Tulsa Interview

By JENNIFER CHANCELLOR World Scene Writer
Published: 10/31/2010 2:19 AM

Hot Julio will bring his brand of romance to Tulsa


He is the highest-selling Latin musician of all time, but it's often one English-language hit that still woos millions of women here in the United States.


His most famous is quite possibly "(Para Todas Las Chicas) To All the Girls I've Loved Before," which combined Julio Iglesias with country outlaw Willie Nelson in 1984.

These days, though, Iglesias plays things somewhat demurely. Relatively speaking.

"I am not young anymore. My heart and my brains are all I have to offer today," said the 67-year-old Iglesias in a recent phone interview. "I only have 18 or so years left, I guess. My past is over. What I need is the future."

Bah.

Don't believe him.

Let it be known that the globetrotting Prince Charming is still highly fluent in the language of love - and he's fully aware of who holds his heart strings. Indeed, his fans do.

"I am from the world, I live in so many places," said Iglesias, a native of Madrid, Spain. "I have a home in Florida, I'm in the Caribbean sometimes and sometimes in the plains. I live with my fans all over the world."

Iglesias speaks of life as if it's a extravagant fantasy, performing for legions of fans everywhere he goes.

"I spend 365 days on the 'road' - living, drinking good wine and singing. I don't understand my life without being on the road," he said, then laughed. "I am a typical Mediterranean man. We don't run straight, we run in curves."

He's zagged and zigged quite a path, including
40-plus years of hit songs in an array of languages, and performed in front of an estimated 60 million concertgoers. Iglesias is well known for emblematic tunes including "Vincent (Starry Starry Night)," "Crazy in Love," "When I Need You," "All of You" and dozens more.

The debonair crooner has sold 300 million copies of some 79 albums released worldwide. He's as much a part of the lush American music tapestry as anyone has ever been.

"I've performed with so many people. Stevie Wonder to Art Garfunkel to the Beach Boys to Dolly (Parton) to Willie (Nelson) to Diana Ross to Sting. I don't know that there's one person I still would want to sing with that I haven't already."

His eight children and wife, Miranda Rijnsburger, travel with him often - but not enough. "I miss my sons Enrique and Julio. I want to sing more with them."

The way Iglesias speaks about his life (especially with his Spanish accent), it's all been as easy as a tropical breeze. To him, each performance is a romantic endeavor. Music is something he gives without hesitation.

"What does 'romantic' mean to me? Romantic is different for each person. To me, it's saying yes to love someone without expecting anything back," he said, then clarified, "Romanticism is inviting people to spend time with you. Vulnerability is beauty. Music is love.

"For me, marriage is the ultimate romance - tell your readers that."

(Source: http://www.tulsaworld.com/scene/article.aspx?subjectid=269&articleid=20101031_269_D2_CUTLIN114119)