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Julio Iglesias still speaks the language of love
11/12/2013 21:38
Don’t be surprised if Julio Iglesias soon applies for Israeli citizenship. The
celebrated romantic crooner has spent more time in the country than most Knesset
members, with two sold-out shows at the Caesaria Amphitheater in August,
following similar events in 2009 and 2011, and a return engagement scheduled for
November 24 at the Hechal Hatarbut in Tel Aviv.
And according to the
70-year-old romantic balladeer, he’d have no problem immigrating under the Law
of Return. Iglesias told his Tel Aviv audience in 2009 that his mother was of
Jewish heritage and he was Jewish “from the waist up.” And in a talk with The
Jerusalem Post last week from him home in Indian Creek Island, Florida, the
native of Madrid, Spain, while not elaborating on that hint of a Jewish ritual
not performed, elaborated on his family’s Jewish background.
“I’ve known
my whole life about my family’s Jewish past, there were lots of conversations in
my house about the Inquisition and about Sephardim,” said Iglesias in heavily
accented English. “My mother’s name – de la Cueva y Perignat – was a very Jewish
name.”
Iglesias added that he proudly proclaimed his Jewish heritage
wherever he goes, and that in turn, he feels strengthened by it, especially when
he visits Israel.
“The world understands that Jews are a race that use
their customs and character to make the world a better place. And when I’m in
Israel, I see something completely unique taking place. I see a very strong
Jewish country and I see Spanish Jews, Russians, Argentineans all with one
motivation – to keep Israel safe. And that touches my heart.”
Iglesias,
the prototype dark, Latin ladies’ man, has himself been touching hearts since
releasing his first album in the late 1960s, after an injury from a traffic
accident forced him to give up his burgeoning career as a goalkeeper for Real
Madrid.
“It’s a good thing that happened, because if I hadn’t had that
accident, I wouldn’t be talking to you today. I wasn’t a very good football
player, and I would have probably ended up being a lawyer, but I probably would
have closer to being a liar,” Iglesias said, breaking out in a boisterous
guffaw.
Instead, he became one of the most successful singers of the past
half century, with over 300 million albums sold in 14 languages and the Guinness
Book of World Records crown as “the biggest selling Latin artist in the
world.”
His duets with singers ranging from Frank Sinatra to Willie
Nelson to Placido Domingo have become things of legend, and the population
growth in countries where he appears on his stillbusy touring schedule spike
around nine months after his concerts.
That’s actually not a scientific
fact, but an educated guess, because Iglesias and his velvety voice are known to
melt listeners and create a seductive atmosphere. As he enters his 70s, the
singer admitted that he has to work at his craft more to stay on top of his
game.
“I’ve never been a guy with a big voice, so I need to take care of
it and myself,” he said.
“Imagine me at 250 pounds and no hair, it just
wouldn’t work. But it’s a joy to take care of myself, eating right and
exercising. Because, as you get older, being onstage is not so easy. Ask Phil
Collins, or Elton John or Paul McCartney, they will tell you.”
Given his
mega-success as well as varied and lucrative business interests that would allow
him to never work another day in his life, it’s puzzling why the father of eight
would even consider heading out on the road anymore. (In addition to his
superstar chip-off-the-old-block son Enrique Iglesias from his first marriage,
Iglesias has five children, including a six-year-old, with Dutch ex-model
Miranda Rijnsburger).
But as he explained, when you’ve been a performer
for as long as he has, it becomes part of your reason to get up in the
morning.
“I’m tied up most of the time with my various businesses, and
for me, to sing is my freedom. It’s the way my blood runs through my body,” said
Iglesias.
“You can have problems with your family, you can feel every day
of your 70 years, and you go out onstage and you feel like you’re 25. It’s
amazing.”
While Iglesias had just finished a 10-day stint in the studio
recording 50 songs, he said that he far prefers the immediacy of performing
before an audience. And thanks to updated technology, he claimed that his songs
sound clearer live than on tape.
“I travel with probably the two best
sound engineers in the world, and it doesn’t matter if I’m playing for 3,000 or
30,000 people, the sound is always amazing – it’s better than a studio
recording.”
“And even more important, the relationship between the
audience and the artist is something very special and strong that can’t be
captured in the studio.”
Despite his old-school ethic (all the sounds
from the stage come from him or his nine-piece band) Iglesias said he
understands the modern phenomenon of pop stars using playbacks and lip-synching
as part of their show, as Rihanna recently did in Tel Aviv.
“Performers
today dance and move around a lot, and I agree that it’s impossible to sing well
when you’re moving,” he said. “Jumping around like that makes it impossible to
breathe, and I understand that young audiences and performers want to see the
spectacle, including the dancing – they want a show.”
With Iglesias,
however, his presence and his voice is the show, no dancing or jumping around
required. And the fact that he’s been asked back to perform in Israel only a few
months after his summer shows is evidence that he’s doing something
right.
“When I’m invited to come back to perform someplace, like I have
been to Israel, it’s an amazing privilege for me,” he said. “The people of
Israel have given me the opportunity to come back to their country.”
“I
was just talking to [tennis star] Rafael Nadal about this – how champions cannot
live without passion,” he said. “In Tel Aviv, I’m going to give my passion to
the people, because it’s the only way they’ll come back to see you again.
Without passion, you don’t have anything.”
(Source: http://www.jpost.com/Arts-and-Culture/Arts/Julio-Iglesias-still-speaks-the-language-of-love-331514 )
