MIAMI - Ricky Martin releases a long-awaited autobiography on Tuesday, telling of his rise from a Puerto Rican boy band to international stardom and his tricky decision in March to come out as gay.

"Yo" (Me) provides glimpses of Martin's childhood, describes his musical start as a member of "Menudo" in the 1980s, his crossover to English in the later 1990's and his emergence as a pop icon, his publisher said.

Published both in English and in Spanish, it also talks about 38-year-old Martin's decision to father twins by a surrogate mother and his philanthropic work as a UNICEF ambassador and through the Ricky Martin Foundation.

"I hope you enjoy it," Martin tweeted Monday.

"I've had to tie loose ends that I never put together and work hard recalling memories I had already erased from my mind. It wasn't easy, but once I got going I realized the incredible scarring process that had begun, which I now want to share."

Martin has sold more than 60 million albums worldwide over a two decade solo career since he crossed that has netted him five Grammy awards.

He records and performs mostly in Spanish, but has a huge crossover following in English thanks largely to his 1999 smash hit "Livin' La Vida Loca" and his chart-topping "She Bangs" the following year.