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Enrique Iglesias

 
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Enrique Iglesias

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Singer, songwriter

Romantic balladeer, Enrique Iglesias, prayed as a child to become a popular singer, but his superstar father never knew about theyoung boy’s ambition. When Iglesias was old enough to make an audition tape, he mailed the samples to prospective record companies under an assumed name, fearful of prejudice in light of his father’s prominence in the recording industry. Talent and desire won out for Enrique Iglesias, and he signed a recording contract exclusively on his own merits, secure in the knowledge that he succeeded on talent and charisma, and without the use of his well–connected surname. Iglesias’s famous paternity became evident on the occasion of his first recorded release in 1995 under his true name of Iglesias. Regardless, the popular singer and songwriter settled into his career, confident at his ability to establish name recognition as Enrique (not Julio) Iglesias, through his personal musical style and appeal.

Enrique Iglesias was born Enrique Iglesias Preysler in Madrid, Spain, on May 8, 1975. He was the youngest of six siblings, three boys and three girls. His parents, Isabel Preysler and Julio Iglesias, divorced in 1979. Enrique Iglesias continued to live in Madrid with his mother, a Philippine–born journalist, until the early 1980s when Preysler received kidnap threats against her children. Reluctantly she sent the youngsters to the United States to live in Miami, Florida, with their superstar father. In Florida, Enrique Iglesias became enamored with water sports, especially wind–surfing; he also loved to water ski and scuba dive. By the time he was in his early teens he made regular summer trips to Hawaii where he lived a humble existence in a shack and spent his days windsurfing. Although the circumstances of his childhood kept him physically apartf rom his parents, the family nonetheless stayed in touch as much as was reasonably possible. His mother remained in Spain, while his father, an international singing idol, was seldom at home. In Miami the children were raised almost exclusively by a nursemaid, Elvira Olivares, who took the family under her wing and loved the children as her own. Later, when Enrique Iglesias released his first record album, he dedicated the work lovingly to Olivares.

When Iglesias was grown, according to his parents’ wishes, he enrolled at the University of Miami as a business administration student, but his career goal since childhood was to become a singer. Iglesias spent his free time practicing singing with friends and, eventually, made a demo tape and sent it to recording studios. Iglesias, well aware of his father’s notoriety in the music industry, sent the audition tapes under the name of Enrique Martinez, in order to insure that he would be assessed on his own merit rather than on the basis of his famous father’s reputation. When executives at Fonovisa

Records heard Iglesias’s audition tape in 1994, they signed him to a contract to record three albums. He subsequently abandoned his studies at the university, to his father’s dismay, and it was only after the deal was finalized that Julio Iglesias learned of his son’s impending career as a recording artist. The younger Iglesias was nonetheless gratified in the knowledge that he secured the contract on his own initiative.

He set a bustling pace during the ensuing years and released six albums in less than five years, each of which sold in phenomenal numbers. A songwriter as well as a crooner, Iglesias wrote many of the songs that he recorded. Fonovisa released Iglesias’s debut album of romantic balladsin October of 1995. The Spanish–language album, entitled Enrique Iglesias, was a number one best seller in the Latin music arena and sold nearly three million copies within a matter of weeks. By the end of 1997 worldwide sales figures for the album were reported at six million copies, including sales of nearly one–and–one–half million copies in the United States alone.

The debut album featured a hit single, "Si Tu Te Vas (If You Leave)," that zoomed into a top–ten position on the record charts. Although Iglesias preferred to distance himself from the legacy of his father, it was an unavoidable issue for critics to compare the two; and comparisons resounded more freely because a song by the elder Iglesias was on the record charts simultaneously with that of the younger. Julio Iglesias’s song was far less popular, however, and held a slot at number 17 while "Si Tu Te Vas" held the number six position. In the light of critical comparison, Enrique Iglesias asserted that but for the surname and familial relationship, his own singing bore no resemblance to that of his father. Nevertheless, an undeniable reality surfaced—that both singers possessed extraordinary romantic appeal for female audiences. Belinda Luscombe of Time commented further that the father–and–son pair shared a "certain musk–scented vocal quality," while the younger Iglesias struggled to assert himself as an individual. Peter Castro quoted him in People, "I’m very proud of my father, but when you read Bill boardnow, you see Enrique Iglesias."

Enrique Iglesias’s second album, Vivir, was released in the fall of 1997 and sold four million copies by the end of that year, including 1.1 million in the United States. Also in 1997 Iglesias toured the Americas and Spain. His third album (and third Spanish–language release), Cosas Del Amor, appeared in music stores on September22, 1998. Despite his hesitation to record in English, Iglesias’s popularity suffered no handicap due to language barrier. He received extensive media coverage in the United States as well as in other non–Spanish–speaking countries. While the largest base of his popularity remained in Mexico and Argentina, he secured guest spots on both the "Late Show with David Letterman" and "Tonight Show with Jay Leno," and released an Italian–language recording in 1996. By the time Iglesias released an English–language recording he had in fact made 190 television appearances in 23 countries and had sold 13 million albums worldwide.

Iglesias released "Bailamos (We Dance)," his first English–language release, in 1999 as part of the soundtrack to a movie starring Will Smith and Kevin Kline called Wild Wild West When Smith solicited a recorded contribution from Iglesias for the Overbrook/lnterscope movie soundtrack, Iglesias turned to an earlier recording that he had never released to any record label. Iglesias offered the recording to Universal Music Group/Interscope for the movie soundtrack and the record company not only liked the song, but proceeded to sign Iglesias to a six–album recording contract, including three Spanish albums and three in English. That episode was a milestone in Iglesias’s career, marking the point where he crossed over effectively from the Latino musical genre and into the generic popular styles. Additionally, the $44 million contract, for six albums, moved Iglesias into the forefront among the highest–paid Latino artist of the times. "Bailamos," released as a single, rapidly sped its way to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in early September of 1999.

By the end of the decade, eleven of Iglesias’s single releases held a spot at number one among a totalof 19 countries. He secured 116 platinum records and 26 international awards, including a Grammy for Best Latin Pop Performance in 1997, plus an American Music Award; and he was a two–time recipient of Billboard’s Latin Music Award as the Hot Latin Tracks Artist of the Year. He was not yet 30, but his image had appeared on 250 magazine covers.

In 1998 Iglesias secured the title of People en Espanol’s "sexiest man," yet for all his charm he maintained that he wrote his best song material when he was mooning over a romantic breakup. Although he earned a reputation as a sloppy dresser—complete with five–o’clock shadow and oftentimes grungy attire—press relations notwithstanding there was nothing that hampered his image as a ladies’ man. Iglesias’s managers meanwhile bemoaned the fact that their client was somewhat given to risk–taking, especially when he required 40 stitches in his head following a water–skiing accident in 1998 when he slammed into a mangrove tree.

Emphatic in his likes and dislikes, Iglesias professed that he harbored a sympathetic heartstring for Loony Tunes’ Wile E. Coyote, and Iglesias’s own personal taste in music runs to other popular singers including Michael Jackson, Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, and the group Dire Straits. He professed that his interest in women veers toward talent over beautiful looks. He openly shunned the playboy image that pursued his fatherovertheyears and aspired to settle into a comfortable and monogamous relationship. In response to the suggestion that Julio Iglesias and Enrique Iglesias might one day record a duet together, the latter responded without malice that he would prefer to sing in duet with pop star Michael Jackson.

Selected discography

Singles
"Si Tu Te Vas (If You Leave)," 1995.
"Experiencia Religiosa (Religious Experience)," 1996.
"Bailamos (We Dance)," Overbrook Music, August 10, 1999.

Albums
Enrique Iglesias (includes "Si Tu Te Vas"), Fonovisa, 1995.
Version En Italiano, Fonovisa, 1996.
Vivir, Fonovisa, 1997.
Cosas Del Amor, Fonovisa, 1998.
Bailamos, Fonovisa, 1999.
Enrique, Interscope Records, 1999.

Sources
Periodicals
Billboard, April 11, 1998; July 10, 1999; September 9, 1999; September 11, 1999.
Maclean’s, September 2, 1996.
People, April 22, 1996; May 11, 1998; August 16, 1999.
Rolling Stone, August 19, 1999.
Time, November 6, 1995.
Variety, December 8, 1997.

Online
"About Enrique Iglesias," http://www.enriqueiglesias.com/about1.htm (August 3, 1999).
"Enrique Iglesias," http://rollingstone.tunes.com/sections/artists (August 13, 1999).
"Straight Talk: Advice from Enrique Iglesias," http://www.usaweekend.com/97_issues/970601/970601talk_iglesias.html (August 3, 1999).
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AMG AllMusic Guide: Pop Artists:

Enrique Iglesias

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  • Genres: Latin

Biography

At the dawn of the new millennium, Enrique Iglesias was the best-selling Latin recording artist in the world. The son of multi-million-selling singer Julio Iglesias, Enrique was born in Madrid, Spain, where he lived with his mother, his brother Julio, and his sister Chabeli. In 1982, his mother sent them to live in Miami with their father. While there, Enrique was exposed to three different cultures and musical influences: Hispanic, European, and American.

Iglesias' own career started when he was still attending Gulliver Private School, a very prestigious school in Miami. He made his singing debut in a production of Hello, Dolly, after which he began practicing his singing without his parents knowing. After a year studying business at the University of Miami, he decided to follow his passion for music. In 1995, he sang in person for his soon-to-be manager, who at Iglesias' insistence of not wanting to use his family name, first shopped his demos as an unknown Central American singer named Enrique Martinez. It wasn't until he earned a record deal with Fonovisa that Enrique told his father and mother of his aspirations. Then he flew to Toronto, where no one knew him and he could concentrate just on music, to record for five months.

That first album, Enrique Iglesias (1995), sold more than a million copies in three months (it earned him his first gold record in Portugal in a mere seven days) and to date has sold more than six million worldwide. The second album, Vivir (1997), enjoyed global sales of more than five million discs and launched his first world tour, backed by sidemen for Elton John, Bruce Springsteen, and Billy Joel. In a mere three years, Iglesias had sold more than 17 million Spanish-language albums, more than anyone else during that period. (The U.S. was his biggest market.) He also won the 1996 Grammy for Best Latin Performer, 1996's Billboard Artist of the Year, Billboard's Album of the Year for Vivir, two American Music Awards, a World Music Award, eight Premio Lo Nuestro awards, two ACE Performer of the Year awards, and ASCAP prizes for Best Composer of 1996 and 1997, in addition to countless accolades around the world.

With 1998's Cosas del Amor, Iglesias moved to more mature content; his earlier material had been written when he was 17 years old. Then came Enrique, his first Interscope album and first in English. It achieved gold or platinum status in 32 countries and brought his global album sales to a total of more than 23 million. In 2001 he released the follow-up, Escape. Iglesias alternated Spanish- and English-language albums during the next two years, first offering the ballad collection Quizás in 2002, then the mainstream English record 7 in 2003. Four years later the single "Do You Know (The Ping Pong Song)" announced the coming of his 2007 album Insomniac. After a Spanish compilation in 2008, Enrique released Euphoria in 2010, which gained attention on the strength of the singles “I Like It” and “Heartbeat" ~ Ed Nimmervoll, Rovi
Wikipedia on Answers.com:

Enrique Iglesias

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This article is about the singer. For the Uruguayan economist, see Enrique V. Iglesias. For the self titled albums, see Enrique (album) and Enrique Iglesias (album).
Enrique Iglesias

Enrique Iglesias
Background information
Birth name Enrique Miguel Iglesias Preysler
Born May 8, 1975 (1975-05-08) (age 36)
Madrid, Spain
Genres Pop, Latin pop, R&B, dance-pop, soft rock
Occupations Singer-songwriter, actor, record producer, model
Instruments Vocals, guitar
Years active 1995-present
Labels Fonovisa, Interscope, Universal Music Latino, Universal Republic, Polydor
Website www.enriqueiglesias.com

Enrique Iglesias (born Enrique Miguel Iglesias Preysler; May 8, 1975) is a Spanish singer, songwriter and occasional actor, popular in both the Latin market and the Hispanic American market in the United States. He is the son of the famous Spanish singer Julio Iglesias. Within five years of beginning his musical career in the 1990s, he became the biggest seller of Spanish-language albums of that decade. He made his crossover into the mainstream English language market before the turn of the millennium, signing a multi-album deal with Universal Music Group for an unprecedented US$50,000,000 with Universal Music Latino to release his Spanish albums and Interscope to release English albums. In 2010, he parted with Interscope and signed with another Universal Music Group label, Universal Republic.

Iglesias has sold over 100 million records worldwide, making him one of the best selling Spanish language artists of all time.[1]

Iglesias has had five Billboard Hot 100 top five singles, including two number-ones, and holds the record for producing 22 number-one Spanish-language singles on the Billboard's Hot Latin Tracks.[2] He has also had ten number-one songs on Billboard's Dance charts, more than any other single male artist. Altogether, Iglesias has amassed 55 number-one hits on the various Billboard charts. Billboard has called him The King of Latin Pop and The King of Dance. Billboard also named Enrique the number two Latin artist of the years 1986–2011 (Luis Miguel taking the first spot).[3]

Contents

Early life

Iglesias was born in Madrid, Spain,[4] and is the third and youngest child of singer Julio Iglesias and socialite and magazine journalist Isabel Preysler. His mother is a Spanish Filipino[5][6] and his father is of Spanish ancestry from Galicia.[7][8] His parents' marriage was annulled in 1979.

In 1986, Iglesias' grandfather, Dr. Julio Iglesias Puga, was kidnapped by the armed Basque separatist group ETA. For their safety, Enrique and his brother, Julio Iglesias, Jr., were sent to live with their father in Miami.[9] He also lived in Belgrade, Serbia, for one year with his mother.[10] As his father's career kept him on the road, the young Iglesias was raised by the family nanny. He attended Gulliver Preparatory School[11] and went on to study business at the University of Miami.[12]

Iglesias did not want his father to know about his plans for a musical career and did not want his famous surname to help advance his career. He borrowed money from his family nanny and he recorded a demo cassette tape which consisted of a Spanish song and two English songs. Approaching his father's former publicist, Fernan Martinez, the two promoted the songs under the stage name 'Enrique Martinez' with the backstory of being an unknown singer from Guatemala. Iglesias was signed by a record label called Fonovisa. After dropping out of college, he went to Toronto to record his first album.[13]

Music career

1995–96: Enrique Iglesias

On July 12, 1995, Iglesias released his first album titled Enrique Iglesias, a collection of light rock ballads, including such mega-hits as "Si Tú Te Vas", "Experiencia Religiosa", and others. The record sold half a million copies in its first week, a rare accomplishment then for an album recorded in a language other than English.

His song " Por Amarte" was included in Televisa's telenovela Marisol, but with a twist: instead of Por amarte daría mi vida (To love you, I'd give my life), the words were Por amarte Marisol, moriría (To love you, Marisol, I'd die). The CD also yielded Italian and Portuguese editions of the album, with most of the songs translated into those languages.

Five singles released from this album, such as "Por Amarte", "No Llores Por Mí", and "Trapecista" topped the Latin charts. The album went on to win Iglesias a Grammy Award for Best Latin Pop Performance and still the only Grammy received by Enrique.

1997–99: Vivir and Cosas Del Amor

Iglesias with Ronald McDonald in 1999, his Cosas del Amor tour was sponsored by McDonald's.

In 1997, Iglesias' star continued to rise with the release of Vivir (To Live), which put him up with other English language music superstars in sales for that year. The album also included a cover version of the Yazoo song "Only You", translated into Spanish as "Solo en Tí".

Insisting on stadiums, that summer, Enrique, backed by sidemen for Elton John, Bruce Springsteen and Billy Joel, played to sold-out audiences in sixteen countries. Beginning the tour in Odessa, Texas the tour went on to three consecutive nights in Mexico's Plaza de Toros, two consecutive nights at Monterrey's Auditorio Coca Cola and two at the Estadio River Plate in Buenos Aires, Argentina to over 130,000 people as well as 19 arenas in the U.S.[14]

Three singles released from Vivir ("Enamorado Por Primera Vez", "Sólo en Ti" and "Miente") topped the Latin singles chart as well as those in several Spanish-speaking countries. Along with his father and Luis Miguel, Iglesias was nominated for an American Music Award in the first-ever awarded category of Favorite Latin Artist. It was said beforehand that the elder Iglesias would walk out if he did not win the award. Iglesias lost out to his father, but did perform the song "Lluvia Cae" at the event.

In 1998, Iglesias released his third album, Cosas del Amor (Things of Love). Taking a more musical direction, the album, aided by the popular singles "Esperanza" and "Nunca Te Olvidaré", both of which topped the Latin singles chart, helped cement his status in the Latin music scene.

Iglesias did a short tour of smaller venues to accompany the release of the album, with one show being televised from Acapulco, Mexico. This was followed by a larger world tour of over eighty shows in even bigger venues. The Cosas del Amor Tour was the first ever concert tour sponsored by McDonald's.

He won an American Music Award in the category of Favorite Latin Artist against Ricky Martin and Los Tigres del Norte. The song "Nunca te Olvidaré" was also used as the theme music for a Spanish soap opera of the same name and he sang the song himself on the last episode of the series.

1999–2000: Enrique

By 1999, Iglesias had begun a successful crossover career into the English language music market. Thanks to other successful crossover acts, most notably that of Ricky Martin and Selena, Latino artists and music had a great surge in popularity in mainstream music. Iglesias' contribution to the soundtrack of Will Smith's movie Wild Wild West, "Bailamos" became a number one hit in the US.

After the success of "Bailamos", several mainstream record labels were eager to sign Enrique. Signing a multi-album deal after weeks of negotiations with Interscope, Iglesias recorded and released his first full CD in English, Enrique. The pop album, with some Latin influences, took two months to complete. It also contained a very successful international single duetted with Whitney Houston entitled "Could I Have This Kiss Forever", and a cover of the Bruce Springsteen song "Sad Eyes".

2001–02: Escape

In 2001 Iglesias released the album Escape. Where most of the Latin crossover acts of the previous year experienced some difficulty matching the record sales of their first English language albums, Iglesias actually went on to sell even more. The album's first single, "Hero", became a number one hit in the United Kingdom, and in many other countries. The entire album was co-written by Iglesias.

Escape is his biggest commercial success to date. The singles "Escape" and "Don't Turn Off The Lights" became radio staples, fairing well and placing highly or topping various charts both in North America and elsewhere. A second edition of the album was released internationally and contained a new version of one of Enrique's favorite tracks, "Maybe", as well as a duet with Lionel Richie called "To Love a Woman".

Iglesias capitalized on the album's success with his "One-Night Stand World Tour" consisting of 50 sold-out shows in 16 countries. Including Radio City Music Hall and three consecutive nights in London's Royal Albert Hall, the tour ended with a big show at Stadium National Lia Manoliu in Bucharest, Romania. The concert launched MTV Romania, with the video for "Love to See You Cry" being the first to be shown on the channel.

The second leg of the tour, "Don't Turn Off The Lights", was completed in the summer of 2002, with two sold-out nights in Madison Square Garden and another two in Mexico's National Auditorium. The tour finished with a single show in the Roberto Clemente Coliseum in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

2002–04: Quizás & 7

In 2002, Iglesias chose to release a fourth Spanish-language album titled Quizás (Perhaps). A more polished musical production than his previous Spanish albums and containing more introspective songs, the album's title track is a song about the strained relationship Iglesias has with his famous father.

The album debuted at number 12 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, the highest placement of a Spanish language album on the chart at the time. Quizás sold a million copies in a week, making it the fastest-selling album in Spanish in 5 years. The three singles released from the album all ended up topping the Latin chart, giving Iglesias a total of 16 number ones on the chart. He currently holds the record for the most number one singles on Billboard's Latin Chart. His last single from the album, "Para Que la Vida", reached a million spins on U.S. radio, the only Spanish language song to do so.[15]

The video to the song "Quizás" was the first Spanish language music video to be added to the selection on one of MTV's popular show Total Request Live. Iglesias performed the song on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, becoming the first to sing a Spanish song on the show, and opening doors for other artists such as Ricky Martin, Juanes and Jorge Drexler to perform their Spanish material. Iglesias included songs from Quizás in his "Don't Turn Off the Lights Tour", and the album went on to win a Latin Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album.

By 2003 Iglesias released his seventh album, which he called 7, the second to be co-written by Iglesias. Among its more 1980s-inspired material, it features the song "Roamer", which he wrote with his friend and longtime guitarist, Tony Bruno. The CD also contained the song "Be Yourself", a song about independence (the chorus talks about how Iglesias' own parents did not believe he'd ever succeed in his singing career). The first single was the song "Addicted", and was followed closely by a remix of the song "Not in Love", featuring Kelis.

With this album, Iglesias went on his biggest world tour to date. The highly publicised tour started with twelve shows in the United States ending with Iglesias playing at Houston Rodeo and continued on to several countries, most of which he'd never previously visited playing to sold-out arenas and stadiums in Australia, India, Egypt and Singapore before ending his tour in South Africa.

2007–08: Insomniac

Iglesias performing on August 29, 2007.

Iglesias released his new album Insomniac on June 12, 2007. The album was so named due to it being recorded mainly at night. The album contained a more contemporary pop style than that of previous albums. The album's highlights include "Push", with rapper Lil' Wayne, as well as "Ring My Bells", and a cover of Ringside's "Tired of Being Sorry".

The first single "Do You Know? (The Ping Pong Song)" was released on April 10, 2007. It was the Iglesias's highest charting song on the Hot 100 since "Escape" it was also a hit throughout Europe peaking in the top 10 in many countries and the Spanish version entitled "Dímelo" was #1 on Hot Latin Tracks for 12 weeks becoming his second best performing song on that chart.

Iglesias followed up with the ballad "Somebody's Me", which was released as a single in the American continent. The song was played extensively on AC radio and peaked high on Billboard's Hot AC, where the Spanish version also performed well. In Europe, the second single was "Tired of Being Sorry", which performed well in many countries; he recorded a version of the song with French singer Nâdiya which was #1 in France for eleven weeks.

On July 4, Enrique Iglesias became the first Western artist to play a concert in Syria in three decades when he performed for a sold-out crowd of 10,000 in the capital [Damas] and in the same week performed on Live Earth in [Hamburg].

The Insomniac World Tour was launched at the Dome in Johannesburg, South Africa, the same venue he ended his last world Tour and took him to sold out arenas throughout Europe. It was his first arena tour of the UK with him playing venues such as Manchester's MEN Arena and Wembley Arena. The tour ended with Iglesias performing at newly opened L.A. Live. A second leg of the tour has taken him throughout Latin America from Mexico to Argentina.

A solo version of "Push" was added to the soundtrack of the movie Step Up 2 the Streets. The song was regarded as the third single from the album. A music video was shot which features the film's lead actors. Despite never being officially added to radio the song has charted in several countries and is one of his most highly rated songs amongst fans.

Enrique's song "Can You Hear Me" has been chosen as the official song of the UEFA Euro 2008 football tournament.[16] He performed the song live at the June 29, 2008 final in Vienna, Austria.[17] The song featured on a re-issue of the Insomniac album being released in certain countries.

2008–09: Greatest Hits albums

Enrique released a Spanish Greatest Hits album on March 25, 2008 which included his seventeen #1 songs on Hot Latin Tracks chart, plus two new songs. The first single was the song "Dónde Están Corazón", which is written by Argentine star Coti and became Iglesias's 18th #1 single on Billboard's Hot Latin Songs. The album debuted at #1 on Billboard's Latin Albums Chart and #18 on the overall Billboard 200 albums chart. It was Enrique's second Spanish album to debut in the top 20 of the Billboard 200 (Quizás debuted at #12 in 2002). The album has been recently certified double Platinum in the U.S. and in some Latin American countries.

The album's second single "Lloro Por Ti" had an official remix featuring Wisin & Yandel which also reached #1. Iglesias did a tour of the US. Beginning in Laredo, Texas and ending at the Izod Center in New Jersey he was accompanied though most of the tour with Bachata band Aventura who also performed "Lloro Por Ti" with him at the Premios Juventud.

Iglesias was a surprise performer at the Lo Nuestro Awards, opening the show with a medley of "Dónde Están Corazón" and "Dimelo". He also performed at the Billboard Latin Music Awards, where he received a special award.

After the success of his Spanish Greatest Hits compilation, Iglesias released a compilation of his English language hits on November 11. The album includes "Can You Hear Me" as well two new songs. The first single is entitled "Away" featuring Sean Garrett and was followed by "Takin' Back My Love" featuring Ciara.[18]

The compilation includes English hit songs such as "Bailamos", "Hero", "Be with You", "Not in Love" and "Escape" which have topped various Billboard charts (two of which did so on the Hot 100) as well as songs such as "Rhythm Divine", "Tired of Being Sorry" and "Do You Know? (The Ping Pong Song)", which have also topped charts in Europe.

After the successful collaboration with Nadiya Iglesias has recorded a second duet with her called "Miss You" which featured on a deluxe edition of the album.

The album debuted at #3 on the official UK Albums Chart and sold over 80,000 copies in its first two weeks of release alone.

Enrique was the winner of two World Music Awards in the categories of "World's Best Selling Latin Performer" and "World's Best Selling Spanish Artist", in the ceremony held in Monaco on November 9, 2008.

2010–present: Euphoria

On July 5, 2010, Iglesias released his ninth and tenth studio albums, Euphoria, his first work to be released under his new label, Universal Republic. The album is Iglesias's first bilingual album with seven original English songs and six original Spanish songs.[19] The album has won Billboard Music Award for Top Latin Album, Billboard Latin Award for Latin Album of the Year and Latin Pop Album of the Year and was nominated for Latin Grammy Award for Album of the Year.

Enrique Iglesias performs on stage during MTV Live Georgia at Europe Square on August 2, 2011 in Batumi, Georgia.

Iglesias worked with three (actually four but one isn't mentioned) producers whom he has worked with before; RedOne, Mark Taylor and Carlos Paucer. The album features collaborations with Akon, Usher, Nicole Scherzinger, Ludacris, Pitbull, Juan Luis Guerra and his third duet with Wisin & Yandel. In a joint venture with Universal Latino Iglesias will release different singles in both languages simultaneously to different formats.

The first English single from the album, "I Like It", which features the rapper Pitbull, was released on May 3, 2010 in the U.S. and became a success, reaching number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100.

"Cuando Me Enamoro" was released as the lead Spanish single from the album. The song debuted at number 8 and number 25 on U.S Latin Pop Songs and U.S. Hot Latin Songs, respectively. The song became his 25th top 10 single on the U.S. Billboard Hot Latin Songs & after 4 weeks of its release date it became his 21st No.1 song on this chart.[20][21]

As of January 2011 "Tonight (I'm Lovin' You)" broke into the top 10 on the Billboard charts reaching no 4.[22] The song was released only for digital download in the U.S. although was featured on some Editions of "Euphoria" in Europe and some Asian areas. The song has became his first #1 on the US Pop Songs and Hot 100 airplay Charts.[23]

A remix version of "Dirty Dancer" was released and became his ninth Dance Club play chart topper making him the male with the most number-one dance singles. tying with Prince & Michael Jackson.[24][25] "Ayer" serves as the albums seventh single.

The Euphoria Tour has taken him across the US, Canada UK and Europe. A second which has taken him to Australia will include leg will include fellow artists Pitbull and Prince Royce and will be across North America. Enrique was finalizing production for an extension to Euphoria, titled Euphoria Reloaded, however due to the poor commercial performance of I Like How It Feels featuring rapper Pitbull, plans of the rerelease were cut. Enrique has recently collaborated with Dev on a song called "Naked". It was released on iTunes on December 20th, 2011.

Songwriting, producing, and acting

Iglesias has collaborated with songwriter Guy Chambers to write "Un Nuovo Giorno", the lead single from Andrea Bocelli's first pop album. The song was later translated into English as "First Day of My Life" and recorded by Spice Girl Melanie C. The song has since gone to become a huge hit throughout Europe, and peaked in the number one spot in numerous countries. Iglesias also wrote the single "The Way" for American Idol runner up Clay Aiken. Four songs co-written by Iglesias appear on the UK band The Hollies' current album. Many times Iglesias has said that should he ever retire, he wants to write and produce songs for other artists. In 2010 Idol Allstars 2010 (Swedish Idol Series) released a song "All I Need Is You" co-written by Iglesias with Andreas Carlsson, Kalle Engström and Kristian Lundin. It went straight to iTunes #1.

In 2000, Iglesias co-produced an off Broadway musical called Four Guys Named Jose and Una Mujer Named Maria. In the musical, four Americans of Latin heritage possess a common interest in music and meet and decide to put on a show. The show contained many references and allusions to many classic and contemporary Latin and pop songs by the likes of Carmen Miranda, Selena, Richie Valens, Santana, Ricky Martin and Iglesias himself.

Iglesias also developed an interest in acting, starring alongside Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek and Johnny Depp in the Robert Rodriguez film Once Upon a Time in Mexico, in which he played the foul-mouthed gun-wielding Lorenzo. In 2007, he had guest starred in the TV comedy Two and a Half Men as a carpenter/handyman. He says that he would act again if given small roles that he could fit in between his musical commitments.

He also guest starred as Gael, an Argentinean guitar playing/surfer/massage therapist love interest of Robin in season 3 of the CBS hit TV show How I Met Your Mother.

Iglesias also played the part of an evil Roman emperor in an ambitious TV commercial for Pepsi, which sponsored his last world tour. He starred alongside Britney Spears, Beyoncé and Pink, who turn the tables on him in the commercial. He's also starred in commercials for Tommy Hilfiger, Doritos and for Viceroy watches.

Personal life

Iglesias started dating tennis player Anna Kournikova in late 2001 (she appeared in his video, "Escape"), and rumors that the couple had secretly married circulated in 2003 and again in 2005. Kournikova herself has consistently refused to directly confirm or deny the status of her personal relationships. But in May 2007, Enrique Iglesias was (mistakenly, as he would clarify later) quoted in the New York Sun that he had no intention of marrying Kournikova and settling down because they had split up. The singer would later deny these rumors of "divorce" or simply separation. In June 2008, Iglesias told the Daily Star that he had married Kournikova the previous year and that they are currently separated.[26] In an interview with Graham Norton in 2010, Kournikova confirmed that she and Iglesias have been together for over eight years but have no plans to marry in the near future. Kournikova and Iglesias have been in a long term on/off relationship for 10 years now.

Discography

Main article: Enrique Iglesias discography

Filmography

Year Film Role Notes
1997 Fools Rush In "Si Tu Te Vas" Soundtrack
1999 Wild Wild West "Bailamos" Soundtrack
Nominated - Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Song from a Movie
2000 Teen Choice Awards: 2002 Himself Host
2001 I Love the New Millennium "Hero" Soundtrack
Smallville: "Craving"
2003 Scrubs: "My Friend the Doctor"
Once Upon a Time in Mexico Lorenzo
2005 Premios Juventud 2005 Himself Host
2006 Zoom "Hero" Soundtrack
2007 America's Next Top Model, Cycle 9: "The Girls Who Crawl" Himself Special guest
Live with Regis and Kelly Co-host
Dancing with the Stars Musical guest
How I Met Your Mother "Gael" TV guest
Two and a Half Men "Fernando"
2008 Step Up 2: The Streets "Push" Soundtrack
Rob & Big: Poop in the Pool "Do You Know?"
Beverly Hills Chihuahua "Hero"
Lady Godiva
2010 Hot Tub Time Machine
Jersey Shore "I Like It"
2011 The X Factor (U.S.) Himself Guest Judge along with Nicole Scherzinger

Awards and nominations

Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Enrique Iglesias
  • He is currently pending for 2 nominations.

See also

Portal icon Latin American music portal

References

  1. ^ "Enrique Iglesias". MTV. http://tv.mtvema.com/artists/enrique-iglesias. Retrieved 2011-09-24. 
  2. ^ According to Universal Music[dead link]
  3. ^ "Top 25 Latin Artists". Billboard Chartbeat. http://www.billboard.com/column/chartbeat/billboard-s-latin-songs-chart-the-beat-of-1005382962.story#/column/chartbeat/top-25-latin-artists-1986-2911-1005382992.story?page=5. Retrieved 2011-04-10. 
  4. ^ "Enrique Iglesias". www.IMDb.com. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005040/. 
  5. ^ "Filipino-Spanish Singer Enrique Iglesias - PinoyMusicChoice | Original Pilipino Music | OPM Hits | Philippines | Tagalog Song | Filipino Pop Culture". PinoyMusicChoice. 2011-08-07. http://www.pinoymusicchoice.com/2011/08/filipino-spanish-singer-enrique.html. Retrieved 2011-12-05. 
  6. ^ "20 International Stars You Didn’t Know Had Filipino Blood | Celebrities". FemaleNetwork.com. http://www.femalenetwork.com/celebrities/20-international-stars-you-didnt-know-had-filipino-blood. Retrieved 2011-12-05. 
  7. ^ Julio Iglesias once claimed to be partially Jewish
  8. ^ Blondy, Brian (2009-09-09). "Julio Iglesias charms in Tel Aviv". Jerusalem Post. http://www.jpost.com/Home/Article.aspx?id=154358. 
  9. ^ Levin, Jordan (1997-11-23). "He Never Sang for His Father". Los Angeles Times. http://articles.latimes.com/1997/nov/23/entertainment/ca-56670. Retrieved 2009-12-02. 
  10. ^ "Enrique kao dijete živio u Beogradu, a sada bi upoznavao Beograđanke – Showbiz – XMag – Index.hr". www.index.hr. http://www.index.hr/xmag/clanak/enrique-kao-dijete-zivio-u-beogradu-a-sada-bi-upoznavao-beogradjanke/434991.aspx. Retrieved 2009-07-21. 
  11. ^ Merrill, Elizabeth (2007-12-02). "In life, and in death, Taylor was a natural mystery". ESPN. http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3135111. Retrieved 2009-12-02. 
  12. ^ "Enrique Iglesias". http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/iglesias_enrique/artist.jhtml#bio. Retrieved October 1, 2009. 
  13. ^ Khatib, Salma (2004-04-23). "Seven Up!". Screen Weekly. http://www.screenindia.com/old/fullstory.php?content_id=7944. Retrieved 2009-12-03. 
  14. ^ "Enrique Iglesias begins his worldwide tour Vivir". Ondanet. 2008-05-31. http://www.ondanet.com/latinos/Enrique.Iglesias/vivir-eng.html. 
  15. ^ "Enrique Sets Billboard Record". Geffen. 2008-05-31. http://www.geffen.com/artist/news/default.aspx/aid/429/pg/32. 
  16. ^ "Iglesias to Star at UEFA Euro 2008". UEFA Euro 2008. 2008-05-22. http://en.euro2008.uefa.com/countries/organisation/marketing/kind=16384/newsid=698320.html#iglesias+star+uefa+euro+2008. 
  17. ^ "Enrique Iglesias to Sing to Soccer Fans". A Socialite's Life. 2008-05-20. http://socialitelife.celebuzz.com/20En08/05/20/enrique_iglesias_to_sing_to_soccer_fans.php. 
  18. ^ "New Song and Greatest Hits!". Enriqueiglesias.com. 2008-09-05. http://www.enriqueiglesias.com/news/default.aspx?nid=16796. 
  19. ^ Levine, Nick (2010-01-15). "Enrique announces new album details". Digitalspy. http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/music/news/a218722/enrique-announces-new-album-details.html. Retrieved 2010-05-10. 
  20. ^ Cuando Me Enamoro top the Latin Songs Billboard Retrieved 2010-06-02
  21. ^ "Enrique – U.S Chart History". Billboard. http://www.billboard.com/#/artist/enrique-iglesias/chart-history/142376?f=372&g=Singles. Retrieved 2010-05-10. 
  22. ^ Music – News – Katy Perry regains US singles chart lead. Digital Spy (2011-01-07). Retrieved on 2011-03-24.
  23. ^ Enrique Iglesias Scores First Pop Songs No. 1 – Chart Beat. Billboard.com. Retrieved on 2011-03-24.
  24. ^ [1][dead link]
  25. ^ Chart Beat: Best Of 2010: Part 3 – Chart Beat. Billboard.com. Retrieved on 2011-03-24.
  26. ^ "Iglesias: 'Anna and I were married'". Digital Spy. http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/showbiz/a104379/iglesias-anna-and-i-were-married.html. 
  27. ^ "Enrique Iglesias Profile". Celebhistory.com. http://celebhistory.com/enrique-iglesias-biography. Retrieved 2011-12-05. 

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Enrique Iglesias
Enrique Iglesias
English-language studio albums
Enrique  · Escape  · 7  · Insomniac  · Euphoria
Spanish-language studio albums
English-language compilation albums
Spanish-language compilation albums
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Enrique Iglesias singles
Enrique Iglesias
Vivir
Cosas del Amor
Enrique
Escape
Quizás
7
Insomniac
95/08 Éxitos
Greatest Hits
Euphoria
Other Songs
"I Like How It Feels"  · "Naked"  · "I Like (The Remix)"
Other songs

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