music
Enrique Iglesias
Since 1997, Enrique Iglesias has been a one-man ambassador of global culture. His fusion of pop, R&B, Latin and rock rhythms has helped catapult him beyond the limitations of genres, geography and language: making him one of the decade's biggest stars with worldwide sales of over 40 million copies, nine platinum or multi-platinum CDs, 19 #1 Billboard Latin hits (more than any other artist in the chart’s history), and over a half dozen top 10 singles on the Billboard Top 100.
Enrique was born in Madrid, Spain and raised in Miami. He discovered his musical talent early, but he was determined not to coast on the fame of his father, legendary Spanish crooner Julio Iglesias. A then-teenaged Enrique shopped his first demo using the name Enrique Martinez: only reverting to his true surname after signing with a small Mexican label.
Enrique hit the ground running. His eponymous Spanish-language debut sold one million copies, and won a Grammy award, while 1997's 'Vivir' broke into the U.S. Top 40.
In 1999, Iglesias set his sights on a new market with 'Enrique' - his first English-language album. The CD included the mega-hits 'Bailamos', 'Be With You', and 'Could I Have This Kiss Forever', a duet with Whitney Houston. Along with going double-platinum in the US, 'Enrique' achieved gold or platinum status in 32 countries while sold-out world tours established Iglesias as a captivating live performer.
Enrique built upon that success with 2001’s 'Escape', which included the hits 'Hero' and 'Escape', and sold over 10 million copies worldwide. He followed with his fourth Spanish-language album 'Quizás,: making him one of the few artists to score a U.S. multi-platinum English-language album followed by a U.S. multi-platinum Spanish-language album. Enrique’s winning streak continued in 2003 with '7', his aptly titled seventh album which, like 2006’s 'Insomniac', went platinum.
Following 'Enrique Igelsias – Greatest Hits' in 2008, he returned two years later with 'Euphoria'.