The Steps Enrique Iglesias Took To Become The World's Top Latino Pop Star
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The tale of how Enrique Iglesias, a Latino boy, became a heartthrob pop star is nothing short of awe-inspiring. When Enrique I rose to fame in the mid-90s as a singer, fans drooled over his electric stage presence. For more than a decade, there were hardly any competitors who could compete with his charm. Moreover, Iglesias is a versatile artist who also has other skills such as acting and modeling. He has also earned recognition as a brilliant songwriter and later as a famous record producer. The story of his long-lasting, prosperous music career is motivational for many aspiring artists.
Here is how Enrique Iglesias became the top Latino pop star and won the hearts of millions all over the globe.
His Early Life
Enrique was born Enrique Miguel Iglesias Preysler in Madrid, Spain, on May 8, 1975. His mother, Isabel Preysler, was a Filipina socialite and magazine journalist, and his father, Julio Iglesias, was a Spanish singer. Although Enrique was the third and youngest child of the family and grew up with his older siblings, Chábeli and Julio Jr., He had a whole lot of artistic inspiration from his bloodline.
His father was one of the most well-known and commercially successful continental European singers. Moreover, his mother's aunt was actress Neile Adams who was once married to renowned actor Steve McQueen. Enrique grew up initially under his mother's care, but later, he and his sibling were sent to live with his father in Miami. The family nanny Elvira Olivares became his primary caregiver as his father's profession compelled him to remain mostly on trips. He did his schooling at the well-known Gulliver Preparatory School and later took up a degree in business from the University of Miami.
Although Enrique's Father was a famous singer, he was not very attached to his dad. In the long run, Enrique did not want his father's famous surname to help him land work in the music industry; instead, he wanted to make it big in life with his own talent. As such, he had to drop out of college to focus on his job prospects and ended up borrowing money from his nanny for his demo tape.
Getting Launched Into The Music Industry
Initially, Enrique used Enrique Martinez as his stage name because he did not want his audience to know about his relationship with his father, who was also a famous singer. When he traveled to Toronto to record his first album, people knew that he was Enrique Martinez, a singer based in Guatemala.
But on July 12, 1995, the first album of Enrique got realized under his original name Enrique Iglesias. The first three of his albums were released by the Mexican record label Fonovisa. The first album was a collection of rock ballads that became a commercial success by selling over half a million copies within the first week of its release. It was also certified gold in Portugal, and within three months, the sales had crossed a million copies.
Singles from this album like Por Amarte, No Llores Por Mí, and Trapecista topped the Latin Billboard Charts. Overall his first album became one of his biggest breaks as this kind of fame was unprecedented for an album that was not in English. It was no wonder it won him the Grammy Award for Best Latin Pop Performance.
Making it Big As An International Music Artist
With his very first album, Enrique took the world by storm. His second album came out in 1997 and was called Vivir or To Live. This launched him officially in the American mainstream music industry as he got nominated for the American Music Award for a favorite Latino artist. Things got tense when he lost the award to his father.
His third album came out in 1998, and it was called Cosa del Amor, which translates as Things Of Love. This album sealed his position as one of the most talented Latin music artists. But the next breakthrough came the following year when Enrique recorded an entire album on CD in English with Latino pop references. It became particularly well known for the single Could I Have This Kiss Forever, which was his duet performance with Whitney Houston.
In 2000, his performance at the Superbowl alongside Christina Aguilera and Phil Collins became quite hyped. The following year Enrique released Escape - his second English album and his biggest success to date, featuring the famous single Hero. But in 2002, the singer decided to revert to Latino and released Quizás, which translated a Perhaps and made it to #12 on the Billboard 200 albums chart.
Enrique's seventh album was quite self-explanatory as he named it 7, and he came up with another masterpiece called Insomniac in 2007, after a brief hiatus. The following year he came up with yet another blockbuster called 95/08 Éxitos. This was the period when he renewed the love of fans by releasing the compilation of his superhits songs. His latest releases would include 22010'sEuphoria and 22014's Sex and Love.
The 46-year-old singer is currently worth over a mind-blowing $100 million. His acting career includes making guest appearances in TV shows like How I Met Your Mother and Two and a Half Men. he currently lives a lavish life with his partner Anna Kournikova and their kids in Miami.
Source: Celebrity Net Worth, Aceshowbiz, Udiscovermusic, Billboard
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