U.S. Release of "1"

NEW YORK, Jan. 31, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The phenomenal 45-year career of international megastar Julio Iglesias, one of the world's ten best-selling recording artists with global sales in excess of 300 million units, is the focus of an inspired new collection of his signature songs entitled 1 – GREATEST HITS. The title is set for release April 9, 2013, through Columbia/Legacy, a division of SONY MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT. 

Already certified multi-platinum in virtually every Spanish-speaking territory on earth, 1 – GREATEST HITS showcases newly-recorded versions (from 2006 and 2011) of the bulk of its tracks, representing Julio's most-loved hits from the '70s, '80s and '90s. These are the songs that have turned Julio into the world's biggest-selling Latin artist and one of the most emblematic celebrities of all time. 1 – GREATEST HITS is the first new album from Julio since Romantic Classics in 2006. The collection will be available in two separate configurations: The 2-CD version will include 37 tracks, comprising 19 tracks on CD One and 18 tracks on CD Two. The deluxe version will include the same two CDs, plus Starry Night: Live From the Greek Theatre, the DVD chronicle of Julio's historic concert at the legendary Los Angeles venue in 1990. 

 "This album," said Julio of the project he has been working on for three years, "is mainly dedicated to all the anonymous people who have been following me for 45 years, with generosity and affection, and who have allowed me to keep singing up until today. They'll always be the great driving force of my career." Fans will immediately be struck with the new arrangements and vocals, and the sonic advancements that enable Julio's unique and distinctive style to flourish and fill a room. Far from having the differences in sonics and production that normally affect compilations, the music possesses a uniformity and maturity of sound and interpretation. To hear a comparison between the original and re-recorded songs, please go to http://bit.ly/yMvona. 

The achievements and awards bestowed upon Julio Iglesias would fill numerous rooms. As far back as 1983, he received the first and only Diamond Record award from the Guinness Book Of World Records, for selling more records in more languages than any music artist in history, including Spanish, English, German, Japanese, Italian, Portuguese, and French topping the list. To date he has sold over 300 million records and received over 2,600 gold and platinum record certifications from around the world. Ever since Julio conquered the UK in 1981 with his #1 Pop Hit of Cole Porter 's "Begin the Beguine (Volver A Empezar)," he has courted the English-speaking segment of his audience with an ever-expanding repertoire. The song became the focus track of his first Columbia LP in the U.S. in 1983, simply titled Julio. The album included "Hey," one of many collaborations with co-writer Ramon Arcusa , and the opening track on the second disc of 1 – GREATEST HITS as re-recorded in 2011. Julio released his first LP entirely sung in English in 1984, 1100 Bel Air Place, which featured his breakthrough duet with Willie Nelson , "To All The Girls I've Loved Before," a Top 5 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 that year and re-recorded by Julio in 2006. In addition to "To All The Girls I've Loved Before," two other songs were also re-recorded in 2006 and are included on 1 – GREATEST HITS: "All Of You," a duet with Diana Ross , and " My Love ," a duet with Stevie Wonder . 

Julio's next entirely English album arrived in 1990, Starry Night, produced by Albert Hammond and named for the Don McLean-penned title song, "Vincent (Starry Starry Night)." 1 – GREATEST HITS also includes "99 Miles From L.A." (by Hal David / Albert Hammond ) in its original version from Starry Night. "When I Need You," the Carole Bayer Sager/ Albert Hammond standard from Starry Night, leads off the roster of five songs that were re-recorded in 2011. The others comprise two Willie Nelson compositions, namely "Always On My Mind" and Patsy Cline 's "Crazy" (from Julio's 1994 album of the same title, Crazy); as well as "Crazy In Love" and a duet with Sting (also from Crazy) on one of his earliest ballads, "Fragile." Duets with America's top pop artists have been a focal point of Julio's attention for decades now, and CD One includes no less than nine standout duets. In addition to the four already mentioned, there are duets with Frank Sinatra ("Summerwind," courtesy of Sinatra's first Duets album in 1993); with Dolly Parton ("When You Tell Me That You Love Me") and Art Garfunkel ("Let It Be Me"), both from Crazy; and Stephanie Spruill (Casablanca's eternal "As Time Goes By"). 

On CD Two, with the exception of one song ("La Cumparsita," re-recorded in 2006), all of the selections were re-recorded by Julio in 2011. These go back to some of his earliest successes, for example, "Un canto a Galicia" from 1972, which was a #1 hit in Latin America and across Europe; "Hey" (title tune of his 1980 worldwide #1 album, which netted Julio his first Grammy Award® nomination in the Latin Pop Album category); 1981's "De nina a mujer" (from the album of the same title), and so on. 

1 – GREATEST HITS by JULIO IGLESIAS (2-CD version: Columbia/Legacy 88765 438212 2) CD One – Selections: 1. Begin The Beguine (Volver A Empezar) • 2. Crazy • 3. When I Need You • 4. Vincent (Starry Starry Night) • 5. 99 Miles From L.A. • 6. And I Love Her • 7. Always On My Mind • 8. Crazy In Love • 9. Fragile (with Sting) • 10. To All The Girls I've Loved Before (with Willie Nelson ) • 11. All Of You (with Diana Ross ) • 12. My Love (with Stevie Wonder ) • 13. When You Tell Me That You Love Me (with Dolly Parton ) • 14. Summer Wind (with Frank Sinatra ) • 15. Let It Be Me (with Art Garfunkel ) • 16. As Time Goes By (with Stephanie Spruill ) • 17. Se Ora Avessi Un Po' Di Te (Uno) • 18. Dizem Que Os Homens Nao Devem Chorar • 19. La Vie Defile En Silence (Como Han Pasado Los Anos). 

CD Two – Selections: 1. Hey • 2. Por El Amor De Una Mujer • 3. Me Va, Me Va • 4. Un Canto A Galicia • 5. El Dia Que Me Quieras • 6. Me Olvide De Vivir • 7. Corazon Partió • 8. De Niña A Mujer • 10. Amor, Amor, Amor • 11. Derroche • 12. La Cumparsita • 13. Nathalie • 14. Caballo Viejo/Bamboleo • 15. El Amor • 16. Caruso • 17. Devaneios (O Me Quieres O Me Dejas) • 18. Quelque Chose De France. 

1 – GREATEST HITS by JULIO IGLESIAS (2-CD+DVD version: Columbia/Legacy 88765 46961 2) CD One and CD Two (same as above). DVD – Starry Night: Live From the Greek Theatre – Selections: 1. Volver A Empezar (Begin The Beguine) • 2. Amor, Amor, Amor • 3. To All The Girls I've Loved Before • 4. Too Many Women • 5. La Polama • 6. Brazilian Medley: The Girl From Ipanema/Desafinado • 7. If You Go Away (Ne Me Quitte Pas) • 8. 99 Miles From L.A. • 9. When I Need You • 10. Bamboleo • 11. Moonlight Lady • 12. Pensami (Júrame) • 13. Hey • 14. Mona Lisa • 15. Ae, Ao • 16. Can't Help Falling In Love. (Previously released on VHS and internationally on DVD.) 

PR Newswire (http://s.tt/1zcOk)

Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame

Julio Iglesias in First Class to Enter Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame By Judy Cantor-Navas | January 28, 2013 5:35 PM EST

Manuel Alejandro, Jose Angel "Ferrusquilla" Espinosa, Jose Feliciano, Julio Iglesias, Armando Manzanero, and Concha Valdez Miranda are the first five songwriters to be honored by the recently created Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame at a ceremony presented in association with Billboard. 

The composers, from Spain, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Mexico and Cuba, will be inducted at a ceremony on Tuesday, April 23, at the New World Center in Miami Beach. John Leguizamo will host the gala event, which takes place during the Billboard Latin Music Conference.
Composer Desmond Child and composer/producer Rudy Perez, co-founders of the hall, announced the inaugural inductees today (January 28) at a press conference in Miami. Spanish pop singer/songwriter Natalia Jiménez -- who will receive a special award for young songwriters, Jon Secada, and members of the Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame Board of Directors joined Perez and Child for the announcement.

April's black-tie gala and subsequent Hall of Fame events will "honor the world's greatest Latin songwriters and their music in every genre." 

A nominating committee made up of songwriters, performing artists, musicians, producers, recording engineers, music critics and industry executives will meet once a year to nominate twenty-four candidates from all genres of Spanish and Portuguese-language music in the categories of Performing Songwriters and Non-Performing Songwriters. 

All members of the organization were eligible to vote for five out of the twenty-four of the inaugural round of nominees.

(Source: http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/latin-notas/1535684/julio-iglesias-in-first-class-to-enter-latin-songwriters-hall)

Video- Julio performs with Hati's President

(Source: YouTube)

Haitian President Rocks Out with Julio Iglesias in the DR

ALTOS DE CHAVON, Dominican Republic – Before becoming the president of Haiti, Michel Martelly was better known for his singing prowess and on-stage antics as singer "Sweet Micky." 

On late Friday, "Sweet Micky" returned to the stage in the Dominican capital to perform alongside crooner Julio Iglesias in a celebrity-studded concert in the Dominican Republic to help raise money for impoverished children. 

Among the attendees were Dominican fashion designer Oscar de la Renta, Venezuelan fashion designer Carolina Herrera and U.S. journalist Barbara Walters. SUMMARY An estimated 5,000 people filled an open-air amphitheater in the Altos de Chavon, a high-end residential complex east of the capital of Santo Domingo. Ticket prices ranged from $50 to $1,000. 

 Martelly thanked Iglesias for dedicating a concert of his "1 World Tour 2012" to Haiti's children. The proceeds will go to the Pink and White Foundation, a charity run by Martelly and his wife, Sophia. 

The duet represented Martelly's first performance outside Haiti since he was elected in May 2011. He was previously known for often bawdy performances before becoming president. "I've been a singer my whole life, but I never thought I'd be here next to you, singing," Martelly told Iglesias. 

Between laughter, jokes and hugs, the two men sang "Corazon, Corazon" in Spanish and "To all the girls I've loved before," in English. 

 Iglesias had visited Haiti following the devastating 2010 earthquake that officials say killed an estimated 300,000 people and left hundreds of thousands of people homeless. 

 "That's why the Dominicans are here today, with love, so that your children will be taken care of," Iglesias said. "This will show you, my president, the love of the Dominicans for Haitians." 

An estimated 5,000 people filled an open-air amphitheater in the Altos de Chavon, a high-end residential complex east of the capital of Santo Domingo. 

Ticket prices ranged from $50 to $1,000. 

 Based on reporting by the Associated Press. Read more: http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/entertainment/2012/12/29/haitian-president-rocks-out-with-julio-iglesias-in-dr/#ixzz2GXn7VD4p

Merry Christmas

 "Little Drummer Boy" performed by Julio Iglesias and Family.

Best Wishes for a very Happy Holiday and a great 2013!

Updated 2013 Tour Dates

March 2013 
2nd – Krasnodar, Russia 
5th – Rostov-on-Don, Russia 
8th – Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine 
11th – Kiev, Ukraine 
14th – Moscow, Russia 
17th – Saint Petersburg, Russia 

April 2013
6th – Manila, Philippines 
10th – Seoul, South Korea 
14th – Shanghai, China 
17th – Chengdu, China 
19th – Shenzhen, China 
21st – Beijing, China 
27th – Singapore 
30th – Taipei, Taiwan 

June 2013
 22nd – Albacete, Spain 
25th – Barcelona, Spain 
29th – Santander, Spain 

July 2013
3rd – Logroño, Spain 
6th – Alicante, Spain 
13th – Roquetas de Mar, Spain 

(Source: julioiglesias.com)

Haiti leader to join Julio Iglesias in DR concert

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti —

A spokesman for Haitian President Michel Martelly says that the former musician will share the stage with Spanish singer Julio Iglesias at a fundraising concert in the Dominican Republic.

Enrique Mari of Haiti's National Palace says Martelly will join Iglesias for two songs at the concert. The songs' titles won't be revealed because the promoter wants them to be a surprise but one will be in Spanish and the other in English.

The show will take place Dec. 28 in the tourist city of La Romana. Proceeds will go toward a charity of Haiti's First Lady, Sophia Martelly.

Michel Martelly was a popular, globe-trotting musician who performed under the stage name "Sweet Micky" before he took office last year. He still enjoys breaking out into song at public events.

Copyright The Associated Press

Asia Tour 2013

Asia Tour 2013
 

April 6th – Manila Hotel, Manila (Philippines) 
April 9th – Olympic Gymnastics Arena, Seoul (South Korea) 
April 14th – Grand Stage (Shanghai Gymnasium), Shanghai (China) 
April 17th – Sichuang Provincial Gymnasium, Chengdu (China) 
April 19th – Shenzhen Gymnasium, Shenzhen (China) 
April 21st – The Great Hall of The People, Beijing (China) 
April 27th – Hard Rock Hotel, Resorts World Sentosa (Singapore)

Source: julioiglesias.com

Julio Jr. gets married

After a seven-year engagement, the second child of Julio Iglesias and Isabel Preysler, Julio Iglesias Jr. and the model Charisse Verhaert said "I do" to one another at the El Rincon estate. The wedding was off-limits to the media, and reporters could only watch from the edge of the highway as the cars of some guests arrived at the estate in Aldea del Fresno outside Madrid. Charisse Verhaert arrived at 3:30 p.m. in a white Mercedes, while her bridegroom, Julio Iglesias Jr., showed up 40 minutes later in a green SUV. However, neither the singer Julio Iglesias nor Isabel Preysler, parents of the groom, were seen entering by the front door of El Rincon, and of the sisters and brothers only Ana Boyer was observed driving her car up to the estate. It was known, however, that the eldest of them all, Enrique Iglesias, could not attend because of work commitments. The wedding capped the seven-year engagement of the 39-year-old singer, model and actor, and the Belgian model, 30, who said "I do" dressed in a romantically styled classic design by Manuel Mota for Pronovias. The bride and groom chose Ana Boyer and Tamara Falco as bridesmaids, as revealed earlier by the latter who was the wedding planner at El Rincon, an estate owned by her father, Carlos Falco, marquis of Griñon. The wedding was all Tamara Falco hoped for, having brought together the three men who "have been such a part of the life" of her mother, Isabel Preysler: Julio Iglesias, Carlos Falco and present husband Miguel Boyer. EFE 

Source: http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/lifestyle/2012/11/03/julio-iglesias-jr-charisse-verhaert-say-do-among-family/#ixzz2BwVKBOzi

Julio Iglesias gives himself a musical do-over

Julio Iglesias hasn’t just gotten older; he’s gotten better.

“I sing now much better than I used to,” claims the 68-year-old balladeer. “You know, I was not a natural singer. I was not born a singer. But over the years I have learned. And crooners, at my age, it’s the best moment in their life. Tony Bennett is 86 and he sings like a bird. If I tell you the truth, now, on the stage, I’m 100 times better than I was.”

Trouble is, his old studio recordings aren’t. So Iglesias has become the latest artist to give himself a musical do-over by redoing the vocals on a score of his chart-topping signature songs for the just-released compilation 1. Recorded over the last few years in his home studio, the disc — which includes hits in English, Spanish and French, depending on your language of choice — includes both his solo recordings and his duets with everyone from Willie and Dolly to Sinatra and Paul Anka.

From his beachfront home in the Dominican Republic, the avuncular Iglesias called up to talk about singing all the songs he’s sung before, who he’d like to duet with next and what he plays to get in the mood. Some highlights:

Where did this idea come from? Was there a specific song you wanted to redo?

Let me tell you a story: I started to record music in 1969, when recordings were only four tracks and the sound was very primitive. Especially the songs that I did before 1982, when I came to America. The sound was not good. And when I was listening to that music more recently, I was thinking, ‘My God, it sounds horrible.’ I felt that I could do better. It’s not a question of ego, it’s a question of quality. So I recorded them again and now when I listen and compare, the sound is 100 times better.

Was it just the vocals or did you refurbish any of the music too?

All the basses are new. All the strings are new. Of course, you always respect the composition of songs that are No. 1 in half the world. It wasn’t like we made them more rock or pop or whatever. No. I was concerned that I could disappoint people in that way. But we did make much better sound in the music. It’s more deep, the bass.

Was it tough to reconnect with the original emotions in some of the songs?

No. Music, for me, is my life. I have a great family. But truly, the only moment in my life when the passion, the brains, the blood, the strength are together is when I’m singing. The only place I am genuine — when I feel alive and complete — is on the stage. And I would not have done this if I could not reach the passion that I had when I was young.

Are there young, contemporary singers today you admire and would like to sing with?

I don’t understand what contemporary means for me anymore. If you told me I would be able to do a song with Justin Timberlake, I would say yes. If you told me I could do a song with Bruno Mars, I would say yes. If you would tell me I could do a song with my son Enrique, I would say yes. But if you told me I could do a song with Lady Gaga, I would tell you, ‘I don’t know. What will the song be about?’ I don’t want to go to extremes that I cannot handle. I will not do something I cannot do good. I don’t want to be a comic. At my age, there is not too much time to lose.

What mountains would you still like to climb?

The goal I have now is to live as long as possible. Because you know, I am a very alive person. But I know I’m not on the top of the mountain. I know I’m going down. But I go slowly. I don’t want to go in a fast way. I know I cannot be the artist I was 25 years ago. But still the passion is alive. In my soul and my brain, I am much better than ever. Of course, physically I’m not a guy of 35 years old. I’m 68. But I want to be the best I can in front of the people. My life is to be on the stage until my last.

What about writing new songs or making a new album?

I will be making a new album next March or April. The idea is to do a global album — take an African singer, an Asian singer, a Canadian singer, a Latino singer, three or four Americans, and do an album that touches all the communities. It’s a very interesting idea. I don’t know yet who the Canadian singer will be. I would like to do it with Celine because she is my friend, but I don’t know. But if you ask me, ‘Julio why you don’t write new songs like you used to write 40 or 30 years ago?’ I will tell you that it is impossible. Even Paul McCartney — who is an incredible writer — or Billy Joel or Neil Diamond cannot write any more big songs.

Whose music do you put on when you’re trying to close the deal?

I make my babies without music.

(Source:  http://www.torontosun.com/2012/09/04/julio-iglesias-gives-himself-a-musical-do-over)