JULIO IGLESIAS FULL BIOGRAPHY

Julio Iglesias
This article is about the singer Julio Iglesias. For his father, see Julio Iglesias, Sr.. For his son, see Julio Iglesias, Jr.. For other uses, see Julio Iglesias

This name uses Spanish naming customs: the first or paternal family name is Iglesias and the second or maternal family name is De la Cueva.
Julio Iglesias
Julio Iglesias
Background information
Birth name Julio José Iglesias de la Cueva
Born September 23, 1943 (age 72)
Madrid, Spain
Genres
Latin Latin pop dance-pop adult contemporary
Years active 1968–present
Labels
Columbia Records Sony Music Entertainment
Website www.julioiglesias.com
Julio Iglesias (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈxuljo iˈɣlesjas] born Julio José Iglesias de la Cueva; September 23, 1943) is a Grammy Award-winning Spanish singer and songwriter who has sold 100–300 million records worldwide in 14 languages and released more than 80 albums, and more than 2,600 gold and platinum records certified, making him one of the best selling artists of all time.

Early life

Entertainment career Edit

In 1968 he won the Benidorm International Song Festival, a songwriter’s event in Spain, with the song „La vida sigue igual” (meaning „Life Goes On The Same”) which was used in the film La vida sigue igual, about his own life. After this event he signed a deal with Discos Columbia, the Spanish branch of the Columbia Records company and released his first studio album titled „Yo Canto” (I Sing). The album spent 15 weeks in the Spanish charts, and peaked at #3.[14] He represented Spain in the 1970 Eurovision Song Contest, finishing in fourth place,[16] behind Ireland’s winning entry performed by Dana.[17] His entry was the song „Gwendolyne.” Shortly after he had a number one hit in many European countries with „Un Canto A Galicia”, sung in Galician, in honour of his father, who hailed from Galicia. That single sold 1 million copies in Germany. In 1975 he found success in the Italian market by recording a song exclusively in Italian called „Se mi lasci non vale” („If You Leave Me, It Can’t Be”). Notable albums from this decade are A Flor de Piel (1974, with the European hit „Manuela”), „El Amor” (1975), and „Soy” (1973). He also sang in French. One of his popular songs is „Je n’ai pas changé”.

In 1979 he moved to Miami, Florida, in the United States, signed a deal with CBS International, and started singing in different languages such as English, French, Portuguese, German and other languages to his music. Iglesias released the album, De Niña a Mujer (1981), dedicated to his daughter (who shared the cover photo with him), from it came the first English-language hit, a Spanish cover of „Begin the Beguine” which became number 1 in the United Kingdom; he also released a collection, Julio (1983). In 1984, he released 1100 Bel Air Place, the hit album which established him as a star in the English-speaking entertainment industry. It sold over three million albums in the United States alone.[13] The first single „To All the Girls I’ve Loved Before”, a duet with Willie Nelson, hit #1 on the Country charts and went Top Five in the Billboard Hot 100.[18] It also featured „All of You”, with Diana Ross, a Top Twenty Pop hit, that climbed to #2 on the Adult Contemporary Chart with the help of a popular video.[19]

Iglesias made a cameo appearance as himself, on The Golden Girls as Sophia Petrillo’s date on St. Valentine’s Day 1989. In 1984 he recorded the previously mentioned duets with Diana Ross and Willie Nelson. Iglesias won a Grammy Award for Best Latin Pop Album in the 1988 Grammy Awards for the album Un Hombre Solo (A Man Alone). He recorded a duet with Stevie Wonder on „My Love”, in his Non Stop album, a crossover success in 1988. In the 1990s Iglesias returned to his original Spanish melody in Tango (1996), nominated for Best Latin Pop Album at the 1998 Grammy Awards, losing to the Romances album by Mexican singer, Luis Miguel.[20]

In 2003 he released his album Divorcio (Divorce). In its first day of sales Divorcio sold a record 350,000 albums in Spain, and reached the number 1 spot on the charts in Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, and Russia. In 2003 and 2004, aided by the success of his Divorcio album, Iglesias went on a ten-month world tour which took him from Europe to Asia and then on to North America, South America and Africa. More than half the shows on that tour sold out within days of going on sale. In December 2004, his Dutch girlfriend Miranda Rijnsburger and Iglesias himself recorded a duet of the Christmas song „Silent Night”. The song, which was not officially released, also included a voice message from Iglesias, Rijnsburger and their 4 young children of that time. The song was released online through the singer’s official website and a CD was included on their Christmas card as a holiday gift from the Iglesias family to their friends and fans around the world.

In 2008 Iglesias recorded another song as a gift to his fans. The family recorded „The Little Drummer Boy” in Spanish and English and included it in the family’s Christmas card. Iglesias also made investments in the Dominican Republic’s eastern town of Punta Cana, a major tourist destination, where he spends most of the year. In fact, he has been a Dominican citizen since 2005.[21]

In September 2006 a new English album titled Romantic Classics was released. „I’ve chosen songs from the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s that I believe will come to be regarded as the new standards”, Iglesias stated in the album’s sleeve notes. The album features the hits „I Want to Know What Love Is”, „Careless Whisper”, and „Right Here Waiting”. Romantic Classics was Iglesias’s highest debut on the Billboard charts, entering at number 31 in the United States, 21 in Canada, 10 in Australia, and top spots across Europe and Asia. He returned to the studio to record songs in Filipino and Indonesian for his Asian releases of Romantic Classics which helped propel record sales in the Asian entertainment industry. Iglesias promoted Romantic Classics in 2006; it was seen all over the world on television shows. In the United States (for example) he appeared on Dancing With The Stars (where he sang his hit „I Want To Know What Love Is”), Good Morning America, The View, Fox and Friends, and Martha Stewart.

In 2008 Iglesias made a music video with Gulnara Karimova, the daughter of Uzbek dictator Islam Karimov.[22]

In March 2011 the artist launched a new studio album called Numero 1.

Iglesias’ performance of the song La Mer („The Sea”) is featured in the soundtrack of the 2011 film Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (film). The performance comes from a live album, currently out-of-print, recorded live at the Olympia theater in Paris in 1976. At the beginning and the end of the recording, Iglesias introduces the song, and his backing musicians, in fluent French.

In October 2012 Iglesias performed a concert in Equatorial Guinea, where tickets were reportedly $1,000 each.[22]

On April 1, 2013, in Beijing, he received two historic awards: First & Most Popular International Artist of All Time in China, an award given by Sony Music China and which was presented to Julio by the world-renowned Chinese artist Lang Lang, and the Guinness World Records for the Best-selling Male Latin Artist.[23] On April 23, 2013, he was inducted into the Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame, alongside Armando Manzanero and José Feliciano.[24][25]

In 2015, he will perform a concert (complete show) for the first time with his son Julio Iglesias, Jr. in a tour in Romania, on 22 May at Sala Polivalentă in Cluj-Napoca and 2 July at Sala Palatului in the capital Bucharest.[26]

Personal life Edit

On 29 January 1971 Iglesias married María Isabel Preysler Arrastía (born 18 February 1951 in Manila), better known as Isabel Preysler, a Filipina journalist and television host. Preysler is a Filipino of Spanish ancestry and member of the wealthy and aristocratic Perez de Tagle family, a Filipino cadet branch of the Spanish dynasty that has held the Marquisate of Altamira since the 1600s. Together, they had three children: Chabeli Iglesias (born 3 September 1971), a Spanish socialite; Julio Iglesias, Jr. (born 25 February 1973), a Spanish singer; and Enrique Iglesias (born 8 May 1975), an internationally well-known Spanish singer-songwriter, actor, and record producer. In the 1970s Iglesias and his family were extensively depicted on the front pages of international newspapers and magazines. The marriage of Iglesias and Preysler ended in divorce in 1979.

When not on tour he spends the rest of his time at his Miami residence. He bought the home in 1978 for $650,000. The south Florida mansion on the exclusive, private, Indian Creek Island property was placed on the market in 2006 for a quoted $28 million, making it one of „Ten Most Expensive Homes in the South” in 2006 according to Forbes magazine.[27]

After his divorce, Iglesias lived together with the 23 years younger Dutch model Miranda Rijnsburger, whom he married on 26 August 2010 in a small church in Marbella, Spain. They had five children: Miguel Alejandro (born 7 September 1997), Rodrigo (born 3 April 1999), the twins Cristina and Victoria (both born 1 May 2001), and Guillermo (born 5 May 2007). They live in the Dominican Republic, where Iglesias owns several hotel complexes. Among his possessions is also the Punta Cana International Airport, which he owns along with other investors (fashion designer Oscar de la Renta was also an investor).[12][28]

On 19 December 2005, his father Julio Iglesias Sr. died from a heart attack at the age of 90. A week before his death it became known that the 42-year-old wife of Julio Iglesias Sr., Ronna Keith, was pregnant with their second child. Their first child, Jaime, was born on 18 May 2004. The second child, a daughter, Ruth, was born on 26 July 2006.

In 2008, after his house in Indian Creek did not sell at his asking price, he razed it to the ground and said he planned to build another on that lot.[29] In 2012 he purchased the property next door for $15 million and announced he planned to build a new home on the combined properties.[30][31]

Discography Edit

1969 Yo Canto
Main article: Julio Iglesias discography
Albums certificated Platinum or Diamond

1975: El Amor
1977: A mis 33 años
1978: Aimer La Vie
1978: Emociones
1979: À vous les femmes
1980: Sentimental
1981: De niña a mujer
1981: Fidèle
1981: 14 Suosituinta Sävelmää
1982: Et l’amour crea la femme
1982: Momentos
1983: En Concierto
1983: Julio
1984: 1100 Bel Air Place
1985: Libra
1990: Starry Night
1994: Crazy
1995: La Carretera
1996: Tango
1998: Mi Vida: Grandes Éxitos
2000: Noche De Cuatro Lunas
2003: Divorcio
2005: L’Homme que je suis
2006: Romantic Classics
2007: Quelque chose de France
2011: 1
2015: México
References Edit

^ „Julio Iglesias Marries Girlfriend of 20 Years”. popeater.com. 2010-08-26. Retrieved 2013-11-30.
^ Staff, CTVNews.ca (August 24, 2012). „Julio Iglesias was a ‘bad singer’ at start of his career”. Canada AM. Retrieved May 17, 2014.
^ „Julio Iglesias returns to Egypt on the 26th of May, 2010”. lavozuniversal.ar. 2010-05-07. Retrieved 2013-11-30.
^ julioiglesiaslive.com
^ Kelly, Louise (May 16, 2014). „Julio Iglesias ‘mucked it up completely’ in Dublin’s O2”. Irish Independent. Retrieved May 17, 2014.
^ Murashko, Alex (2000-08-09). „Hands Across the Water, to Spain’s Galicia”. latimes.com. Retrieved 2013-11-30.
^ Moral Roncal, Antonio M. (2003). Cuba ante la Guerra Civil Española: la acción diplomática de Ramón Estalella. Editorial Biblioteca Nueva, S.L. ISBN 8497421671. Retrieved 2013-11-30.
^ „Julio cumple 67 años en plena gira mundial”. elcorreogallegos.es. 2010-02-10. Retrieved 2013-11-30.
^ Milán, Linda (2012-09-08). „Julio Iglesias”. zocalo.com.mx. Retrieved 2013-11-30.
^ „FRONT”. The Miami Herald. 1995-07-12. Retrieved 2013-11-30.
^ Brinn, David (2013-11-12). „Julio Iglesias still speaks the language of love”. jpost.com. Retrieved 2013-11-30.
^ a b „El personaje de hoy”. oem.com.mx. 2009-09-23. Retrieved 2013-11-30.
^ a b Dougherty, Steve; Gold, Todd (1988-08-29). „Julio Iglesias’ Good Life Demands Wine, Women, Song—and More Women”. people.com. Retrieved 2013-11-30.
^ a b Figueroa, Acton (2004). Julio Iglesias and Enrique Iglesias. Rosen Publishing. ISBN 1404202609. Retrieved 2013-11-30.
^ Julio Iglesias’ Good Life Demands Wine, Women, Song—and More Women – website People.com
^ Siim, Jarmo (2008-10-11). „Iglesias praises Eurovision as a learning moment”. eurovision.tv. Retrieved 2013-11-30.
^ „Singer in Alabama eyes bid for the Irish presidency”. The Tuscaloosa News. Associated Press. 1997-08-08. Retrieved 2013-11-30.
^ Trust, Gary (2011-05-20). „Ask Billboard: Readers’ Favorite Charted Odd Couples”. billboard.com. Retrieved 2013-11-30.
^ „DIANA ROSS”. michiganrockandrolllegends.com. Retrieved 2013-11-30.
^ „”Latin Pop Performance” on Rockonthenet.com”. Retrieved 1998-02-25. Check date values in: |access-date= (help)
^ „Julio Iglesias dice estar „enamorado” de República Dominicana”. diariolibre.com. 2009-10-21. Retrieved 2013-11-30.
^ a b Pizano, Pedro. „Crooners and their Dictators”. The Huffington Post. Retrieved December 9, 2012.
^ „Julio Iglesias receives world record certificat in Beijing”. Guinness World Record. 2013-04-02. Retrieved 2013-12-24.
^ Gratereaux, Alexandra (2013-04-24). „Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame Opens Honoring Julio Iglesias, Jose Feliciano”. foxnews.com. Retrieved 2013-11-30.
^ Pajot, S. (2012-12-12). „Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame Launches in Miami, Announces 2013 Nominees”. miaminewtimes.com. Retrieved 2013-11-30.
^ „Julio Iglesias și Julio Iglesias Jr., primul concert împreună” (in Romanian). Observator. 14 May 2015.
^ Lacey Rose (June 12, 2006). „Home Improvements – Most Expensive Home In The U.S. 2006: South”. www.forbes.com. Retrieved June 12, 2006.
^ Sanchez, Mamen (2010-09-20). „Julio Iglesias & Miranda Rijnsburger: Married After 20 Years!”. people.com. Retrieved 2013-11-30.
^ Lewis, Christina S. N. (2008-01-05). „Iglesias tears down and rebuilds rather than settling on low price”. dailyherald.com. Retrieved 2013-11-30.
^ Owers, Paul (2012-04-04). „Report: Iglesias spends $15.2m for Miami-Dade home”. sun-sentinel.com. Retrieved 2013-11-30.
^ Brennan, Morgan (2012-09-10). „Inside Indian Creek Island, Miami’s Billionaire Bunker”. forbes.com. Retrieved 2013-11-30.
External links Edit

Official website
Julio Iglesias at the Internet Movie Database
Preceded by
Salomé
with „Vivo cantando” Spain in the Eurovision Song Contest