Posted July 9, 200717 yr http://imagecache2.allposters.com/images/pic/151/AA878~Enrique-Iglesias-Posters.jpg Enrique Miguel Iglesias Preysler (born May 8, 1975, in Madrid, Spain) is a Grammy Award and Latin Grammy Award-winning Spanish-born, Miami-based singer and is of European and Asian ancestry. Iglesias is the son of the famous Spanish singer Julio Iglesias and the Filipino-mestizo, Filipina socialite Isabel Preysler. Iglesias's career started on Indie label Fonovisa who helped turn him into one of the most popular artists in Latin America and in the Latin market in the United States selling more Spanish albums than any other artists in that period of time. Before the turn of the millennium made a crossover into the mainstream English market and signed a unique multi-album deal with Universal Music for an unprecedented $48,000,000 with Universal Music Latino to release his Spanish albums and Interscope to release English albums. Iglesias has had five Billboard Chart #1s singles in English and holds the record for most ever Spanish language #1s on Billboard's Hot Latin Tracks with Seventeen. He is also the best selling Latin act in the United Kingdom as well the Best Selling International Artist in India Iglesias' album sales currently total over forty million, making him one of the best-selling Spanish music artists in the world. Iglesias has yet to overtake his father's great sales figures, but has outsold Julio in single-album sales, arguably justifying the label his record company gave him as 'best selling Spanish artist in the world'. He is the best-selling Spanish language artist of the last decade. Iglesias has said that if he has children and they wish to follow in his footsteps, he would naturally expect them also to be better than he is. Early life Iglesias was born in Madrid, Spain. His parents were divorced when he was three. After the widely publicized kidnapping of his grandfather Julio Iglesias, Sr. in Spain by Basque ETA (he would be found two weeks later, unharmed), Iglesias moved to Miami, Florida in 1983, at the age of 8, to live with his father. However his father was rarely at home and Iglesias was raised by his nanny, Elvira Olivares. He used to visit Spain every summer to see his mother. While in Miami, Iglesias enjoyed the luxury of being the son of a millionaire, but later 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, and jeans. Iglesias first performed in show business while attending high school when he performed in the musical Hello, Dolly!. He would soon start writing his own songs. While attending the University of Miami studying Business Administation Iglesias chose to pursue a music career but lacked the funds to record a demo tape. Choosing to keep his ambitions secret from his family he received a loan of $2000 from his Nanny Olivares. He was auditioned by his future manager, Fernan Martinez who was impressed. Using the pseudonym 'Enrique Martínez', the two promoted his demo across various record labels. Months later, Iglesias was signed up by Fonovisa, and then he went to Toronto, Canada, to record his first album in total anonymity. Choosing to downplay his lineage the first batch of radio spots identified the young singer only as "Enrique". He would however release his self titled album under his full name. Album releases Enrique Iglesias http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/90/Enriqueig.JPG/180px-Enriqueig.JPG In 1995, he released his first album in Spanish. Titled Enrique Iglesias, this was 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 daria 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. Vivir http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/b/bd/Vivir.JPG/180px-Vivir.JPG 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 playing large arenas and 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 and two at the Estadio River Plate in Argentina to over a hundred and thirty thousand people as well as nineteen arenas in the U.S. The tour is considered by many to be the biggest tour by a non-English speaking act of that time. Three singles released from Vivir, "Enamorado por Primera Vez", "Solo en Tí" 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 this time, but did perform the song "Lluvia Cae" at the event. Cosas del Amor http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/6/60/Cosas.JPG/180px-Cosas.JPG He won an american music award in the category of favourite Latin Artist againts Ricki Martin and Los Tigres Del Norte. In 1998, Iglesias released his 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. 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 Favourite 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. Enrique http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/a/a3/Enrique.JPG/180px-Enrique.JPG 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, 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 single. 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 second 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. Escape http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/a/a2/Escape.jpg/180px-Escape.jpg Iglesias 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, 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 track, "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. Quizás http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/c/c1/Quizas.jpg/180px-Quizas.jpg Returning to his native language, and hot on the heels of his biggest-selling album, 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 five years. The three singles released from the album all ended up topping the Latin chart, giving Iglesias a total of sixteen 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. 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. 7 http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/1/12/Enriqueseven.JPG/180px-Enriqueseven.JPG In 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 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. The latter became a dance hit, but the album was considered to be a commercial failure in the United States, not even selling a fraction of his previous, highly-successful English album Escape. With this album, Iglesias went on his biggest world tour to date. The highly publicised tour started with twelve shows in the United States 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. Post Seven Activities Between albums, Iglesias usually forgoes public appearances, but more recently he has made a number of appearances in the media. He has been a guest on Oprah Winfrey's talk show, surprising one of his fans and spending the day with her. He also appeared at the Premios Juventud and was a musical guest on the final broadcast of Diego Maradona's television show in Argentina. Iglesias has also attended various promotional events for the Tommy Hilfiger fragrance called True Star Men, which he is endorsing. Enrique stars in the commercial for the fragrance itself with the theme song "Ring My Bell" which is a track on his latest album. Iglesias has also appeared on the season finale of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition singing a song called "Somebody's Me", also from his latest album. More recently, Iglesias has also performed live in one-off concerts in Italy, Uruguay and Israel, as well as performing at a festival for MTV in Malaga alongside Paulina Rubio and has completed a series of concerts in the States. The "For the Fans Tour" featured much of his older repetoir as well as new songs in both English and Spanish. Iglesias 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 Insomiac released on June 12th was premiered on Ryan Seacrest's radio show on KIIS-FM on Tuesday, April 10th. He also played at the German leg of Live Earth in Hamburg. On May 15, 2007, Enrique performed "Do You Know?" as well as "Hero" for a live taping of the U.S. series of Dancing with the Stars. Insomniac http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/7/72/Enriqueinsomniac.jpg/180px-Enriqueinsomniac.jpg Iglesias released his new album Insomniac on June 12, 2007. The first single is "Do You Know? (The Ping Pong Song)". Airplay for the song is picking up as it has been recently added to Z100's playlist. It reached #2 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart (the Bubbling Under chart is generally seen as an extension of the Billboard Hot 100) before making its 'Hot Shot' debut on the official singles chart at #33, and the song also made a 48-position leap jump from #49 to #1 on the Hot Latin Tracks. Some of the record's highlights include "Push", a hip-hop-flavored collaboration with rapper Lil' Wayne, as well as "Ring My Bell", a moody track that Enrique wrote in Los Angeles together with two of his favorite songwriting partners, Swedish composer Kristian Lundin as well as Savan Kotecha. The album also contains a cover of Ringside's "Tired of Being Sorry". Enrique Iglesias fully launched his Insomniac promo tour in Los Angeles with a signing at the Virgin Megastore. On June 18th, 2007, Enrique confirmed on MIX 96's Mark Bergman show (CJFM), that "Somebody's Me" will be the next single released from the album. In other interviews, Iglesias has claimed that "Push" will be the next single from Insomniac. 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 former 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 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 a cameo role in the TV comedy Two and a Half Men, starring Charlie Sheen. He says that he would act again if given small roles that he could fit in between his musical commitments. 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 P!nk, who turn the tables on him in the commercial.
July 31, 200717 yr You would think that Enrique Iglesias has nothing left to prove. After all, the Madrid-born, Miami-raised singer has sold 40 million albums in little over a decade, becoming one of the most successful artists in the history of popular music. Then again, Enrique is not your average pop star. Consider this: the singer has spent the past three years crafting his latest album. Three years of non-stop traveling, writing, recording, pressing the 'delete' button, only to begin all over again until he's 100% sure that his vision is perfectly realized. Now, it finally has. Entitled "Insomniac," a humorous nod to Enrique's sleepless nights and obsessive artistic persona, the record is clearly the most ambitious project of his phenomenal career. "When I started this process, I wasn't really sure of the specific sound that I was looking for," Enrique says over breakfast at a posh hotel in Beverly Hills. "What I did know was that I wanted to have a respectable repertoire of songs to begin with. On my previous records, I would always start with a dozen ideas. This time, I wrote between 40 and 50 new tunes." Enrique also spent a long time pondering the specific qualities of the project's sound. Should it be seeped in hip-hop and electronic beats-- a prerequisite for commercial success in the new millennium? "I guess at first I did want to consciously make a record that had a cool sound to it," he says candidly. "But then I said to myself: 'f*** that. I don't want to take myself too seriously.' The truth is, I just want to write songs that I like. It's as simple as that.” Thus began the three year journey with stops in Miami, Los Angeles and Sweden, as well as the contribution of renowned producers such as Sean Garret, Max Martin, Kristian Lundin, Mark Taylor & Paul Barry, and Anders Bagge. "When I make a record, I work at night," says Enrique. "So basically I've spent three years working at night and sleeping during the day. I've been hyperactive all my life. The word insomniac was the first that came to mind when I was trying to come up with a suitable title for the album." Some of the record's highlights include "Push," a hip-hop flavored collaboration with rapper Lil' Wayne, as well as "Ring My Bell," a moody track that Enrique wrote in Los Angeles together with two of his favorite songwriting partners, Swedish composer Kristian Lundin (Savan Kotecha also collaborated on the track). "Do you know those moments in life when you stumble a little, and you accidentally discover something that changes you?," asks Enrique in his typically casual, unpretentious demeanor. "That's exactly what happened to me with 'Ring My Bell.' It wasn't a dramatic change, but the feeling of that song changed my opinion of what the album should be all about." "The recording of 'Push' was very similar that way," he continues. "I had experimented with the stylistic innovations of hip-hop before, but I had never felt really comfortable with it. This time, it was a completely different experience. In fact, there's not a song in the entire album where I'm trying to be someone that I'm not." As Enrique continued on his personal search of songwriting discovery and recording experimentation, "Insomniac" underwent a metamorphosis. "If you listened to the album two years ago, it has nothing to do with what it is today," he says. In its final incarnation, "Insomniac" contains twelve songs in English and three in Spanish. There is an additional 20 tracks that were recorded during those lengthy sessions, but ultimately abandoned when they didn't meet Enrique's strict standards for the album. "I could have made a second album if I wanted to," he explains. "But I don't think those songs will ever see the light of day." He adds: "If they're called b-sides, then they shouldn't be on an album." Born in 1975, Enrique led the life of a typical teen while growing up in Miami. He started writing and recording songs without telling his parents about it. In fact, he shopped his first demo posing as a Central American unknown named Enrique Martínez. Only after landing a record contract with regional Mexican label Fonovisa, did Enrique decide to use his real name. Recorded in Spanish, his self-titled debut sold more than a million copies in the first three months after it was released (to this day, it has sold over seven million). His second effort, 1997's "Vivir," broke into the U.S. Top 40 and was promoted with the first of many lavishly produced world tours. Within three years, Enrique became the biggest-selling Spanish-language singer in the world. He has enjoyed 16 #1 Billboard Latin hits, more than any other artist in history. Enrique was now ready to expand his audience beyond the Latin market. Released in 1999, "Enrique" was his first English album, and the first one recorded for Interscope. It included the mega-hits "Bailamos" (We Dance), "Rhythm Divine," "Be With You," and "Could I Have This Kiss Forever," a duet with Whitney Houston. In the U.S., the platinum album was certified double, and Enrique was seen by millions during the 2000 Super Bowl halftime show. "Enrique" achieved gold or platinum status in 32 countries. The singer would eventually become the best selling international artist of all time in India. Then came "Escape,” which included the hits "Hero" and "Escapar," and cemented Enrique's superstar status in Europe by selling 10 million copies. Both the album and single of the same name were simultaneously the #1 album and single in the U.K. Entitled "Quizás," Enrique's fourth Spanish-language album established him as one of the few recording artists ever to score a U.S. multiplatinum English-language album ("Escape") followed by a U.S. multiplatinum Spanish-language album ("Quizas"). Enrique's success continued in 2003 with his aptly titled seventh album "7," setting the stage for the artistic odyssey that culminates now with the release of "Insomniac." "I've never suffered so much making an album," says Enrique with a laugh. "It was a journey of soul searching and self discovery for me." "I'm not gonna claim as we all artist do with a new album that this is my best album ever, or the one with the best production or the best songs," he concludes. "One thing is for sure, though. I gave myself completely into the making of this one record -- heart and soul."
August 1, 200717 yr thanks for postin but i wish it was more about how he's career started upo until this point but im glad enrique didwhat felt right for his new album.
August 1, 200717 yr ^^ I'm in the process of typing up a biography from his childhood. Most of it will be from wikipedia, but I'm typing it up in my own words. Should be posted in the next three or four days :D
September 14, 200717 yr OMG....Thanks so much for puttin this up, real interestin read- i knew alot of it but easy to take for granted how successful hes been! When I was readin this it reminded of anotha artist I've recently gotten in2 called Shayan Italia (musically hes been compared to Enrique) and from readin that biog I can see that so too were elements of their backgrounds (which is prob why they've been inspired to write similar music). The first similarity that immediately jumped out at me was Enrique's comments abt something in life changing him and inspitring him to write 'Ring My Bell'. Well Shayan only found the gift of song and penned over 100 tracks after both his parents died within a year of each other!! Shayan is of Zoroastrian faith and comes from the same part of India as Freddie Mercury, due to his Indian origins he, like Enrique has a very strong and loyal fan base there. The 'Insomniac' title made me laugh too....as the info I read about Shayan noted that hes a complete adrenalin Junkie, totally success driven like our Enrique and so has trouble sleepin! Hes had massive success with a world tour and support act for G4, hes got an album out in November, but you can check him out here: http://myspace.com/shayanitalia I prob havnt done his biog justice....but check it out for yourself, so many similarities its freaky!! :) Edited September 14, 200717 yr by lolly
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