Enrique Iglesias

Enrique Iglesias ranks among the foremost Latin recording artists with worldwide recognition, celebrated for blending Spanish- and English-language pop in distinctive ways. No Latin music figure matched his prominence during the opening years of the 21st century after he claimed his debut Billboard Latin chart-topper in 1995. Crossover prominence arrived at the millennium's outset through the major successes "Bailamos" from 1999's Enrique and "Hero" from 2001's Escape, tracks that highlighted his command of current dance sounds and enduring pop ballad style in sequence. He revisited the pop Top Ten later with the 2010 collaboration "I Like It" alongside Miami rapper Pitbull, which climbed to number four, and with 2011's "Tonight (I'm Lovin' You)" that featured Ludacris and DJ Frank E and reached the same position, both drawn from 2010's Euphoria, yet he remained a fixture in Latin music by accumulating more than 25 number-one entries on Billboard's Latin Songs chart plus 14 chart-toppers on the Dance Club Songs tally, all while moving over 150 million albums globally by the close of the 2010s. He opened the following decade by again topping the Latin Pop Albums chart via 2021's The Final (Vol. 1), the opening installment of a planned concluding album, with Vol. 2 appearing in early 2024.

Though born the youngest child of Julio Iglesias into a family long associated with Latin music, where prominence might appear assured, such was not the reality for Enrique. Arriving in Madrid, Spain on May 8, 1975, he remained with his mother Isabel Preysler after his parents separated in 1979. He and his two older siblings relocated to their father's household in 1986, where nanny Elvira Olivares played a central part in raising him. He first intended to pursue business studies at the University of Miami yet felt drawn toward music, so he secured a loan from Olivares to produce a demo. To separate himself from his father's shadow he submitted the recording under the alias "Enrique Martinez," adopting the surname of Fernan Martinez, a former publicist for Julio. The material earned the singer a contract with Fonovisa Records, which persuaded him to resume using his given name.

After leaving school, Enrique Iglesias traveled to Toronto to create the self-titled 1995 debut that marked his first album. It achieved immediate commercial impact by selling a million copies in the initial three months. The 1997 follow-up Vivir strengthened his standing, securing the 1996 Grammy for Best Latin Performer together with multiple Billboard honors and clearing the path for his inaugural international headlining tour. He issued one additional Fonovisa project, 1998's Cosas del Amor, before signing with Interscope Records.

Interscope guided Iglesias into mainstream pop territory with the 1999 album Enrique. The track that delivered widespread attention and propelled Enrique to platinum status was "Bailamos," first issued on a limited Cosas del Amor edition and adapted for the soundtrack of Will Smith's comedy-adventure Wild Wild West. The single reached number one on both Billboard's Latin charts and the Hot 100 while entering the Top Ten across numerous international markets. "Be with You" hit number one early in 2000, granting Iglesias breathing room while he prepared what became his largest commercial triumph, Escape. Issued in 2001 and written entirely in English, with three tracks repeated in Spanish at the close, Escape became a major seller thanks to the expansive ballad "Hero," which topped charts in five countries and reached number three in the U.S. The album's title track also performed strongly, lifting overall sales and preparing for a worldwide tour that extended into 2002. That year he released the Spanish-language Quizás through Interscope's affiliated Universal Music Latino label, which earned gold certification in the U.S.

Iglesias shifted back to crossover dance-pop in 2003 with 7, only his third English-leaning project yet his seventh album in total. Although it produced no Hot 100 entries, the lead single "Addicted" peaked at number nine on Billboard's Latin charts. After completing the tour supporting 7, Iglesias maintained a low profile for two years before resurfacing in summer 2007 with Insomniac. Launched by the single "Do You Know? (The Ping Pong Song)," Insomniac saw him explore contemporary club sounds, enlisting Lil Wayne for a verse on "Push," while the next Latin success came via the ballad "Somebody's Me." Two compilations appeared in 2008, 95/08 Exitos aimed at Latin audiences in March and the pop-oriented Greatest Hits in November, after which Iglesias recorded his ninth studio album for Universal Republic amid corporate changes. Euphoria, released in July 2010 and split between English and Spanish material, yielded strong results in both arenas: "I Like It" with Pitbull reached number four on the Hot 100, matched by "Tonight (I'm Lovin' You)," while "No Me Digas Que No" topped the Latin charts.

Iglesias issued "Finally Found You" in 2012, placing it at number 24 on the Hot 100. It initiated a series of advance singles leading to 2014's Sex and Love, which included two 2013 Latin number-one hits, "Loco" and "El Perdedor." Shortly after Sex and Love arrived in March 2014, "Bailando" was released as a single and became a major success, climbing to number 12 on the Hot 100 and number one on the Latin charts en route to triple-platinum sales and three Latin Grammys for Song of the Year, Best Urban Song, and Best Urban Performance. Iglesias maintained Latin chart presence in 2015 through "El Perdon," a duet with Nicky Jam. In April 2016 he delivered "Duele el Corazon," the opening release under his new Sony Latin agreement. He returned with force the next year. Another single, "Subeme la Radio" featuring Descemer Bueno and Zion & Lennox, surfaced in February 2017, and Iglesias embarked on a joint tour with Pitbull that summer. Early in 2018 he released the reggaeton-styled collaboration "El Bano" with Bad Bunny, which reached number two on Spain's singles chart. Mid-year he followed with "Move to Miami" alongside Pitbull.

Universal issued a Greatest Hits collection in late 2019 that charted in Spain. Iglesias reappeared in 2020 as a featured artist on Puerto Rican rapper Anuel AA's "Fútbol y Rumba," which entered the Spanish and Billboard Latin Top Ten. His own "Me Pasé" with Farruko arrived in July 2021 and appeared on The Final (Vol. 1). Released that September as the first portion of what he described as his final studio album, Vol. 1 peaked at number 12 on the Billboard Latin chart. After completing a major co-headlining tour with Ricky Martin, Iglesias opened 2022 with "Espacio en Tu Corazón," adopted as the theme for the telenovela Corazón Guerrero. September 2023 brought "Asi Es la Vida," a duet with Argentinian singer María Becerra and the lead single from the forthcoming final album Final (Vol. 2). Just before its March 2024 release he partnered with Miranda Lambert on "Space in My Heart," an English-language reworking of the earlier single "Espacio en Tu Corazón." Both versions were featured on Final (Vol. 2).