By Daniel Durchholz
SPECIAL TO THE POST-DISPATCH
12/04/2009
SPECIAL TO THE POST-DISPATCH
12/04/2009
Julio Iglesias can't have much to prove at this point. Over a career spanning 40 years, he's sold more than 300 million copies of the nearly 80 albums he's released in 14 languages. Among the world's most famous singers, he is regularly ushered in to meet heads of state and royalty in the countries he visits.
So at 66 years of age, with eight children and four homes to occupy his time, what keeps the Spanish singer going? "I'm an artist who goes on the stage and the passion is there," Iglesias said in a recent phone interview. "I can't survive without singing. Physically, maybe, but psychologically, no, if I would not be on the stage. The stage for me is a way to accelerate my blood and my brains and become a completely new person every day."Among Iglesias' many hits, some of which he'll perform tonight at Powell Hall, are "El Amor," "De Nina a Mujer," "Manuela," "Me Olvide de Vivir" and his English language breakthrough, "To All the Girls I've Loved Before," a duet with Willie Nelson.
"That was a lucky time in my life," Iglesias said about recording with Nelson. "I never expected the success we had. And he helped me so much, because he's a very generous person. I really appreciated very much that he gave me the time to learn the song, to learn the language. It was one of the first times that I sang a song in English. After that, the way in America was a little less difficult." Iglesias parlayed that hit into other genre-breaking duets with Stevie Wonder, Sting, Frank Sinatra and Diana Ross. "I learned from them … everything," he said.
With all the travel in his life lately, Iglesias hasn't taken the time to record a new English language album since "Romantic Classics" in 2006. He admits that part of the delay is hesitation over finding the right material. "It's not easy after 40 years to really choose the right thing," he said. "You get very confused. Now it's even more difficult." For a song to be right for him, Iglesias said, he needs to be jealous that he didn't write it himself. "It has to be something that I really mean when I sing," he said. "It has to be a song that goes to my brain and my heart. And sometimes I'm wrong. Many times I'm wrong."
A new album may come when he's done touring. But for now, Iglesias is too busy thinking about things in his immediate future."I think that when you establish an achievement, you should also try to dream a little," he said. "I find that if I stop thinking about the future, I live in the past. The past is beautiful — I sold records, I've been all over the world. "But the idea to do something new, it makes my commitment — with my music, with the people, with my passion for life — new every day."
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