Enrique Iglesias Biography

Enrique Iglesias is a Spanish singer-songwriter and producer regarded by many as the King of Latin Pop. He is one of the biggest and most successful male Latin artists.

Early Life

The child of Spanish singer Julio Iglesias, Enrique Miguel Iglesias Preysler was born in Madrid, Spain on 8 May 1975. Born into an affluent family, Enrique was mostly raised by his nanny. Not wanting any favors from his family, he borrowed money and recorded a demo cassette.

Career Beginnings and Success

With the help of his father’s ex-publicist, he started off as an unknown artist called Enrique Martínez. Under the label Fonovisa, he released the debut album Enrique Iglesias in 1995. Although non-English, it sold very well, getting gold certification in Portugal in its first week. Por Amarte, No Llores Por Mí, and Trapecista reached the top of the Latin Billboard charts.The Grammy-nominated albumVivir followed in 1997 into the top Latin charts. Iglesias supported the album with a tour along with appearances from music giants like Elton John, Bruce Springsteen, and Billy Joel. The more mature 1998 album, Cosas del Amor would solidify his stance in the Latin music scene. Nonetheless, it also facilitated his entry into the English speaking market.

Debut in the US and Accomplishments

The Wild Wide West movie song Bailamos was revealed as a single and became a hit in the US. Consequently, he was signed to Interscope Records and released his first English album, Enrique. Its single Be With You was Iglesias’ second number 1 entry in North America.  Escape was co-written by Iglesias and was a bigger success that its predecessor with songs like Hero. Quizás, a Spanish album, talked about Enrique’s strained relationship with his father. It won the Latin Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Album in 2003. The 7  project was, again, co-written by Iglesias. He toured the world afterward, being his biggest and most successful tour to date. The contemporary-pop inspired record was released as Insomniac in 2007, followed by a successful Spanish compilation album 95/08 Éxitos in 2008.

Continous Achievements and Relevance

The ninth bilingual album Euphoria was revealed in 2010. It won 3 Billboard awards and received one Latin Grammy nomination. Cuando Me Enamoro became his 25th number 1 Billboard Hot 100 single. His latest hit from album Sex and Love was the single Bailando which spent 41 weeks at number 1 on Billboard’s Hot Latin Song chart. Its YouTube music video was the second highest viewed video of 2014. Enrique changed labels in 2015, from Universal Music to Sony Music. A video from his next single Súbeme La Radio was released worldwide in February 2017.

Photo credit: Daily Mail