Record Label Name:

Interscope Records

Record Label Type:

Major

Genre:

Pop, Latin, Other

Biography:

Enrique Miguel Iglesias Preysler (born on May 8, 1975), better known as Enrique Iglesias, is a Spanish singer-songwriter, model, and actor.

started the musical career with Mexican indie label Fonovisa, which helped turn into one of the most popular artists in Latin America and in the Latino market in the United States, selling more Spanish language albums than any other artist in that period of time.

Before the turn of the millennium made a crossover into the mainstream English language market, signing a unique multi–album deal with Universal Music for an unprecedented $48,000,000, with Universal Music Latino to release Spanish albums and Interscope to release English albums.


Early life

born in Madrid, Spain, the third and final child of Spanish singer Julio Iglesias and Filipina socialite and magazine journalist Isabel Preysler. parents divorced in 1978, and the following year father moved to Miami, Florida to continue with his musical career.

In 1983, Iglesias' grandfather, Dr. Julio Iglesias Puga was kidnapped by the terrorist group ETA. Fearing for his grandchildren's safety, he along with his brother was sent to live with their father in Miami.

In America, lived the life of a typical Miami teen. Though father's career kept him on the road, was raised by the family Nanny. In 1993 he graduated from Gulliver Preparatory School and went on to study Business at the University of Miami.

did not want father to know about the plans for a musical career, and did not want the famous surname to help advance the career. Borrowing money from family nanny recorded a demo tape which consisted of one Spanish song and two English songs. Approaching his father's former publicist Fernan Martinez, the two shopped the demo tape under the stage name 'Enrique Martinez' with the backstory of being an unknown from Guatemala. signed by a then small indie record label called Fonovisa. Dropping out of college he went to Toronto, Ontario for six months to record his first album.

Career

1995–1997 Enrique Iglesias
Main article: Enrique Iglesias

On July 12, 1995, released 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.

the 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.

1997–1998 Vivir
Main article: Vivir

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.

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,



1998–1999 Cosas del Amor
Main article: Cosas del Amor

In 1998, released the third album, Cosas del Amor (Things of Love). Taking a more mature 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.

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.
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 sang the song on the last episode of the series.

1999–2000 Enrique
Main article: Enrique

By 1999, had begun a successful crossover career into the English language 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. 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 and contained a duet with Whitney Houston called "Could I Have This Kiss Forever" and a cover of the Bruce Springsteen song "Sad Eyes". The album's third single, "Be With You", became his second number one.

The final single from the album was the song "You're My #1", re-recorded and released in selected territories as a duet with local acts - Alsou in Russia, Sandy & Junior in Brazil and Valen Hsu in Asia.

2001–2002 Escape
Main article: Escape

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 their first English language albums, 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.

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".

capitalized 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. 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.

2002–2003 Quizás
Main article: Quizás

In 2002, 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 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 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.

The video to the song "Quizás" was the first Spanish language music video to be added to the selection on MTV's popular show Total Request Live. 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. 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.

2003–2004 7
Main article: 7

In 2003, released the seventh album, which called 7, the second to be co-written. 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 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.

With this album, went on his biggest world tour to date. The highly publicised tour started with twelve shows in the United States ending with 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.

2004–2006 Post Seven activities

While recording new material usually forgoes public appearances but during this period he made a number of guest appearances in the media. was a guest on Oprah Winfrey's talk show, surprising one of his fans and spending the day with her. also appeared at the Premios Juventud and was a musical guest on the final broadcast of Diego Maradona's television show in Argentina and few days later performed at a Christmas concert in support of the Special Olympics.

has also attended various promotional events for the Tommy Hilfiger fragrance called True Star Men, which he is endorsing. stars in the commercial for the fragrance itself with the theme song "Ring My Bells" which was a track on his the forthcoming album. also appeared on the season finale of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition singing a song called "Somebody's Me", also from his latest album.
on stage in Israel.

More recently, has also performed live in one-off concerts in Italy, Uruguay and Israel, as well as performing at a festival for MTV in Málaga alongside Paulina Rubio and has completed a series of concerts in the States. The "For the Fans Tour" featured much of his older repertoire as well as new songs in both English and Spanish. appeared on the May 7, 2007 episode of CBS' Two and a Half Men as 'Fernando' the Handyman.

The first single, "Do You Know? (The Ping Pong Song)" from his new album Insomniac released on June 12 was premiered on Ryan Seacrest's radio show on KIIS-FM on Tuesday, April 10, 2007. Enrique performed "Do You Know?" for the first time as well as "Hero" for a live taping of the U.S. series of Dancing with the Stars.

The single "Do You Know? (The Ping Pong Song)" was featured in an episode of Rob and Big where Rob started singing the song in a car wash. This was the first episode of season 3.

2007–2008 Insomniac
Main article: Insomniac

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 with many of the tracks being described as r&b. Among the albums highlights include "Push", a hip-hop-flavored collaboration 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)" became a worldwide hit peaking in the top 10 several countries and reaching #1 in many. The Spanish version of the song entitled "Dimelo" was #1 on Bilboard's Hot Latin Tracks for eleven unconsecutive weeks becoming one of his best performing songs on the chart.

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 with the song peaking high on Billboard's Hot AC and the Spanish version also performing well on the charts. The song was featured on the soap The Young and the Restless and performed the track on the show. In Europe, the second single was "Tired of Being Sorry" which was a success in many countries. Recently has recorded a version of the song with French singer Nâdiya which has reached #1 in France.

On July 4, 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 city of Damascus and in the same week performed on Live Earth. He would also make a second appearance The Royal Variety Performance.

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. Two more dates were added to the UK leg of the tour due to high demand for tickets which included Birmingham NIA and Cardiff CIA. He also performed in Dublin and Belfast at the Odyssey Arena. This concert was filmed for MSN Control Room and was shown on MTV in the UK, Europe and the US. The tour ended with performing at newly opened L.A. Live at the Nokia theatre in LA. A second leg of the tour has taken him throughout Latin America from Mexico to Argentina.

The song "Push" was added to the soundtrack of the movie Step Up 2 the Streets albeit without Li'l Wayne. 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.

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

2008 Spanish Greatest Hits Album: 1 95/08
Main article: Enrique Iglesias: 95/08 Exitos

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 the 18th #1 single on Billbooards Hot Latin Songs. The album debuted at #1 on Billboard's Latin Album Charts and #18 on Billboard's top 200 Album chart. It was the second Spanish Album to debut in the top 20 Billboard's Top 200 Albums (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" is currently charting and has an official remix featuring "Wisin y Yandel". Iglesias included both new songs in his arena 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.

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

performed for the second consecutive year for 40,000 people at the Isle Of MTV 2008 at the Floriana granaries, Malta, on June 25, 2008, with free entrance. It was on this visit, the second as headlined the event the year before, that the mayor of Valletta presented Inrique with honorary citizenship of Malta.

2008 Enrique Iglesias: Greatest Hits

After the success of his Spanish Greatest Hits compilation, 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" ft Sean Garrett and was released to radio on November 11, 2008. And the second single will be a new song called "Takin' Back My Love" with R&B/Pop singer Ciara, will be released to radio in January 2009.[10]

The compilation includes English hit songs such as "Bailamos", "Hero", "Be With You", "Not In Love" and "Escape" which have topped the various Billboard Charts (two of which on 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 "I Miss You" which previously featured on his album Insomniac. The duet will be on the French Edition of the album.

The album debuted at #3 on The Official Uk Album Chart and sold over 80,000 copies in its first 2 weeks alone.

winner for 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. He also won an American Music Award (AMA) for "Favorite Latin Artist of 2008".

2009:

January 17, was named Best International Male Artist at the 2009 NRJ Music Award in France. The same week Iglesias entered in the French top 3 of singles chart with his song "Takin' Back My Love". At February 6, Enrique's latest songs ('Takin' Back My Love) music video was released. It has been announced that will perform at the Meteor Ireland Music Awards in the RDS in Dublin on March 17.



also guest starred as Gael, an Argentinean guitar playing/surfer/massage therapist love interest on the CBS TV show How I Met Your Mother.
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 Doritos and for Viceroy watches.

Public Image

From the beginning of career public image has been that of a heartthrob with a lot of early music videos portrayed as a Boy next door. This image proved instantly popular with fans, after first television performance was mobbed by crowds of young girls with the only way to get out of the studio was to lay on the floor of taxi.

This would become the norm for when promoting music but reached fever pitch In 1999 in support of the Cosas Del Amor album Iglesias visited Chile to perform at Viña del Mar International Song Festival. visit to the country was highly publicised for the Beatlemania-esque reaction it caused, with thousands of young girls packing the streets of the airport.

visit to the festival the following year however would be remembered for much different reasons. When presented with the award called La Gaviota, Iglesias lightly tossed the award into the first few rows of the audience. At first this evoked no visible reaction from the audience but when the presenter expressed offense and demanded that the award be passed back the crowd reacted negatively. The next day the media reacted negatively to what was seen as a slight, at a press conference explained that meant to show that the award was for his fans. Despite continued strong sales in Latin America Iglesias has never been invited back to the Festival and the incident is often brought up when he visits Chile.