He made his professional debut in 1981 in a local festival called Valores Juveniles. After living in Japan, where he performed in a nightclub, Mijares worked as a background singer for Latin pop star Emmanuel.

In 1985, he represented Mexico in the OTI Festival, earning “Revelation of the Festival”. In 1986, he started his solo career after signing with EMI, issuing a self-titled album that featured his first international hits: “Bella” (“Beautiful woman”), “Soñador” (“Dreamer”), “Poco a poco” (“Little by little”) and “Siempre” (“Always”), the latter composed by the Nicaraguan songwriter Hernaldo Zúñiga. His debut album was originally credited to “Manuel Mijares”, but the disc was later reissued with the billing changed to simply “Mijares.” All subsequent recordings were billed under the name “Mijares.”

He made his debut as an actor in the 1987 movie Escápate Conmigo. The film was a hit, but his acting career has been limited to cameos, however it was on that shoot he met his wife.

In 1990, Mijares released a one-off album recorded in Italian, Nuda liberta. He then followed with Que Nada Nos Separe, which became one of the biggest-selling discs in his career.

In 1992, he released Maria Bonita, a collection of boleros with the title track serving as a tribute to actress María Félix. Bebu Silvetti produced the album, which became Mijares’ biggest-selling album to date. The disc was named album of the year by El Heraldo. The same year, he performed the Spanish-language version of the title track to the movie Beauty and the Beast along with Rocío Banquells.

In 1993, he performed the theme of the telenovela Corazón salvaje, a major hit single. The song was included on the disc Encadenado.

In 1996, technology allowed Mijares to sing with the deceased Pedro Infante on the well-received Querido Amigo.

On January 18, 1997, he married Lucero. The news of their marriage would become an international event and Televisa earned the rights to televise it, gaining more than 40 million viewers.

In 1998, El Privilegio de Amar achieved platinum status in Mexico, powered by the title track, which featured Lucero on backing vocals.

In 2000, DreamWorks selected him to perform three songs by Elton John in Spanish for The Road to El Dorado. This same year he released Historias de un Amor, in which he co-wrote some of the songs. Mijares’ 2004 album, Cappuccino, was highlighted by a duet with Canadian singer-songwriter Gino Vannelli. In 2005, Mijares released Honor a Quien Honor Merece, a tribute to Mexican star José José, whom he considers one of his main influences. The album received gold and platinum certification in Mexico. Also successful was Acompañame, a duet album with Yuri that achieved platinum certification in 2006. His 2008 album Hablemos de Amor performed well on the charts, powered by the hit “Te ha robado” (“He has stolen you”), which was the theme from the telenovela Querida Enemiga. The following year, Mijares moved to Warner Music Latina for the album Vivir Así. The disc reached No. 2 on the official Amprofon lists and spent more than two months in the top 10. It was certified Gold during its eighth week of release and received platinum certification a few weeks later. A sequel, Vivir Así Volumen II, was released on April 13, 2010; the album reached the top 10 and earned Gold certification. In 2011, he celebrated the 25th anniversary of his music career with two sold-out concerts at the Auditorio Nacional in Mexico City. A CD/DVD set capturing the show was issued in September as Mijares 25: Zona Preferente. The release debuted at No. 2 on the official Amprofon chart during its first week of release. It was certified gold a week later. His 2013 release Canto Por Ti debuted at No. 1 in Mexico, ultimately spending five non-consecutive weeks in the top spot.

On March 4, 2011, after 14 years of marriage, he and Lucero announced to the media that they had separated.