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Enrique Iglesias Career
Enrique Iglesias first performed while in high school, in the musical Hello Dolly. While attending the University of Miami, he was auditioned by his future manager, who was impressed. Using the pseudonym Enrique Martínez, the two promoted his demos across various record labels. Months later, Iglesias was signed by Fonovisa and went to Toronto to record his first album in total anonymity.
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 as Best Latin Artist.
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.
Iglesias has collaborated with songwriter Guy Chambers to write "Un Nuovo Giorno", the lead single from Andrea Boccelli's first pop album. The song was later translated into English as "First Day Of My Life" and recorded by Mel C. Four songs co-written by Iglesias will apear on the UK group The Hollies upcoming album. Many times Iglesias has said that should he ever retire that he wants to write and produce songs for other artists.
Iglesias has 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 gun-wielding Lorenzo. 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, Beyonce and Pink, who turn the tables on him in the commercial.
In June of 2000 radio personality Howard Stern received a tape of a supposedly off-key Iglesias singing along to the track "Rhythm Divine". Stern played this humorous clip throughout the week on his radio show insinuating that Iglesias lipsynched and couldn't sing well outside the studio, even suggesting that Iglesias himself did not sing on his albums, comparing him to Milli Vanilli. Iglesias flew straight in to New York to appear on Stern's show, signing acoustic versions of "Rhythm Divine" and "Be With You", after which Stern told Iglesias he had silenced his critics. Iglesias would go on to say that controversy and his appearance on the show was the best promotion he could have.
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| Enrique Iglesias Career |
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