Enrique Iglesias Spices Up the Music Industryby Nora SummersbyIs Enrique Iglesias turning into his famous father Julio Iglesias? Julio was well-known as a world class Latin lover. His 25-year-old son has been linked to Geri Halliwell and more recently Christina Aguilera, and if his sexy new video is anything to go by, you’d think he was after his father’s crown. The in-demand star, whose duet with Whitney Houston “Could I Have This Kiss Forever,” appears on her Greatest Hits album, is best known for his hits “Bailamos” and “Rhythm Divine.”  People Magazine voted you one of the 50 most beautiful people in the world. Do you
think you are beautiful?I think when People Magazine votes they don’t mean beautiful in looks... I wasn’t the most beautiful in high school, I’ll tell you that much! You weren’t? No, I was a reject! I was the top 10 most rejected! I wasn’t the number one most rejected, but I was on the top 10 list. I got dumped on my junior high school prom and my high school prom. How pathetic is that? I know it sounds stupid and you may think I’m lying, but this is true. Well, you used to get dumped, and now all that has changed? At last my revenge... Ha-ha! I was a shy kid. That’s why I wrote music. I was so shy that I would lock myself up in my room and write lyrics. When it came to my true feelings, and someone would face me with something, I would lock myself up in my room. I would write about them in a song. I would write about my problems, my desires or if I had a crush on someone. What about the rumors about you and Christina Aguilera and you and Geri Halliwell? Geri, who? The ex-Spice Girl? I wish that was true! You see that’s stuff that you wish, but then no [laughs]! They mix you with so many people, and I’ve never even seen them. I wish I could see them. I wish I could see my supposed “girlfriends.” Let me at least touch them once! So many women so little time, huh? No. So many lies, so little women! Is it true that you don’t like to talk about your family? It’s not that I don’t like to talk about my family, but I’m here to talk about my music. Do you think you have become a musical artist due to your father? No, I think I have become who I am because of my music. I think I sell records and albums because of my music. I think I have a Grammy because of my music and I think I’ve been number one in countries because of my music. I don’t think any of my accomplishments have come to me because my father is a singer. I think when it all comes down to it, it’s about music. People buy music because they like it. They don’t care about where that person comes from, about his last name or what he looks like. They care about the music. Is your father proud of you? Yeah, both my parents are. I’ve always been very independent, but they’ve been great parents. Is it hard to compete with your brother [Julio Iglesias, Jr.]? No, my brother’s just starting out. He’s completely different. He still has to get his feet wet. I think, in a way; if it goes well for him, it goes well for me too. If he sells more albums than me, or my father sells more albums than me, I don’t mind. They’re my family and it’s good that they’re doing well. Thank God. If anyone’s going to sell more albums than me, it might as well be my family. Will we be hearing some work of the three of you together? No, not for now. How do you feel about people stereotyping Latin American music? There are so many different kinds of Latinos. There are Spanish, Mexicans, Cubans, Argentineans and they are all completely different. One is Flamenco, the other on is Salsa. Food and accent, it’s all different. The other day I was on the plane and a women said, “Oh you’re Latino. Do you Mambo? Do you Lambada?” What is she thinking? Ha-ha. It’s funny. But it is important that people learn the difference. Where did you go to school? I went to the University of Miami. I studied business.  So, how did you get into the music business?I did music before this, ever since I was a kid. Why study music when you know it? I wanted to do something different. I’ve been writing music since I was a little kid, so why go to music school? I’ve been working with music since I was a little kid, so it wouldn’t have made any difference. Not to seem overconfident, but I was over the music school thing. So, I thought, why not go to business school and learn two different things. Did you work on your music while you went to business school? Yes, definitely. What I would do was I would go to classes during the day and play afterwards with a bunch of my friends, write music and windsurf! Are you aiming for world domination? I’m trying to do the best I can, in work and in my life. And in your love life? World domination? No, I don’t think so. |