Renán was born in Concepcion, but he was raised in Penco. In 1965, Renán moved to Santiago, where he debuted as a singer. He was then recognized as one of the "Nueva Ola" stars, (in Chile; there were Nueva Olas also in other Spanish-speaking countries at the same time) alongside other popular Chilean singers of the time such as his friend Cecilia. In 1966, Renán made his international debut, singing at the Festival de Trujillo in Trujillo, Peru.
