For the economist and president of the Inter-American Development Bank, see Enrique V. Iglesias.
Enrique Iglesias (born
May 8,
1975 in
Madrid, Spain) is a
Miami-based Spanish singing sensation and multi-million album seller. Iglesias is the son of the famous Spanish singer
Julio Iglesias and of Spanish-
mestiza Philippine socialite
Isabel Preysler. He is the brother of
Chabeli Iglesias and
Julio José Iglesias.
After the kidnapping of Iglesias' grandfather in Spain, Enrique moved to Miami, in 1985. While in Miami, Enrique enjoyed the luxuries of being the son of a billionaire, but he developed a taste for simpler things, a fact that would later surface in his concerts, where he appeared in plain clothes, including white cotton shirts.
Iglesias first performed while in high school, in the musical Hello Dolly. While attending the University of Miami, he went into an audition with his future manager who was impressed. Using the pseudonym Enrique Martínez they promoted his demos across various record labels. Months later, he was signed by Fonovisa and went to Toronto, Canada to record his first album in total anonymity preparing to release and turn the songs he had written into hits.
Enrique Iglesias
In 1995, he released his first album in Spanish. Titled Enrique Iglesias, a collection of light rock ballads it included mega-hits Si Tu Te Vas, Experiencia Religiosa, and others. His song Por Amarte was included in Televisa's telenovela Marisol, but with a twist: instead of saying por amarte yo moriría (to love YOU, I'd die), it said 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. The album went on to win Enrique a Grammy award for "Best Latin Artist"
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Vivir
In 1997, Iglesias' star continued to rise with the release of Vivir, which put him up in sales with other, English music superstars for that year. The album also included a cover version of the Yazoo song Only You translated into Spanish into "Solo En Ti"
On the back of this success Enrique decided to embark on his first Concert Tour. Insisting on playing large arenas and stadiums, that summer Enrique backed by sidemen for Elton John, Bruce Springsteen, and Billy Joel played to sold out venues all over the world.
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Cosas Del Amor
In 1998 Enrique released his third album Cosas Del Amor. Taking a more mature musical direction the album with the aid of the popular singles Esperanza and Nunca Te Olvidare helped cement his status on the Latin Music Scene.
Enrique did a short tour of smaller venues to accomany the release of the album with one show being televised from Acapulco, Mexico. This was followed by a larger world tour in bigger venues.
The song Nunca Te Olvidare was used as the theme music for a spanish Soap Opera of the same name.
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Enrique
By 1999, Iglesias had begun a successful cross-over career into the English music market. Thanks to other successful crossover acts, most notably that of Ricky Martin Latino artists and music had a great surge in popularity in mainstream music. Iglesias'contribution to Will Smith's Movie "Wild Wild West", Bailamos became a #1 hit. After signing a multi album deal with Interscope he recorded and released his first full English CD, "Enrique". The pop album with some latin and hispanic influences contained a duet with Whitney Houston and a cover of the Bruce Springsteen song Sad Eyes. The album's second single Be With You became his second #1.
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Escape
Enrique followed up in 2001 with the album "Escape". Where most of the latin crossover acts of the previous year experienced some difficulty matching the record sales of the first English album Enrique actualy went on to sell even more. The album's first single, Hero, became a number one hit in many countries around the world. The entire album was co written by Iglesias.
A second edition of the album released internationaly contained a new version of the one of Enrique's favorite tracks, Maybe, as well as a duet with Lionel Richie called To Love A Woman.
Enrique capitalised on the album's success with the 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 which was used to launch MTV Romania with the video for Love To See You Cry being the first shown.
A second leg of the Tour entitled Don't Turn Off The Lights was completed in the Summer of '02 with two sold out two nights in Madison Square Garden, another two in Mexico's National Auditorium and finished with a single show in the Roberte Clemente Coliseum in Puerto Rico.
Quizas
Returning to his mother tongue, Enrique hot on the heels of his biggest selling album in 2002 chose to release a fourth Spanish language album entitled Quizas. 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 with his father.
The album debuted at # 12 on Billboard's Album Chart, the highest placement of a Spanish album on the chart and sold a million copies in a week, making it the fastest selling Spanish album in five years. The three singles released from the album all ended up topping the Latin Chart giving him a total of sixteen #1's on the chart with which he currently holds the record for the most number ones on the 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 song to do that.
The video to the song "Quizas" was the first Spanish video to be added to the selection on MTV's popular show Total Request Live and he performed the song on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno, becoming the first to sing a spanish song on the show opening doors for other artists such as Ricky Martin, Juanes and Jorge Drexler to perform their Spanish material on the show. Enrique included songs from Quizas in his Don't Turn Off The Lights Tour and the album went on to win a Latin Grammy for "Best Pop Vocal Album"
Seven (7)
In 2003 Enrique released his Seventh album which he called Seven, the second album to be entirely co written by Iglesias among its more eighties inspired material it features the song Roamer which he wrote with his friend and long time guitarist Tony Bruno. The CD also contained the song Be Yourself a song about independance, the chorus talks about how his parents didn't 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 which became a dance hit.
With this album he went one of his biggest world tours to countries he'd previously never visited before playing to sold out arenas in Australia, India, Singapore and ended the tour in South Africa
Awards and Achievements
- Enrique Iglesias Platinum.
- Vivir Platinum.
- Cosas Del Amor Gold.
- Enrique Platinum.
- Escape x3 Platinum.
- Quizas x2 Platinum.
1996
- Premio Lo Nuestro: Best Interpretation (Si Tu Te Vas)
- Premio Lo Nuestro: Best Composer (Si Tu Te Vas)
- Premio Lo Nuestro: Best New Artist
- Premios Eres: Best Song
- Premios Eres: Best Video
- Premios Eres: Best Launch
- Ace Award: Vocalist of the Year
- Premio TV Novelas: Best Male Vocalist
- Billboard Award: Album of the Year - New Artist
- World Music Award: Hispanic Artist of the Year
- World Music Award: Revelación of the Year
1997
- Grammy: Best Latin Performer
- ASCAP Award: Si Tu Te Vas
- ASCAP Award: No llores Por Mi
- ASCAP Award: Por Amarte
- Billboard Music Award: Album of the Year (Vivir}
- ACE Award: Performer of the Year
- Billboard Music Award: Artist of the Year
- Radio Music Awards : Best Artist Contemporary Format
1998
- Billboard Award: Best Latin Pop Artist
1999
- American Music Award: American Music Award: Favorite Latin Artist
2001
- World Music Award: Best Selling Pop Male Artist
- World Music Award: Best Selling European Pop Artist
- World Music Award: Best Latin Artist
- American Music Award: Favorite Latin Artist
2002
- Premio Onda: Most successful Spanish artist of the last decade.
- American Music Award: Favorite Latin Artist
2003
- Latin Grammy: Best Male Pop Album (Quizas)
Life and Career
In terms of singular album sales, Enrique has overtaken his father in sales becoming the best selling spanish artist in the world as well as accomplishing and setting a few records of his own. He claims that the day he has kids, if they wish to follow in his footsteps he would naturaly expect them to be better than him.
Enrique has also developed an interest in acting starring alongside Antonio Banderas, Selma Hayek and Johnny Depp in the Robert Rodriguez film "Once Upon A Time In Mexico" in which he played the character gun wielding Lorenzo. He says that he would act again, if given small roles that he could fit in between his musical commitments.
Also Enrique played the part of an evil Roman Emperor in an ambitous Television Commercial for Pepsi who sponsored his last world tour. He starred alongside Britney Spears, Beyonce and Pink who turned the tables on him.
Enrique has been linked to a number of women from former Miss Universe Alicia Machado to teen queen Christina Aguilera. He currently dates Tennis Star and Model Anna Kournikova.
More recently Enrique has been a guest on The Oprah Winfrey Show suprising one of his fans and spending the day with her, not really that suprising to some as Enrique has gotten a reputation of being very down to earth and friendly with fans. In this instance he sang to her a portion of a song which may or may not be on his next album which he is currently in the studio recording.
Discography
- Enrique Iglesias (1995)
- Version en Italiano (1996)
- Canta em Portuguese (1996)
- Vivir (1997)
- Cosas del Amor (1998)
- Remixes (1998)
- Enrique (1999)
- Escape (2001)
- Quizas (2002)
- Seven(7) (2003)
- (note) All albums listed here were released while Enrique was still with the record label that released them. There are several compilation albums such as the 'Best Hits' and 'Greatest Hits' released by Fonovisa after Enrique left them. Listed here are the only "Authorised" Enrique productions.
External Links
Last updated: 08-25-2005 20:36:26
