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Enrique Iglesias: 1975—: Singer, Songwriter

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Enrique Iglesias catapulted to fame in the 1990s, holding a leading place among a new generation of Spanish-speaking pop stars whose music combines romantic ballads, hot Latin dance rhythms, and American rock influences. The son of globally-famous Latin crooner Julio Iglesias, Enrique Iglesias has charted an independent course to his musical career, breaking into the recording industry by using a pseudonym to dispel any notions of riding on his father's coattails. In the course of his brief career, the Spanish-born, American-reared singer with the husky baritone and smoldering good looks has racked up a Grammy award, broken Latin music sales records, landed a role in a Hollywood movie, and evoked the sort of adulation among female fans once associated with a young Frank Sinatra or a hip-swiveling Elvis Presley.

Enrique Iglesias was born on May 8, 1975, in Madrid, Spain, to Julio Iglesias, the legendary singer, and Isabel Preysler, a Philippine-born journalist. Julio Iglesias, who recorded the classic 1984 duet with Willie Nelson "To All the Girls I've Loved Before" has sold more than 200 million albums worldwide, earning him a place in the Guinness Book of World Records.

When Enrique was four, his parents divorced. For the next five years, Enrique and his older siblings—sister Chabeli and brother Julio Jr., also a singer—lived in Spain with their mother. Then Preysler became concerned that her children were in danger of being kidnapped, so she sent them to Miami to live with their father. Julio, however, was frequently gone on business, leaving the children to the care of the nanny, Elvira Olivares. Enrique later dedicated his first album to Olivares.

Secretly Dreamed of Singing

From the time he was a child, Enrique Iglesias dreamed of being a singer but kept his ambitions a secret from his parents. "I never told them because writing was like my own little diary—it was so private, so personal, " he saidina Rolling Stone interview in 2000 with Jancee Dunn.

As a teenager in Miami, Enrique spent his time jet-skiing, windsurfing, and listening to American rock and pop music. He and his friends found inspiration in the likes of Foreigner, Journey, Dire Straits, John Mellen-camp, Billy Joel, and Bruce Springsteen. While his father attracted hordes of female fans, the teenaged Enrique had trouble getting dates. "In high school I probably got rejected 70 percent of the time, " he told Rolling Stone. " I was too skinny and small. I ended up going to the prom by myself."

Iglesias began writing songs and playing music in a friend's garage but enrolled in the University of Miami to study business administration. In 1994, his sophomore year, he dropped out of college to pursue his musical aspirations, keeping the news a secret from his parents. When Julio reportedly learned of his son's ambitions from an industry insider at a cocktail party, he was displeased. "I told him I was sorry," Iglesias recalled in People Weekly. "I said, 'Look, this is exactly what I've always wanted to do. Just let me do it my way, please.'"

Iglesias contacted Fernan Martinez, a music industry acquaintance, who, upon hearing the young singer perform, urged him to make a demo tape. Iglesias used the pseudonym of Enrique Martinez to keep his identity as Julio's son a secret. For the next few months, Fernan Martinez sent the tape to various labels but was unable to drum up any interest. "I felt bad, you know," Iglesias later recalled in an interview with CD Now, " but at the same time I said, 'Good, if I make it, it will be because of my music and not because of my last name.'"

Finally Fonovisa Records, a small Los Angeles independent known primarily as a regional Mexican imprint, expressed an interest. "The voice was very masculine and different," recalled Guillermo Santiso, Fonovisa's president/CEO in Billboard. Santiso also reportedly liked the enclosed photograph of the handsome singer. Upon being informed of Iglesias's true identity, Santiso signed him to a three-album deal worth __BODY__ million and won financial support from Fonovisa's parent company, Mexican media giant Televisa, for a massive promotional campaign. The first batch of radio spots identified the young singer only as Enrique to keep his identity as Julio's son under wraps. A promotional blitz followed, with Iglesias granting hundreds of interviews in both English and Spanish.

The singer took great pains to distinguish himself from his famous father. "Please do not introduce me as the son of Julio Iglesias," he said in People Weekly. "I'm very proud of my father, but when you read Billboard now, you see Enrique Iglesias." The two appealed to different generations, he later explained in an interview with MTV.

Sold Millions

All the money and hard work paid off. Iglesias's first album—the Spanish-language Enrique Iglesias released in September of 1995—eventually sold almost five million copies worldwide, according to Rock on the Net. The album was certified gold, then platinum. In 1996 Iglesias won the Billboard Award for Album of the Year, New Artist, as well as a World Music Award. In January of 1997, Iglesias released his follow-up album, Vivir (Living), which scored two top 10 singles on the Billboard charts. The following month the young singer won a Grammy for his first album. In January of 1998, according to Rock on the Net, he was nominated for an American Music Award for Favorite Latin Artist but lost out to his father.

Iglesias released his third album, Cosas Del Amor (Things of Love), in 1998. Newsmakers reported that Iglesias was the only artist to simultaneously top the Hot 100 Dance/Club Play, Hot Latin Tracks, and Latin 50 album charts in 1998. In a mere three years, Iglesias had sold more than 17 million Spanish-language albums, more than anyone else during that period, according to allmusic.com. The United States was his biggest market. In January of 1999, Iglesias won an American Music Award for Favorite Latin Artist Performance. That summer, Iglesias scored a pop radio hit with "Bailamos"—translated as "We Dance"—a hypnotic dance song featured in the film Wild, Wild West starring Will Smith. The song hit number onr on the top 40 charts for three weeks in September of 1999. As Iglesias's records topped the charts, many of the studios that had rejected the singer early in his career tried to woo him. BMG and Warner ardently courted Iglesias, but the young artist chose Universal Music Group/Interscope Records instead. In 1999 Igesias left Fonovisa for a six-album with Interscope worth an estimated $44 million, according to Billboard.

In November of 1999 Iglesias released Enrique, his first album in English and his first with Interscope Records. Like many artists with cross-cultural appeal, Iglesias included Spanish-language versions of a few of his songs on the album. Enrique brought the singer's global sales to more than 23 million, according to allmusic.com. Several singles from the album joined "Bailamos" on the charts: "Rhythm Divine,&rrdquo; "Be With You," "Could I Have This Kiss Forever," and "Sad Eyes." Enrique achieved gold or platinum status in an extraordinary 32 countries.

Earned Recognition Through "Latin Explosion"

Like fellow pop stars Ricky Martin and Marc Anthony, Iglesias established himself in the Spanish-language market before releasing his first English-language album. Iglesias and other rising stars appealed to a new generation of Spanish-speaking youth. Many of these young people's parents had grown up listening to Julio Iglesias. "It had gotten to the point in the Latino music market where it wasn't cool for the young kids to listen to it, " Iglesias told Richard Harrington of Newsday. "We had a lot of great singers, but they were in their 40s and 50s. Suddenly you start getting a bunch of young Latino singers, and then the young listeners started getting into it." In an interview with MTV, he added, " I'd be in an American restaurant and suddenly the people that did the valet parking, the people in the kitchen, who were Spanish or Mexican or Puerto Rican would be like, 'Can I have your autograph? ' All the Americans would be like, 'Who the hell is that?'"

Then, in 1999, the commercial breakthrough year for Latin music, Iglesias and other Spanish-speaking artists soared to the top of the pop charts, prompting some observers to speak of a "Latin Explosion." Iglesias, however, disliked the term. "I'm proud of who I am and where I come from," he said in an interview with MTV. "The only word I don't like there is 'explosion,' because when there is an explosion it's not bound to last too long. I think it all comes down to the artist and the song"

The young pop star also disliked the term "crossover," widely used to describe Spanish-speaking singers who moved into the English-language market. "'Crossover' ….what does it mean?" he mused to Mercedes Garcia-Aguilar of CD Now. "I grew up listening to English pop and rock, and I feel comfortable singing in the English language."

Although sometimes compared to fellow Latin pop star Ricky Martin, Iglesias has become recognized for certain qualities of his own, including a "raspy baritone, " flamenco dance rhythms, and ballads bearing the influence of American rock bands such as Journey and Foreigner. One of those ballads, "Hero," was written as a love song but acquired special significance in the wake of the September 11th terrorist attacks. "I'm nothing like him!" Iglesias said about Ricky Martin in a Sun Newspaper Online chat posted on Abstracts.net in January of 2002. "Come on, 'Hero'? 'Hero' and the rest of my music is very different to anything by Ricky Martin."

Iglesias considered himself a pop singer who sometimes sang in Spanish rather than a " Latin singer." Latin music, he said, encompassed a variety of styles—salsa, flamenco, and meringue, among them. While some observers distinguished Iglesias's style from Ricky Martin's adrenaline-charged dance pop and Marc Anthony's salsa rhythms, others saw them as one group of Latin musicians. In an interview with CD Now, Iglesias said that grouping the three artists together—Marc Anthony and Ricky Martin, both from Puerto Rico, and himself from Spain—was like "saying there's three guys from Ohio who are singers, and they start doing well; is that an Ohio music trend?"

Dubbed Sexiest Man Alive

Like his father, Iglesias attracted throngs of adoring female fans. "He has the same appeal his father has, but to a younger audience," Tony Campos, an executive with Miami's radio station WAMR, said in People Weekly. "He stands onstage, and the girls go crazy."

The Spanish language edition of People Weekly dubbed Enrique Iglesias the "Sexiest Man Alive" in 1998. Two years later, Vogue awarded him its "Most Fashionable Artist, Male" award as a result of "his innate coolness rather than any interest in being a clotheshorse." Although repeatedly described as a "heartthrob, " the singer, himself, has eschewed the ethnic stereotyping of the "Latin lover" label. "The word 'lover' I just think is corny, " Iglesias told rolling-stone.com.

Still, female fans clearly viewed him as a pop idol, showering him with roses, stuffed animals, jewelry, cologne, and phone numbers. During one promotional appearance in Toronto mentioned in enriqueonline.com, a teenaged girl bit a security guard's hand. In the United States, fans reportedly mobbed the singer during a Tonight Show taping. "They actually can pull very hard, " he told Rolling Stone. "One pulls one way, the other pulls another way, another pulls the other way. " But Iglesias, who repeatedly described his female fans as "great" seemed unfazed. When asked by Rolling Stone if he ever got frightened, he replied, "Nah. Give me a break. What are they gonna do?"

Rumors Persisted

Despite his spectacular popularity, Iglesias faced continuing rumors and controversies. Reporters continually asked about Iglesias's relationship with his father, sometimes implying friction between the two men. In addition, some observers questioned the extent of Iglesias's talent.

In June of 2000 radio show host Howard Stern, whose controversial style has earned him the epithet of "shock jock," suggested on the air that Iglesias could not sing after listening to a tape of Iglesias singing off-key. Although Iglesias said that he was probably just fooling around, he nevertheless booked himself on the Howard Stern's show to dispel the rumors.

On the show, Iglesias performed acoustic versions of two songs, "Rhythm Divine" and "Be With You, " prompting everyone in the studio to applaud, according to the transcript posted on enrique-online.com. The singer also responded to questions from the host about his relationship with his father, describing it as one of "healthy competition" rather than rancor. At the end of Iglesias's performance, Stern declared, "You can sing."

"Hero" Soothed Terrified Nation

Iglesias's second English-language album, Escape, released in September of 2001, marked a musical departure from his earlier work. Escape featured more of an American arena-rock influence, showing the singer's affection for ballads by such 1980s groups as Journey and Foreigner. "This is the album that is the most like me," he said, describing Escape on his official website.

In a move unusual by industry standards, Iglesias decided to release a ballad, "Hero," rather than an up-tempo song as the first single from Escape. "Hero," which was written as a love song, hit the airwaves in September of 2001, captured the imagination of a nation grappling with the terrorist attacks of September 11th. In response to the September 11th tragedy, some radio stations reportedly played "Hero," with news clips and excerpts of a speech by President George W. Bush's talking over it. "It kinda bothered me a little bit in the beginning because I never gave permission, and that wasn't the meaning of the song," Iglesias told Gary Graff of CD Now. "And then I came to think, 'You know what? It's a love song. It's a song about helping the one you love. It's completely logical at a time like this. ' " On September 21, 2001 Iglesias performed "Hero," on America: A Tribute to Heroes, a two-hour star-studded telecast to raise money for the United Way's September 11 fund.

Critics, however, gave both "Hero," and Escape mixed reviews. " Nothing here is even irritatingly catchy like his breakthrough hit, ' Bailamos,' said a review in People Weekly. "Such up-tempo Latin-lite numbers as the title tune, 'Love to See You Cry, ' and 'I Will Survive' (no relation to the disco chestnut) are as bland as white bread. The whimpering ballad 'Hero' only magnifies his trembly vocals." A critic for Knight/Ridder/Tribune News Service was similarly negative, criticizing Iglesias for "those little cries he omits at the end of a line" to convey emotion. Nevertheless, Iglesias's popularity remained strong. He had the clout to attract such high-profile actresses as Jennifer Love Hewitt and Shannon Elizabeth and tennis star Anna Kournikova to roles in his music videos. In January of 2002, Iglesias won an American Music Award for Favorite Latin Artist.

Landed Role in Film

Iglesias also had the star power to land a role in the 2002 movie Once Upon a Time in Mexico, the third installment in Robert Rodriguez's story of El Mariachi, a wandering guitar playing vigilante, starring Antonio Banderas. In the movie, Iglesias plays one of three mariachis involved in a plot to rescue the president of Mexico.

Iglesias spoke to MTV about deciding to take the role, "I loved his [Robert Rodriguez's] movies and I'm not an actor, but he said, 'you don't have to be an actor. You can do it, '" Iglesias recalled. "I said, 'It can't be that hard to pick up a couple of guns and shoot.' "

Music, however, remained his primary passion. "Music is an addiction, " he told Vogue in 2000. "I'm so addicted that I keep on doing it." When Rolling Stone's Jancee Dunn asked Iglesias what he did to relax, he said, "Sleep." He toured tirelessly, often appearing in a different city daily. During one concert tour, a rotating crane reportedly carried Iglesias in a circular motion 40 feet above the crowd. The Latin pop star set lofty goals for himself. In January of 1996, Iglesias told the New York Times Magazine, "My dream is for my music to be heard in every corner of the world. I'd like to be in an elevator in Hong Kong and hear my songs." Six years later, after performing in countries around the world, he told the Sun in an online chat posted on Abstracts.net: "Right now I haven't even reached the climax of my musical career, so I still have a long way to go. I still feel like I have a lot of music in me that I want to do."

Selected discography

Enrique Iglesias, Fonovisa, 1995.

Vivir, Fonovisa, 1997.

Cosas Del Amor, Fonovisa, 1998.

Bailamos (includes "Bailamos"), Fonovisa,1999.

Best Hits, Enrique Iglesias, Fonovisa, 1999.

Enrique(includes "Bailamos," "Be With You," "Rhythm Divine," "Could I Have This Kiss Forever," and "Sad Eyes"), Interscope, 1999.

Escape (includes "Hero", "Escape"), Interscope 2001.

Sources

Books

Current Biography Yearbook, H.W. Wilson Co., 1999, p. 282-283.

Newsmakers 2000, Issue 1, Gale Group, 2001.

Periodicals

Billboard, July 19, 1997, p. 1 October 30, 2001, p. 4.

Knight-Ridder/Tribune News Service, June 2, 2001, p. K1432, Oct. 30, 2001, p. K6736.

New York Times MagazineJanuary 21, 1996, p. 14

NewsdayMarch 15, 1999, p. B6.

People Weekly, April 22, 1996, p. 144 May 11, 1998, p. 141 Nov. 5, 2001, p. 43+, p.

RollingStone, February 3, 2000, p. 28

South Florida Sun SentinelFebruary 22, 2002, "Showtime" p. 36

Vogue November 2000, p. 226

On-line

Abstracts.net, http://abstracts.net

AMG All Music Guide, http://allmusic.com

Biography Resource Center, http://galenet.galegroup.com

CDNow, http://cdnow.com

Enrique Iglesias, Official Website, http://enriqueiglesias.com

Enrique-Online.com, http://silverwing.net/enrique/press/

MTV.com, http://www.mtv.com

Rock on the Net, http://www.rockonthenet.com

RollingStone.com, http://www.rollingstone.com

—Joan Axelrod-Contrada