Julio Iglesias

Singer

• Born: September 23, 1943
• Place of Birth: Madrid, Spain

SPANISH-BORN SINGER

Best known as a hard-working, award-winning singer, songwriter, and humanitarian, Iglesias has earned the distinction of being one of Guinness Book of World Records’ bestselling artists.

AREAS OF ACHIEVEMENT: Music; philanthropy

Early Life

Julio Jose Iglesias de la Cueva was born in Madrid, Spain, on September 23, 1943, the son of Dr. Julio Iglesias and Rosario de la Cueva y Iglesias. He attended the College of the Sacred Heart religious school, where he became interested in soccer. As a child, Iglesias spent time playing and practicing soccer and played for the Real Madrid soccer club as a teenager. He continued playing soccer as a student at Madrid University, where he studied law, with hopes of playing the position of goalkeeper in the World Cup.

Iglesias’s dream of becoming a professional soccer player ended abruptly on the night of his twentieth birthday after he suffered injuries in a car accident. A spinal injury sustained in the accident left him temporarily paralyzed. During his stay in the hospital and as the feeling returned to his extremities, Iglesias was given a guitar to play to help him regain dexterity in his fingers. He began writing songs to accompany his newly acquired ability to play the guitar.

After recovering from near paralysis, Iglesias’s parents sent him to Cambridge University in England to study English for a year. Iglesias continued playing the guitar and writing songs and began performing his work in Cambridge pubs, where his music was well received. He returned to Spain a year later with the desire to become a singer. He began writing more songs and shopping them in pursuit of a record deal.

Iglesias entered the Festival de la Cancion (Festival of Singing) in Spain in 1968. He won with a performance of a song he had written, “La vida sigue iqual” (“Life Goes On”). The song became successful in Spain and was later adapted as a film in which Iglesias played the lead role.

Life’s Work

By the 1970s, Iglesias had earned a reputation as a hard-working singer-songwriter. Drawing on the success of his first album Yo canto (I Sing), he began touring and performing in music festivals across Europe. He traveled extensively across Europe and Latin America. In 1971, he married Isabel Preysler Arrastia, with whom he had three children: Maria; Julio, Jr.; and Enrique.

In 1972, Iglesias recorded the song “Un canto a Galicia” (“A Song for Galicia”). The song was a chart-topper across Europe and Latin America and broadened his global appeal. Iglesias’s world travels exposed him to a variety of cultures and languages. He recorded his first non-Spanish language album, in German, in 1972. As his reputation and appeal as a crossover artist grew, Iglesias’s fans responded in kind by making him a top-selling and award-winning artist. He made history when he performed in front of 100,000 Chilean spectators. Iglesias won numerous awards in Latin America and Europe, including artist of the year honors in France and Italy.

Iglesias signed a deal with CBS International and worked toward achieving crossover success in the United States. In 1976, he performed at Madison Square Garden in New York City. This performance was noted for its record-breaking attendance and helped solidify Iglesias’s reputation as a global megastar. While his work ethic earned him the admiration of fans, other noted musicians, businessmen, and politicians worldwide, it also played a role in the dissolution of his marriage. Iglesias and his wife, Isabel, divorced in 1979.

The 1980s ushered in more success for Iglesias. He became a certified diamond-selling artist, with more than 100 million records sold, which earned him the distinction of being named the Guinness Book of World Records best-selling artist. Iglesias also recorded his first English-language album, 1100 Bel Air Place, released in 1985. This album, best known for the song “To All the Girls I’ve Loved Before,” a duet with country music artist Willie Nelson, sold four million copies.

By 1985, Iglesias was active in numerous humanitarian projects in addition to touring. His numerous philanthropic efforts included appearances at fundraisers, telethons, and benefit concerts for earthquake victims in Mexico, the American Muscular Dystrophy Association, and Farm Aid. Iglesias received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1985. He later won the 1987 Grammy Award for Best Latin Pop Performance.

In the 1990s, Iglesias collaborated extensively with American singers on pop music. Yet his best-known record of the period was Tango, released in 1996, which revisited a dozen tangos of the early twentieth century. He then returned to recording contemporary albums in Spanish, French, and Portuguese. Of those, Noche de cuatro lunas (2000) and Divorcio (2004) made the top ten on the Latin Pop and Top Latin Albums charts, while L'homme que je suis (2005) and placed on the European Top 100 Albums. His next English-language album would be Romantic Classics (2006), which made the Billboard 200. México (2015) is Iglesias's chart-topping tribute to the Latin country that had embraced him as a young artist. In addition to putting forth numerous albums, Iglesias continues to tour widely.

In 2016, Iglesias garnered a great deal of attention when he spoke out publicly against Republican presidential candidate and businessman Donald Trump, who had made incendiary remarks about Mexican immigrants. Iglesias, who has had a long, positive relationship with Mexico and its culture, resolved never to perform in a Trump-owned casino again. He did, however, sell his $31.8 million Miami Beach home to Trump's daughter, Ivanka, and her husband, Jared Kushner, in 2020.

In 2024, Iglesias made the news when he was detained and arrested in an airport in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, because he had a large quantity of fresh fruits and vegetables in his luggage. That same year, it was announced that Iglesias and Netflix had struck a deal to create a series about Iglesias' life and career. The singer will play a role in the series' creative development.

Significance

A noted performer and humanitarian, Iglesias’s rise to fame and success was marked by his determination and steadfast work ethic. Few artists have achieved the global success of Iglesias, and he has created a legacy of achievement and unwavering dedication to his craft. His award-winning discography, which includes eighty albums recorded in more than a dozen languages, his amiable persona, and his philanthropic spirit demonstrate his ability to reach people of all racial, ethnic, and social groups.

Bibliography

Acton, Figuera. Julio Iglesias and Enrique Iglesias. New York: Rosen, 2004. Print.

Grow, Kory. "Donald Trump, Julio Iglesias Battle over Immigration." Rolling Stone. Rolling Stone, 7 Oct. 2015. Web. 13 Apr. 2016.

“Julio Iglesias Thirtieth Anniversary.” Billboard 27 May 2000: 72. Print.

Martino, Elizabeth. Julio Iglesias. New York: Chelsea House, 1994. Print.

Rajpal, Monita. "Julio Iglesias: Near-Death Experience Made Him a Singer." CNN. Cable News Network, 24 Jan. 2014. Web. 13 Apr. 2016.

Roiz, Jessica. "A New Series About Julio Iglesias Is Coming to Netflix: ‘I Have Decided to Tell the Truth About My Life’". Billboard, 8 Feb. 2024, www.billboard.com/music/latin/julio-iglesias-series-netflix-1235603093/. Accessed 2 Sept. 2024.

"Spanish Singer Julio Iglesias Detained at Punta Cana Airport for Carrying Excess Food in Luggage." Euronews, 22 Jan. 2024, www.euronews.com/culture/2024/01/20/spanish-singer-julio-iglesias-detained-at-punta-cana-airport-for-carrying-excess-food-in-l. Accessed 2 Sept. 2024.