Spanish crooner Julio Iglesias performed some of his classics and other songs for fans in Miami, where he has long had a home. The 70-year-old singer received numerous ovations Saturday night at
the American Airlines Arena, where the audience went wild at times and
sang along with many of the old standards. The suave Iglesias showed that he knows how to connect with an audience with his unique style. Iglesias performed songs like "Caruso" and "El Amor," engaging the audience with his thoughts between songs. "I've been asked so many times about what it is that an artist likes.
What we like most is coming back. Being in Miami is a privilege for me,
as it is to continue being loved," Spain's best known singer told the
audience at the sold-out American Airlines Arena. Iglesias performed "Manuela," "Me Olvide de Vivir," "Un Canto a
Galicia" and "Abrazame," among other hit songs, on the Miami stop of his
world tour. "If the passion I feel from you was not there, I would be working at a
law firm," Iglesias said with a smile before performing "Hey." The singer, who has sold more than 300 million records worldwide,
opened the show with "Amor, Amor, Amor" and closed with "Me Va, Me Va," a
song that got the audience on its feet. Iglesias returned for a long encore after the audience lured him back
on the stage with shouts of "One more! One more!" and "Julio, don't
go!"
(CNN) -- Before the interview for Talk Asia, all I
knew about Julio Iglesias was that he sings love songs -- and that the
ladies seem to love him.
What I didn't know, was
this is a man who was born to be famous and not even a life-threatening
injury from a car accident would stop him.
His story is one made for
the silver screen. It has all the elements that tug at your heart
strings: family drama, near-death experience, triumph over adversity,
ultimate success, and a plot that just keeps on going.
Iglesias' renowned voice
has made him a superstar worldwide but his first foray into the
spotlight wasn't through his voice, it was his feet.
The football pitch was where he got his first taste of what it feels like to be adored by the crowds.
Real deal
From a young age,
Iglesias showed his fancy footwork in Real Madrid's junior league.
Rising through the ranks, he would eventually become goalkeeper for
Real's reserve team.
Iglesias humbly admits he
was never a real football talent but he had the discipline which would
see him play with the biggest names of that generation.
While his dream to play
for the Primera Division would never be realized, just being in close
proximity to the players and playing in the same stadium was enough to
feel the call of something big.
"You feel 50,000 people
in the stadium and you go on the grass and the magic starts. You feel
like are something else. All the dreams that you have for years come
back in a reality and you are in front of so many people playing a match
and you win, you lose. It's passion, it's courage," he said.
Accident
Perhaps it's that
courage that saw him through one of the most challenging times of his
life. When he was 19, a drive home after a party with two friends ended
in tragedy.
While taking a curve in
the road, the car he was driving crashed, leaving him clinging on to
life. What would come would crush his dreams of ever playing football
again. The crash compressed a nerve in his spine leaving him paralyzed
from the chest down; a paralysis that would see him bed-ridden for two
years.
"All I felt at that time was 'Why? Why has this happened to me?'
"I'm someone who
believes there's a reason for everything. Sometimes that belief is
challenged but more often than not, I believe events take place that
force you to think, feel, and act in ways you may never have before. I
believe people come into your life for a reason."
For Iglesias, that belief was crystallized in that devastating moment, and those challenging two years changed his life.
What he did not realize at the time was that it would all change for the better.
Musical discovery
A nurse who was treating
him brought Julio a guitar. The gesture was two-fold: a distraction
from the depression of what kind of a life would lie ahead, and a means
to exercise the dexterity and strength in his fingers and hands.
He discovered a passion for music that he didn't know he had. And perhaps more than anything, a renewed purpose in life.
"I started to move my
toes. I started to get up, I started to walk albeit painfully, and I
started to realize that I could survive ... I started to think that I
could be alive again ... So from that day I took chances. I disciplined
my life. Without discipline I would not be here. I would not be talking
to you, I would not be a singer, and I would be nothing. Discipline woke
up my life again."
The rest as they say is history.
Devoted following
Eighty albums released
in 14 languages, over 300 million records sold worldwide, and a devoted
following of women who hear that something in his voice that knows no
boundaries of language. Despite claiming to be "not that great" of a
singer, Iglesias' ability to connect to a global audience has served him
well. He says it's his passion for music and for people.
Perhaps, though, what
they see is his vulnerability, a quality he himself says "is the most
attractive thing that an artist can have."
"Since that time I
understood that music, and the passion for music, was my life ... I was
not a good singer, I didn't even know how to write a song ... but I
realized what an incredible opportunity I had. The life came back to my
eyes and I became a singer."
SAN ANTONIO – When superstar Julio Iglesias is on the telephone and
it’s close to Valentine’s Day, one has to ask the international king of
the romantic ballad for some insights into the ways of love. He’s a
good sport about it, too. “No, it’s not silly,” said Iglesias in late January in that
inimitable voice. “I understand that the readers, if you do not ask me
that question, they will kill you.”
Iglesias is set to perform at Majestic Theatre on April 3. This year
marks the 30th anniversary of his smash hit with Willie Nelson, “To All
the Girls I’ve Loved Before.”
What makes for perfect Valentine romance? “You know, Hector, if I
would have the formula and I would write the book, I will give you 30
percent of the book for the rights, OK? You will write, and I will tell
you. And I promise you, we will have a No. 1 book all over the world.” Then, after a perfectly timed pause for effect, Iglesias ‘fessed up: “I don’t have any (expletive) idea,” he joked. But seriously, does Iglesias enjoy Valentine’s Day? “For me, I’ve
been on a honeymoon all my life. No, no, no. I think it’s much better to
surprise somebody not on the 14th of February, the 14th of January, for
example. The 25 of September or whatever. Say it to somebody with the
eyes, with the eyes, not with the words, that you love her,” he said. “That’s important. To wait until the 14th of February (is a
commercialized custom) . . . the reality is, I don’t think, really, the
14th of February means a lot. You don’t have to waste so many days for
one day a year to tell somebody that you love her, OK?” This writer’s personal memo to guys about heeding Iglesias’ advice:
Don’t forget Valentine’s Day — accidentally or on purpose. Only Julio
Iglesias can get away with that.
Julio Iglesias has been wooing audiences for more than 45 years and
even after selling more than 300 million albums worldwide, at 70, he is
still firmly holding the mic.
Julio Iglesias On this edition of Talk Asia, CNN’s Monita Rajpal catches up with the
man known as the ‘Latin Lover’ as he croons his way through China. In a frank conversation, Iglesias and Rajpal cover decades of his
colorful career cornerstones in music and his time as a professional
footballer. The singer shares memories of family and friends, and
vividly recalls the devastating accident that became pivotal in changing
the course of his life.
CNN’s Talk Asia will be seen on Jan. 23 at 4:30 p.m.; Jan.y 24 at
1:30 p.m.; Jan. 25 at 3:30 p.m.; Jan. 26 at 12:30 a.m.; Feb. 1 at 8:30;
and on Feb. 2 at 3:30 p.m. CNN International is available from your favorite cable and satellite TV provider.
5- Panama City, Panama 8- Puerto Ordaz, Venezuela 14- Valencia, Venezuela 16- Caracas, Venezuela 22- Miami, Florida 25- Clearwater, Florida 28- Naples, Florida
March-
2- Jacksonville, Florida 27- Highland, California 28- Scottsdale, Arizona 29- Alburquerque, New Mexico
April- 10- Valley Center, California 11- Reno, Nevada 12- West Wendover, Nevada 24- New York City, New York 26- North Bethesada, Maryland 27- Newark, New Jersey 29- Red Bank, New Jersey
May-
2- Mashantucket, CT 3- Atlantic City, NJ 13- London, England 29- Montreal, Canada 30- Toronto, Canada 31- Windsor, Canada
Julio Iglesias returns to Carnegie Hall for the first time in 25 years for a one-night-only performance, on April 24. This concert is part of the Medal of Excellence Gala, honoring legendary fashion icon and philanthropist Oscar de la Renta.
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.”
