Studying music formally at institutions such as Javeriana University in Bogota and Berklee College of Music in Boston, he honed his compositional and performance skills. Fonseca's self-titled debut gained him considerable attention in Colombia, including the notice of artists like Shakira and Juanes, both of whom offered him subsequent collaboration and performance opportunities. Sharing the stage with Shakira on her Mongoose tour, and Juanes at Campin Stadium in Bogota garnered Fonseca the recognition and momentum he would need for his second album, 2005's Corazón, which explored the crossroads where pop/rock influences meet the vallenato, bullerengue, and tambora rhythms of Fonseca's native land. Released by EMI, Corazón was well-received, reaching number six on Billboard's Latin Tropical chart. Gratitud followed in 2008, with Ilusion arriving in 2011. It was nominated for a Grammy as Best Latin Pop album and won the Latin Grammy for Best Tropical Fusion album. Its charting single, "Desde Que No Estás," was nominated for Tropical Song of the Year.

Fonseca, by then well-known as an ambassador of Colombia's music to the world, recorded Sinfonico in concert with Orquesta Sinfonica Nacional de Colombia in 2013. Released a year later, it was Latin Grammy-nominated for Album of the Year, and won for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album. In early 2015, Fonseca was awarded La Musa Premio Triunfador by the Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame, and in May received the first-ever Contempiorary Icon Award at the SESAC Latina Music Awards. In the fall, he released the album Conexión. It charted thanks to the success of its pre-release singles "Y No Me Faltas" and "Y Tú" (a duet with Juanes). The set also included a second duet, "Amor Eterno," with Victor Manuelle. ~ Evan C. Gutierrez