Julio Iglesias: The Quixote of the American Dream February 13, 2009

Artculo
Julio Iglesias: The Quixote of the American Dream

February 13, 2009
With 300 million albums sold in 14 languages, Julio Iglesias has shown that his music is universal, and that he has the power to melt hearts.

This week the image of the idol who sings songs of love is highlighted on billboards on Miami’s main thoroughfares, he’s the star of the moment on radio and television, and a huge banner with his picture decorates the American Airlines Arena facade.

“Miami was the first city to listen to me (in the United States), and it took me in with a lot of affection. I feel privileged to have received so much, and I’m very grateful,” the singer expressed during an phone interview with the Daily Las Américas, while he prepared for his concert this Saturday, Valentine’s Day at 8 p.m.
For a night dedicated to romance and lovers, the singer says he will include the audience’s favorite songs. From “Hey!”, to “De niña a mujer”, “Vuela alto”, “Manuela”, “Divorcio”, “Un canto a Galicia”, “Abrázame”, “Me olvidé de vivir”, “Quijote” and “I Want To Know What Love Is”, for sure these favorites will be on the menu come the night of the concert.

For many, it’ll be a night of reunion with love and with the singer who for three generations has managed to stay in first place, with his concerts packed.

Without a doubt, Iglesias is among those who believe in the American Dream. He was well known in Europe, but was a new face in the United States when he arrived in Miami, knocking on doors at a time when Spanish radio had scarcely begun to take off in any great way. With his great vision, the Spanish singer had an intuition that things would change.

He began by renting a small apartment on the beach. But it wasn’t long before he decided to buy a house on the water in exclusive Indian Creek. The house, which he bought for about a million and a half dollars, today is worth around $27 million, and like his career, all that surrounds him seems to have been touched by the magic wand of a wizard.

“If I knew what magic wand it could be, because I only know of one magic wand that I’ve been told I have… and that the press is always exaggerating”, he said jokingly, evading the topic of his skills in the world of business.

But the Columbian producer Fernan Martinez, who was his publicist for ten years and his manager for two, says that “everything that Julio does in his life ends up being multiplied by thousands.” and adds by defining his formula for success:

“It’s his style, personality,the unique melody of his voice, intelligence,charm, his image… It is he who paved the way for all the Latin artists in the United States. He’s been doing for 30 years what everyone wants to do now”, stated Martínez.

He adds that, when it concerns the heroic feat of breaking into the North American market, Julio is number one.

“Julio has gone where nobody else has been able to; he has sung with Frank Sinatra, with Willie Nelson, with Diana Ross, with Dolly Parton, with Stevie Wonder, with Sting, and with the Beach Boys. He is the only artist who talks with heads of state, princes and kings. He has sung in the White House and in front of the Pyramids. They know him in any country in the world. Until now, there wasn’t any artist who’s been able to do the same,” adds Martinez.

His fans remain faithful throughout the years. In Miami, Remedios Diaz Oliver, one of the best known Hispanic businesswomen in the country, has followed his career since the beginning.

“I was at his first concert in Miami, and I’ll be at his Valentine’s day concert in the Miami Arena with a group of friends. My husband Fausto and I have been big fans of Julio since the beginning. We’ve gone to New York to see him, and also to Spain and Puerto Rico. With my kids and grandkids we are three generations of Julio fans”.

Music came to the singer’s life in an unexpected way, at 20 years of age, when he was playing football for Real Madrid as a goalkeeper and he was in a car accident, which left him for three years in a wheel-chair. To improve the movement in his hands, they gave him a guitar with which he began to write songs. With one of those songs, “La vida sigue igual”, he won the Benidorm Song Festival in 1968. His career had taken off.

Journalists admire him for his work ethic, for fulfilling his obligations, and for his modesty. “He is the only artist down through the years who not only recognizes you, but remembers the things that interest you, and also remembers your children,” said one reporter.

Among those who have succeeded in cementing a friendship with the singer through the years is the television presenter Mauricio Zeilic, who emphasizes the human side of the Spanish idol.

“Julio is a friend to his friends, in good times and in bad times.”Moreover, having that world-famous stature as a singer, he keeps being a noble person, who manages to convey a humbleness which he hasn’t lost and that you can’t find in people that have achieved so much in life. Furthermore, Julio has never forgotten the simple things in life. I dare say that he’s somebody who has great respect for life”, explained Zeilic.

With a fortune that exceeds hundreds of millions of dollars, Paul McCartney is the only singer thought to have a larger fortune. He has houses in Miami, the Dominican Republic and in Spain, and two private jets (he will take delivery of the second one in March), but he states that “he’s embarrassed to talk about those things.”

Of his investments in Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic with four partners who include the designer Oscar de La Renta, he says that they are a great cause of satisfaction.
“Actually my partners are phenomenal people, and with them we’ve created a marvelous place to live or for vacations, including an airport. We already have 12,000 workers in the resort,” he explains enthusiastically.

“His house in Punta Cana is maravelous, with a Thai theme and ambience. It’s got a circumferencial pool which completely surrounds the house, and five seperate guest bungalows. It’s a house that doesn’t have conventional walls, instead joined wood beams that let the air circulate throughout the entire house. It’s a very cool house and has palm fans around everywhere”, saud Maria Pia Cassinelli, producer of the channel E! Entertainment, who visited the house during the promotion for the album “Divorcio”.

After his divorce from the Philippine Isabel Preysler, mother of his children Chabeli, Julio and Enrique, he had a long succession of relationships lasting years, months, or for the duration of a break from one concert to the next. The press always had material with his romances, that included beauty queens, fans, and well-known figures like Priscilla Presley and Giannina Facio. For years he said that he hadn’t been able to recover from his divorce to Preysler, and when many were sure that he would never settle down, he did so at the side of Miranda Rijnsburger, the mother of his five younger children; Michael, Rodrigo, Victoria, Cristina and Guillermo, who is scarcely 21 months old.

“Miranda is an exceptional woman and I feel very fortunate. Besides, with her I have five children who are a treasure and a source of great happiness, a reason to live, as are my three older children”, he said adding that he is really enjoying this stage in his life.

“I have the good fortune to have a new opportunity and when life has been so good to you, you have to be very grateful, and I’m a grateful person; that’s why I very much appreciate the affection the people have awarded me during so many years”, said this singer who had never imagined that his future would be onstage.

“I always say that I am a lawyer, because that’s the degree I was studying in Madrid. I only needed one semester of International Law to graduate”, said the artist. In 2001, he decided to complete the promise that he had made to his father to get his degree from the Complutense University of Madrid. “They asked me some questions, and in the end the professor told me ‘With so many contracts that you’ve signed and revised throughout the world, you know more of International Law than anyone,’ and he signed what was needed to receive my diploma”.

His plans for this year don’t include a new album. “I don’t have the desire now to lock myself up in the studio; I prefer to be onstage, to continue working, to continue feeling alive, to continue giving thanks, to continue breathing, to continue enjoying my children and my grandson, and to try to understand why life has rewarded me with such generosity”.

Artculo
Heavily attended Julio Iglesias concert in Mar del Plata

March 1, 2009
Last February 28th Julio Iglesias performed at a heavily attended benefit concert in the Paseo Hermitage of Mar del Plata (Argentina) in front of 100,000 people.

For this reason, the Governor of the province of Buenos Aires, D. Daniel Scioli, awarded the singer the title of Guest of Honor.

The day after the concert, the singer took advantage of his stay in the city to visit the exposition „Dali, surrealism”, in the NH Gran Hotel Provincial, accompanied by the president of the hotel D. Florencio Aldrey.

Artculo
Julio Iglesias drives 10,000 fans wild

April 2, 2009

Canal 13, Chile

The Spanish singer performed last night in the Movistar Arena in Santiago, Chile, to celebrate 40 years of his career.

Praise for and gratitude to our country (Chile) was what marked the encounter of Julio Iglesias with his Chilean fans, who sang along and shouted during the two hours of the show.

„You don’t know the happiness it gives me to return to a country which was the first country I encountered as an artist. You bet on me when I was just a kid,” were some of the comments from the artist, referring to his first appearance at the Viña del Mar Festival in 1969.

Songs like „Me olvidé de vivir,” „Manuela,” „Abrázame,” „Échame a mí la culpa,” „A media luz” and „Me va, me va,” among others, were part of the Spaniard’s repertory, who showed the same passion and energy as on previous occasions.

The ample array of hits – many sung in English – were accompanied by 6 musicians onstage, 3 backup singers, and 2 tango dancers.

In spite of the fact that he was celebrating his forty year career, the 65-year-old Julio Iglesias enjoyed joking that he was „only 47”.

Artculo
Julio Iglesias sings in the Arab „Star Academy”

April 11, 2009

Agency EFE

Last night in Beirut, Spanish singer Julio Iglesias performed on the program „Star Academy” (The Arab version of the Spanish show „Operacón Triunfo”), where he sang with the contestants of the reality show.

He also attended a press conference at the Beirut International Exhibition & Leisure Center for his April 11th concert.
Iglesias, who sang two songs accompanied by two of the contestants, expressed his happiness at being in Lebanon, a country where he has performed on various occasions, and where he has fans among several generations of the Lebanese people.

„I’m happy that my songs have stayed in the hearts of the Lebanese people, that they sing them from generation to generation”, declared the artist, who will give a concert tonight in Beirut.

The program in which Julio Iglesias appears will be repeated this Saturday, April 11th, on the television network LBC, after its satellite broadcast on Good Friday.

„Star Academy”, in its sixth season this year, draws music fan audiences from countries around the region and is a very popular program.

Artculo
The Museum of Footwear in Elda receives shoes from Julio Iglesias

May 25, 2009

By: Pérez Gil, Daily „Información” (Alicante)
The Museum of Footwear in Elda keeps on expanding its „Shoes with History” collection, which already surpasses 200 pairs.

After the recent incorporation of Formula 1 driver Fernando Alonso’s boots to this permanent display, this same week a pair of donated shoes has arrived at the museum, together with a photo dedicated by the internationally famous Spanish singer and composer Julio Iglesias, who in 2008 celebrated a 40 year career. It’s about the Latin singer who has sold more records in the history of music with more than 300 millon spread around the world, so these pairs carry a special relevance in a collection that goes beyond a fifteen year history.

The Spanish province Malaga is „adopting” Julio Iglesias
June 3, 2009
By: Reuters, El País

The full session of the Council of Malaga has just unanimously approved the naming of Julio Iglesias Adopted Son of the Province, because of his connections with the province, since the municipalities of Ojen and Marbella have been his places of residence in Spain for years.

The singer considers this title „as one of the greatest honors” that he has received in his life, that fills him with „an unimaginable happiness.” „They have just given me a piece of news that makes you think what you are doing is worthwhile,” declared the singer, concluding „I am happy, I say this clearly: thank you, Malaga!”.

Artculo
Julio Iglesias – an historic success in Las Vegas

June 8, 2009

By: julioiglesias.com, julioiglesias.com

Julio Iglesias returned to Las Vegas, after an absence of two years, achieving an historic success.
The seats were sold out two months before the concerts, and the promoters of the performances allowed standing-room-only tickets to be sold, a unique event for the concerts of an artist in Las Vegas.

Artculo
Julio Iglesias fills El Rocío of magic in a benefit concert

August 12, 2009

By: Félix Lorenzo, Las Provincias

„This land of El Rocío is magic. The magic is in the air, in the place.” And the magic flooded the Almontean village in the concert of a plethoric Julio Iglesias who opened his ‘minitour’ through Spain immersing himself in the crowds. Eight thousand excited spectators completely filled a Rocio Arena that seemed too small for the concert organized by the Brotherhood Matrix of Almonte to benefit an orphanage in the Congo. The singer gave up his fee ($425,000) because „each one of us has to help as much as we can those who need it the most,” said the singer.
Julio Iglesias was happy throughout his performance of nearly 135 minutes. Dressed in his immaculate navy blue suit with vest, with an enviable figure, and more eager than ever, he recalled for the ecstasy of his staunch supporters his major successes, including „La vida sigue igual,’ the song that catapulted him to fame in Benidorm 41 years ago, something not often included in his usual concerts. But Iglesias felt supported by the intimate arena, with a devoted audience, who enjoyed it as seldom before. ‘Magic’, as he said, had entered his body and the Madrid singer did not scrimp on anything.

With a perfect montage of light and sound, an extraordinary choral accompaniment, and an affinity for the stage, the smash hits that led him to sell nearly 300 million records were falling one by one: ‘La carretera,’ ‘Natalie,’ ‘De niña a mujer,’ ‘Abrázame,’ ‘Manuela,’ ‘Hey’… and a long repertoire. He changed the refrains when he wanted, adapting them to El Rocio, Andalusia and Spain.
„Andalusia is a huge land, for this reason I live in it. Its strength, its influence is seen and felt in the Caribbean and this is true,” he said. He recalled that his mother’s ancestors were from Huelva, that El Rocío has always impressed as a social and religious phenomenon, and the people responded to his short speeches with thunderous ovations. The applause and the compliments of his fans turned into a real clamor, with thousands of people dancing to the sound of the Caribbean themes sung by Julio Iglesias, already nearing 1:30 in the morning, on a night that began a few minutes before 11, a night full of magic. It was a first class social event, and Julio Iglesias demonstrated that he is at the peak of his international career, the most honored of all living singers on earth .
It was not just one concert more. It was a ‘show’, a true spectacle. A performance prior to the dates in Girona (13th and 14th of August) and Castellon (18th) to finish in Valencia, on August 21st, at the Plaza de Toros. In this way, he will close his national tour before returning to the world tour that continues in September with several concerts in Israel, where all of the tickets have already been sold out for months.

Artculo
Julio Iglesias wins the love of Valencia

August 22, 2009

By: José Eduardo Arenas, ABC

The Madrid singer ended yesterday, in the Plaza de Toros of Valencia, the Spanish stage of his international concert tour. It has been eight years since he sang in this city, and the public returned to show the artist their loyalty and their affection, giving him a great tribute
Five Spanish concerts were sufficient – within his world tour – for Julio Iglesias to see that they love him in his native land, and to show the emotional electricity that flows in an immediate connection between the artist and his audience. The first one was in Almonte (Huelva), then Cap Roig (Gerona) – two concerts – then Castellón, and last night Valencia, the culmination and greatest indicator of loyalty to a fighter with a forty-year career behind him.

Last night, the Plaza de Toros of Valencia – a talismanic place in his career – saw more than two hours of Caribbean maelstrom and melodic peace, in a crescendo of sensuous musical arrangements, within a range of popular classics which Iglesias and the dancing audience shared in an „all together” accompanied by eight musicians, four female backup singers, and a pair of Tango dancers.
The enthusiastic and massive response was not long in arriving. Julio has an impeccable stage presence, there is not a hint of routine, each show is unique in itself, and now he shows that he is communicating more and better than ever.

The concerts of Julio Iglesias are sold out in Israel
September 8, 2009
By: EFE, La Vanguardia

The Spanish singer Julio Iglesias has sold out both of the concerts that he will give in Israel beginning tonight.
Sources from the production company, Tzemah Hafakot, told Efe that the tickets for the two concerts are sold out, and that more than 16,000 spectators will be able to see the singer live in the concerts which will take place tonight and Thursday in Tel Aviv.

The supporters of Spain’s most international singer had to pay between 400 and 1,000 shekels (between 106 and 266 dollars or between 75 and 186 euros) to fill some of the 8,000 seats in the Nokia Sport Palace, where the Maccabi of Tel Aviv basketball team usually plays.

The performances in Israel are part of his international tour „Julio Iglesias in Concert,” which he has also successfully taken to various Middle Eastern cities, as well as North and South America.

In his 2009 world tour, the artist performs seventeen of his classic songs, including Quijote, Me olvidé de vivir, Hey!, Abrázame, Me va, me va, Un canto a Galicia, in addition to songs representative of his international career such as Mammy blue, To all the girls I’ve loved before and All of you.

Iglesias has visited Israel several times since the beginning of the 80’s, when his career took off on the international scene. Especially memorable are the concerts he performed in 1995 in Jerusalem, and in 1998 in Cesarea and Tel Aviv.

JULIO IGLESIAS triumphs in Israel and meets with the President of the country
September 11, 2009
¡Hola! Magazine

Taking advantage of his stay in Israel, where he has given two successful concerts which were completely sold out, Julio Iglesias had a friendly meeting with the President of Israel and Nobel Peace Prize winner, Shimon Peres.

The artist, who had not visited the country in eleven years, was smiling and happy during the lengthy reunion, which took place in the presidential residence in Jerusalem.

Julio Iglesias  charms  with his elegance and romance in Bolivia
October 18, 2009
„El Deber” Newspaper, Bolivia

Beneath a night filled with stars, and with a gentle romantic breeze, Julio Iglesias excited and charmed the more than 7,000 people who filled the Concert Area of Sonilum to listen to him sing.

It was 10:15 pm and the voice of the Spanish heartthrob began to sing “Quijote;” the voices of the ladies present chanted his name. The artist continued to “bewitch” the people of Santa Cruz with his elegance and romanticism.

“I want to thank my Bolivian fans, for their loyalty transmitted from the parents to the children, from generation to generation,” said an eloquent singer, who did not stop „chatting” with the audience the whole evening.

Julio Iglesias receives the highest honor of Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic)
October 21, 2009
EFE & Associated Press

Julio Iglesias received today the Heraldic Shield, the highest honor given by the Mayor’s Office of Santo Domingo, in recognition of the „productive” and long artistic career of the artist.

The singer, who has Dominican citizenship, received the Heraldic Shield from the hands of the mayor of Santo Domingo, Roberto Salcedo, who declared that Iglesias has made a „very special habitat” of the Caribbean country.

„Without any doubt Julio Iglesias represents the most important Dominican ambassador on a planetary level,” claimed the official in the ceremony celebrated in the Council Palace of the Colonial City of Santo Domingo.
Salcedo affirmed that for his country „it is a mark of distinction to know that this man (Iglesias), who many years ago visited the Dominican Republic for the first time, has remained in the hearts and the thoughts of the Dominican people”.

Iglesias, who resides a good part of the year in Punta Cana (on the east coast of the Republic), gave his thanks for the honor and declared himself „enamored” of this nation, which he first got to know, he said, through his late father, who also „loved” it.
The Dominican Republic is, in his opinion, „an absolutely perfect country, even still to be discovered,” which will receive millions of visitors in the coming years.
The singer assured that in the Dominican Republic, a country that he has known for 40 years, one has a „very enjoyable time”.
„Here I have my family, my people and my friends,” emphasized the singer of the hits „Un canto a Galicia” and „Me olvidé de vivir.”

Julio Iglesias is celebrating at this time his forty-year career in music with a world tour which will land in the Dominican Republic for two concerts, the 5th and 7th of this coming November.

The singer of „33 años” and „De niña a mujer,” among other numerous hits, has recorded songs in 14 languages and has sold more than 300 million albums.
It is estimated that he has performed more than 5,000 concerts in more than 600 cities around the world.

Julio Iglesias has his friend Oscar de la Renta sing with him in the Dominican Republic
November 5, 2009
EFE

There are occasions when a performance surprises, and that is what happened today in Santo Domingo, where the Spanish singer Julio Iglesias succeeded in persuading his friend, the Dominican designer Oscar de la Renta, to come up on stage and sing with him.

The Spanish singer Julio Iglesias performs a concert in the Santo Domingo Sports Palace, during his world tour „Julio Iglesias in Concert,” to celebrate his forty-year career.

„You may not imagine it, but he is, from Finland to China, the most important ambassador of the Dominican Republic,” declared the Spanish singer to an audience eager to find out to whom he was referring. With these words he introduced de la Renta, who tentatively sang, along with the friendly laughter of Iglesias because of the way he was singing, the song „To All the Girls I’ve Loved Before”.

It was one of the most enjoyable moments for an audience pleasantly surprised by the Madrid star’s performance, in which he also sang „Quijote” together with the local idol, Fernando Villalona, who was the opening act of the show. „I cannot leave the Dominican Republic without singing with Fernando. I think that Fernando and Juan Luis (he said in reference to Juan Luis Guerra) are two of the masters in the history of the music of their country”.

And from this moment erupted the wild enthusiasm of the audience, who gave at least five standing ovations to thank the star of the evening with their applause for the gift of a performance, filled with allusions to the Caribbean country, in whose east coast, in Punta Cana, Iglesias resides during much of the year.

And it’s that the singer demonstrated, two and a half years after his last performance in Altos de Chavon, as his popular song states, „la vida sigue igual,” because, the same as in previous occasions, he had the audience of about eight thousand, who completely filled the Santo Domingo Sports Palace, eating out of his hand. This is the first of the two Dominican performances on his tour, which will be completed in this country with another performance next Saturday in the Cibao Arena complex, in Santiago (north).

„It’s a day of nervousness. Always when I am at home I have this slight anxiety. Thank you for so many years, for so much affection,” he said at one moment, and added later that the Dominican Republic „is a country of love”.

Dressed in his usual dark suit, vest and tie, the singer of „Me olvidé de vivir” said also that his father instilled in him a love for this West Indian country, telling him that „in the Dominican Republic love has no age.” „I fell in love with your country; these are not just words, but also actions,” revealed the singer, who affirmed that, although he was born in Spain, of an Andalusian mother and a Galician father, he feels Dominican.

It was a little more than two hours in which, accompanied by guitar, bass, saxophone, percussion, keyboard and drums, the artist performed some 35 songs.

Among all of them stood out „Hey,” with which Julio Iglesias, in an emotional interpretation, received the strongest applause of the audience in a standing ovation.

Miami falls in love with Julio Iglesias the night of Saint Valentine’s

February 15, 2009

Latin American Herald Tribune
With 300 million albums sold in 14 languages, Julio Iglesias has shown that his music is universal, and that he has the power to melt hearts.
This week the image of the idol who sings songs of love is highlighted on billboards on Miami’s main thoroughfares, he’s the star of the moment on radio and television, and a huge banner with his picture decorates the American Airlines Arena facade.
“Miami was the first city to listen to me (in the United States), and it took me in with a lot of affection. I feel privileged to have received so much, and I’m very grateful,” the singer expressed during an phone interview with the Daily Las Américas, while he prepared for his concert this Saturday, Valentine’s Day at 8 p.m.
For a night dedicated to romance and lovers, the singer says he will include the audience’s favorite songs. From “Hey!”, to “De niña a mujer”, “Vuela alto”, “Manuela”, “Divorcio”, “Un canto a Galicia”, “Abrázame”, “Me olvidé de vivir”, “Quijote” and “I Want To Know What Love Is”, for sure these favorites will be on the menu come the night of the concert.
For many, it’ll be a night of reunion with love and with the singer who for three generations has managed to stay in first place, with his concerts packed.
Without a doubt, Iglesias is among those who believe in the American Dream. He was well known in Europe, but was a new face in the United States when he arrived in Miami, knocking on doors at a time when Spanish radio had scarcely begun to take off in any great way. With his great vision, the Spanish singer had an intuition that things would change.
He began by renting a small apartment on the beach. But it wasn’t long before he decided to buy a house on the water in exclusive Indian Creek. The house, which he bought for about a million and a half dollars, today is worth around $27 million, and like his career, all that surrounds him seems to have been touched by the magic wand of a wizard.
“If I knew what magic wand it could be, because I only know of one magic wand that I’ve been told I have… and that the press is always exaggerating”, he said jokingly, evading the topic of his skills in the world of business.
But the Columbian producer Fernan Martinez, who was his publicist for ten years and his manager for two, says that “everything that Julio does in his life ends up being multiplied by thousands.” and adds by defining his formula for success:
“It’s his style, personality,the unique melody of his voice, intelligence,charm, his image… It is he who paved the way for all the Latin artists in the United States. He’s been doing for 30 years what everyone wants to do now”, stated Martínez.
He adds that, when it concerns the heroic feat of breaking into the North American market, Julio is number one.
“Julio has gone where nobody else has been able to; he has sung with Frank Sinatra, with Willie Nelson, with Diana Ross, with Dolly Parton, with Stevie Wonder, with Sting, and with the Beach Boys. He is the only artist who talks with heads of state, princes and kings. He has sung in the White House and in front of the Pyramids. They know him in any country in the world. Until now, there wasn’t any artist who’s been able to do the same,” adds Martinez.
His fans remain faithful throughout the years. In Miami, Remedios Diaz Oliver, one of the best known Hispanic businesswomen in the country, has followed his career since the beginning.
“I was at his first concert in Miami, and I’ll be at his Valentine’s day concert in the Miami Arena with a group of friends. My husband Fausto and I have been big fans of Julio since the beginning. We’ve gone to New York to see him, and also to Spain and Puerto Rico. With my kids and grandkids we are three generations of Julio fans”.
Music came to the singer’s life in an unexpected way, at 20 years of age, when he was playing football for Real Madrid as a goalkeeper and he was in a car accident, which left him for three years in a wheel-chair. To improve the movement in his hands, they gave him a guitar with which he began to write songs. With one of those songs, “La vida sigue igual”, he won the Benidorm Song Festival in 1968. His career had taken off.
Journalists admire him for his work ethic, for fulfilling his obligations, and for his modesty. “He is the only artist down through the years who not only recognizes you, but remembers the things that interest you, and also remembers your children,” said one reporter.
Among those who have succeeded in cementing a friendship with the singer through the years is the television presenter Mauricio Zeilic, who emphasizes the human side of the Spanish idol.
“Julio is a friend to his friends, in good times and in bad times.”Moreover, having that world-famous stature as a singer, he keeps being a noble person, who manages to convey a humbleness which he hasn’t lost and that you can’t find in people that have achieved so much in life. Furthermore, Julio has never forgotten the simple things in life. I dare say that he’s somebody who has great respect for life”, explained Zeilic.
With a fortune that exceeds hundreds of millions of dollars, Paul McCartney is the only singer thought to have a larger fortune. He has houses in Miami, the Dominican Republic and in Spain, and two private jets (he will take delivery of the second one in March), but he states that “he’s embarrassed to talk about those things.”
Of his investments in Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic with four partners who include the designer Oscar de La Renta, he says that they are a great cause of satisfaction.
“Actually my partners are phenomenal people, and with them we’ve created a marvelous place to live or for vacations, including an airport. We already have 12,000 workers in the resort,” he explains enthusiastically.
“His house in Punta Cana is maravelous, with a Thai theme and ambience. It’s got a circumferencial pool which completely surrounds the house, and five seperate guest bungalows. It’s a house that doesn’t have conventional walls, instead joined wood beams that let the air circulate throughout the entire house. It’s a very cool house and has palm fans around everywhere”, saud Maria Pia Cassinelli, producer of the channel E! Entertainment, who visited the house during the promotion for the album “Divorcio”.
After his divorce from the Philippine Isabel Preysler, mother of his children Chabeli, Julio and Enrique, he had a long succession of relationships that lasted years, months or for the duration of a break from one concert to the other. The press always has material with his romances, that included beauty queens, fans, and well-known figures like Priscilla Presley and Giannina Facio. For years he said he hadn’t recovered from his divorce from Preysler, and when many were sure that he would never settle down, he did so at the side of Miranda Rijnsburger, the mother of his five younger children: Michael, Rodrigo, Victoria, Cristina and Guillermo, who is scarcely 21 months old.
“Miranda is an exceptional woman and I feel very fortunate. Besides, with her I have five children who are a treasure and a source of great happiness, a reason to live, as are my three older children”, he said adding that he’s really enjoying this stage in his life.

“I have the fortune of having a new opportunity and when life has been so good, you have to be very grateful, and I’m a gratfeful person; that’s why I very much appreciate the affection the people have rewarded me with for so many years”, said the artist who had never imagined that his his future would be onstage.
“I always say that I am a lawyer, because that is the degree I was studying in Madrid. I only needed one semester of International Law to graduate”, said the artist. In 2001, he decided to complete the promise that he had made to his father to get his degree from the Complutense University of Madrid. “They asked me some questions, and in the end the professor told me ‘With so many contracts that you have signed and revised throughout the world, you know more of International Law than anyone,’ and he signed what was needed to receive my diploma”.
His plans for this year don’t include a new album. “I don’t have the desire now to lock myself up in the studio; I prefer to be on stage, to continue working, to continue feeling alive, to continue giving thanks, to continue breathing, to continue enjoying my children and my grandson, and to try to understand why life has rewarded me with such generosity”.