lamond says. “I’m grateful to him for that, but we all know there will never be another Marc Anthony.”

Prestigio President Bill Marin has some authority when making such comparisons, however. Marin was vice president of RMM Records, Anthony’s former label, during Anthony’s rise to fame there.

“I oversaw [Anthony’s] career,” Marin says, “and I’m telling you that George is going to be that big.”

Though Lamond’s debut salsa album, “Entrega,” has sold only 13,000 copies since its release in July, according to SoundScan, it is common for salsa consumers to purchase albums at small, independent stores that are not hooked into the SoundScan counting system. Marin estimates sales are closer to 50,000 units.

Radio programmers in Miami and New York, salsa’s biggest markets, support the claim, saying response to the Lamond single has been overwhelming.

“George Lamond is hot,” says Jesus Salas, programming director for the top tropical stations in New York and Miami. “It’s the perfect time for him.”

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While India and Anthony have been the reigning queen and king of salsa since their respective debuts in 1992 and 1993, Anthony may be forced to relinquish the crown to someone like Lamond now that he is focusing on English pop.

India’s new salsa album will be out Sept. 21, and she will likely retain her throne.

For Anthony fans, Lamond may be a comforting new face, because his life story and musical trajectory mirror Anthony’s.

And while Lamond’s voice is neither as powerful nor as distinctive as Anthony’s, he is nonetheless a strong singer, and by most accounts better-looking than Anthony, who is known as “El Flaco de la Salsa,” or the Skinny Man of Salsa. While Anthony’s looks have never seemed to matter, handsome faces have helped singers such as Jerry Rivera win large fan bases among young women.

Born George Garcia in Washington, to working-class Puerto Rican parents, Lamond is one of eight brothers and sisters.

He began singing professionally in high school with his cousin, as the group Loose Touch.

Impressed with George Garcia, producers Chris Barbosa and Mark Ligget asked him to record a dance single for their independent label, on one condition: that he get rid of his Spanish surname.

The song, “Bad of the Heart,” by George Lamond blew up in dance clubs in 1988, and secured the young singer a contract with Columbia Records, where he released three albums.

On the covers of the Columbia albums, Lamond’s skin looks lighter than it really is. Lamond laughed at mention of this. “You think? I know it wasn’t that long ago, but back then you couldn’t be Spanish and have a pop career.”

Lamond even tried out for Menudo as a kid, but was told he had the wrong skin color.

“They told me I was a great singer, but too dark,” Lamond says of the Menudo audition. “Can you believe that?”

That type of attitude hasn’t changed much, Lamond says. Though he’s thrilled to be able to make a living singing salsa, Lamond has no plans to use his real name.

“People know me as George Lamond,” he says with a shrug.

Maybe. Maybe not. Lamond’s biggest-selling record so far has been the album “Bad of the Heart,” which sold 200,000 copies--back in 1988. After his dance career fizzled, Lamond sang backup vocals for Jerry Rivera and DLG, until landing his salsa deal with Prestigio.

At his Conga Room performance, many in line to buy tickets didn’t remember Lamond from his previous dance music incarnation. Some identified him as a great new salsa singer.

“He’ll probably go much further in salsa than he did in house,” producer Sergio George says. “It’s a good time for him.”