Julio Iglesias on staying inspired at 75. Hint: He swims naked
Julio Iglesias has a few secrets for staying in shape at 75 years old.
“I don’t drink more wine than I have to. I like wine very much. All wines. I do exercise for two, three hours a day. I swim,” he says. “I swim naked, by the way, thank you.”
The Spanish icon says he does it all to be his best self onstage. He kicks off a 50th anniversary tour Friday at Smart Financial Centre at Sugar Land.
Iglesias has sold millions of records and set the stage for a wave of rossover singers, including his son Enrique Iglesias, that continues to this day. He has recorded in 14 languages across more than 80 albums.
His first album, “Yo Canto,” was released in 1969. His most recent was 2017’s “Dois Corações” in Portuguese.
Why was it important for you to commemorate 50 years?
I haven’t played the United States in a long time. I used to play very often. I spent a few years writing a book and doing other things, many things in my life. I decided to go back on the stage because I thought I was dying a little. The Recording Academy gave me the Lifetime Achievement award this year, and I’m excited for that. It’s for the people, from Finland to China, who give me the opportunity to still sing.
What moments stand out when you think back over your career?
Oh, my goodness. It’s always the people. They belong to you, and you belong to them. If you ask me which is the biggest marriage in my life, it’s the people. There is nothing more important in my life than the people. My family leads a beautiful life because of the people. My friends, everybody lives a good life around me because of the people.
What were your goals in the beginning?
I didn’t have any idea. I was just a dreamer. That’s all I had, was a dream. To have a dream and to have it made — that is 50 years of place by place, conversation by conversation, music, attitude. Those things that I sacrificed were nothing in my life. It’s the biggest gift that I’ve ever had in my life.
You became a crossover pioneer, from Spanish to English and other languages, too. Is it rewarding to see so many artists continuing that legacy today?
I’m the papi, that’s correct. I am the one who started to do (different) languages. I played in Chinese, in Japanese, in French, in Italian, in Portuguese, in Spanish, in English, in German. I did that because I was supposed to be much more involved in the culture and the language of the people. It’s not easy to sing in Chinese, by the way. It’s a question of strength. It’s a question of discipline.
Is there a song that you never get tired of performing to this day?
The passion comes onstage, always. You have a terrible headache or whatever happens, and you go onstage, everything disappears. You make love with the public, and you feel like you're still a young guy. The audience makes you younger. Audiences changed my life completely.
Do you have any memories of visiting Houston in the past?
I remember I used to play the Astrodome (in 1986 and ’87 during RodeoHouston). Now I’m not so popular. I’m not so “in.” So I go to a little, beautiful theater, which is perfect for me. The most important thing is to perform so I play in Houston with 2,000 people or 50,000 people. Every time is perfect.
You’re good friends with Texas icon Willie Nelson, who you teamed up with for two duets.
He is the most natural singer I ever met in my life. He reminds me very much of Sinatra. He’s one of the classic artists in life. He’s always being himself. He’s exactly the way people think he is.
Source: https://www.chron.com/entertainment/music/article/Julio-Iglesias-on-staying-inspired-at-75-Hint-13611993.php
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