Do you know what it feels like to walk into a club and have people fall all over themselves just to be near you? Enrique Iglesias does. The tall, dark and very handsome Enrique, dressed comfortably in jeans and an Adidas baseball cap, welcomed such a scene at the CD release party of Euphoria held in Los Angeles.
The multi-platinum superstar, with chart-topping hits “Hero,” “Rhythm Divine,” “Bailamos,” “Do You Know?”… and 21 #1 tracks on Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs Chart, released his 9th album Euphoria, a diverse compilation of tracks featuring collaborations with Akon, Usher, Nicole Scherzinger, Pitbull and more. “I feel really satisfied with it. I think it’s the most eclectic album in my career. I’m not saying it’s the best, obviously that’s up to the fans to decide, but it’s definitely the most exciting album,” said Enrique.
His teaming up with different artists has made Euphoria an album that appeals to assorted tastes; perhaps expanding his fan base further—if that’s even possible (he has sold over 58 million albums worldwide). “I think the collaborations are cool... They’re artists from such different musical backgrounds and being able to mix all of them in one album has been fun and different. Every song, musically, is completely different from one another. A lot of the collaborations depended on the song. I kind of go more based on the song than really who it would be cool to collaborate with…, that’s kind of how it happened on this album.”
Euphoria is unique because this is Enrique’s first bilingual album --mixing English and Spanish. “I wanted to do this many years ago, but I don’t think the record companies were ready for it. Now, I’m with a different label: Universal Spanish and Universal Republic…and I thought it was the right time,” Enrique explained.
Enrique’s first released track on Euphoria, “I Like It,” featuring Pitbull and Lionel Richie, is his latest billboard chart-topper (at press time it was #5 on the Hot 100). The attention-garnering music video, which debuted at this year’s MTV Movie Awards, also featured MTV’s notorious Jersey Shore cast. “It was one of things that was, uh, different,” said Enrique about filming with the JS crew. “But I gotta tell you, the guys and the girls were a pleasure to work with. I say this is because, obviously, when we watch these reality shows you see the drama, the fighting and you think you’re going to see this in real-life, but the guys were great… They were down-to-earth, which is good to see. They know perfectly well where they stand. It must not be easy to go from being someone who’s not known to suddenly being extremely popular or famous. I think they handle it very well.” Lyrics from Lionel Richie’s hit “All Night Long” are also featured in the catchy song. “I worked with Lionel in the past, and he came by the studio and laid vocals on that.”
As for working with Pitbull, “Pitbull and I grew up in the same town. We have a bunch of friends in common and his energy is off the roof. He’s like a freakin’ Energizer Bunny. He doesn’t stop,” said Enrique. Their hometown is what Enrique credits for being the most influential in his career.
“Growing up in Miami, it was so diverse musically, because you have so much Latin influence and you also have the Anglo influence obviously. I always say that if I hadn’t grown up in Miami my music would be completely different. I don’t mean that for the better or the worst, I really don’t know. But I guarantee you it would be completely different because Madrid is different when it comes to music. I think about that a lot, believe it or not… it was tough for me to move to Miami because my parents were divorced. My mom stayed in Spain with my sister and it was a whole—it was a new culture, new climate, new friends. It took me a lot of time. It took me about a year to adjust. It was difficult, but once I adjusted I loved it. Now, I think about it and am like well, things happen for a reason because if I didn’t live here I don’t think I’d be able to sing in English or even have the influence that I have in my Spanish music,” Enrique expressed thoughtfully.
Being that music plays such a significant part in Enrique’s life, he makes sure to pick up the latest Apple products to stay connected. Enrique was excited to share that he recently purchased the new iPhone for his music needs. “I like the way that you can get music online so easily. That’s the main reason why I got it,” said Enrique about the iPhone. “With the iPhone you can buy music right there, so if I hear anything I like I can use Shazam --where you play the song and it tells you who is singing it and the name of the song.”
As for his trustee iPod, “I have 14,000 songs on my iPod. It’s too much. I’m going nuts going through it. I gotta start skimming it down,” said Enrique with a laugh. What artists will you find Enrique listening to? “The last song I bought was, ummm, let me see, was “Cooler than Me” [Mike Posner] … I got anything from Juan Luis Guerra, Lionel Richie, to Kings of Leon, Hombres G. I can name you a lot of people you wouldn’t know,” Enrique stated.
When Enrique has some downtime, it’s unlikely that you’ll find him gallivanting around town, this laidback guy prefers relaxing at home or going to the movies. “When I’m in Miami (where he resides), the couch is my favorite place --whenever I come home it’s usually from a long trip for work and I like staying home. But, I loooove being able to get away, like on the boat, going water skiing. Having a day off is great if you like the water.” When the sexy superstar is relaxing on his couch, what’s on TV? During the time of this interview, he robustly shared that “It’s all about the World Cup!” When I asked what team he was rooting for, straight-faced he replied, “I’m rooting for Jamaica.” Unfortunately, I had not been following the World Cup and made the mistake of responding with, “Ok, very cool.” Appalled with my reaction to his answer, Enrique busted out laughing. “Jamaica is not even playing! That shows me how much you watch the World Cup,” he exclaimed. Ooops. In my defense, I never claimed to be a soccer enthusiast. He’s the fan. Following my tiny gaffe, Enrique playfully shared that he was rooting for Spain, making sure to add, “And, they are in the World Cup, by the way.” There are worse things than getting teased by Enrique Iglesias.
He also divulged the two he cannot live without—his dogs: a Golden Retriever named Grammy and German Shepherd named Lucas. Inside Euphoria’s CD case you’ll find Enrique’s album dedication to Grammy (who sadly passed away recently) and a photo of the two together on the beach.
And of course, there is another special someone in Enrique’s life. Sorry ladies –yes, he is still dating beautiful, blond, ex-tennis player, Anna Kournikova. “All is cool. Everything is good,” Enrique said of their relationship.
The multi-platinum superstar, with chart-topping hits “Hero,” “Rhythm Divine,” “Bailamos,” “Do You Know?”… and 21 #1 tracks on Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs Chart, released his 9th album Euphoria, a diverse compilation of tracks featuring collaborations with Akon, Usher, Nicole Scherzinger, Pitbull and more. “I feel really satisfied with it. I think it’s the most eclectic album in my career. I’m not saying it’s the best, obviously that’s up to the fans to decide, but it’s definitely the most exciting album,” said Enrique.
His teaming up with different artists has made Euphoria an album that appeals to assorted tastes; perhaps expanding his fan base further—if that’s even possible (he has sold over 58 million albums worldwide). “I think the collaborations are cool... They’re artists from such different musical backgrounds and being able to mix all of them in one album has been fun and different. Every song, musically, is completely different from one another. A lot of the collaborations depended on the song. I kind of go more based on the song than really who it would be cool to collaborate with…, that’s kind of how it happened on this album.”
Euphoria is unique because this is Enrique’s first bilingual album --mixing English and Spanish. “I wanted to do this many years ago, but I don’t think the record companies were ready for it. Now, I’m with a different label: Universal Spanish and Universal Republic…and I thought it was the right time,” Enrique explained.
Enrique’s first released track on Euphoria, “I Like It,” featuring Pitbull and Lionel Richie, is his latest billboard chart-topper (at press time it was #5 on the Hot 100). The attention-garnering music video, which debuted at this year’s MTV Movie Awards, also featured MTV’s notorious Jersey Shore cast. “It was one of things that was, uh, different,” said Enrique about filming with the JS crew. “But I gotta tell you, the guys and the girls were a pleasure to work with. I say this is because, obviously, when we watch these reality shows you see the drama, the fighting and you think you’re going to see this in real-life, but the guys were great… They were down-to-earth, which is good to see. They know perfectly well where they stand. It must not be easy to go from being someone who’s not known to suddenly being extremely popular or famous. I think they handle it very well.” Lyrics from Lionel Richie’s hit “All Night Long” are also featured in the catchy song. “I worked with Lionel in the past, and he came by the studio and laid vocals on that.”
As for working with Pitbull, “Pitbull and I grew up in the same town. We have a bunch of friends in common and his energy is off the roof. He’s like a freakin’ Energizer Bunny. He doesn’t stop,” said Enrique. Their hometown is what Enrique credits for being the most influential in his career.
“Growing up in Miami, it was so diverse musically, because you have so much Latin influence and you also have the Anglo influence obviously. I always say that if I hadn’t grown up in Miami my music would be completely different. I don’t mean that for the better or the worst, I really don’t know. But I guarantee you it would be completely different because Madrid is different when it comes to music. I think about that a lot, believe it or not… it was tough for me to move to Miami because my parents were divorced. My mom stayed in Spain with my sister and it was a whole—it was a new culture, new climate, new friends. It took me a lot of time. It took me about a year to adjust. It was difficult, but once I adjusted I loved it. Now, I think about it and am like well, things happen for a reason because if I didn’t live here I don’t think I’d be able to sing in English or even have the influence that I have in my Spanish music,” Enrique expressed thoughtfully.
Being that music plays such a significant part in Enrique’s life, he makes sure to pick up the latest Apple products to stay connected. Enrique was excited to share that he recently purchased the new iPhone for his music needs. “I like the way that you can get music online so easily. That’s the main reason why I got it,” said Enrique about the iPhone. “With the iPhone you can buy music right there, so if I hear anything I like I can use Shazam --where you play the song and it tells you who is singing it and the name of the song.”
As for his trustee iPod, “I have 14,000 songs on my iPod. It’s too much. I’m going nuts going through it. I gotta start skimming it down,” said Enrique with a laugh. What artists will you find Enrique listening to? “The last song I bought was, ummm, let me see, was “Cooler than Me” [Mike Posner] … I got anything from Juan Luis Guerra, Lionel Richie, to Kings of Leon, Hombres G. I can name you a lot of people you wouldn’t know,” Enrique stated.
When Enrique has some downtime, it’s unlikely that you’ll find him gallivanting around town, this laidback guy prefers relaxing at home or going to the movies. “When I’m in Miami (where he resides), the couch is my favorite place --whenever I come home it’s usually from a long trip for work and I like staying home. But, I loooove being able to get away, like on the boat, going water skiing. Having a day off is great if you like the water.” When the sexy superstar is relaxing on his couch, what’s on TV? During the time of this interview, he robustly shared that “It’s all about the World Cup!” When I asked what team he was rooting for, straight-faced he replied, “I’m rooting for Jamaica.” Unfortunately, I had not been following the World Cup and made the mistake of responding with, “Ok, very cool.” Appalled with my reaction to his answer, Enrique busted out laughing. “Jamaica is not even playing! That shows me how much you watch the World Cup,” he exclaimed. Ooops. In my defense, I never claimed to be a soccer enthusiast. He’s the fan. Following my tiny gaffe, Enrique playfully shared that he was rooting for Spain, making sure to add, “And, they are in the World Cup, by the way.” There are worse things than getting teased by Enrique Iglesias.
He also divulged the two he cannot live without—his dogs: a Golden Retriever named Grammy and German Shepherd named Lucas. Inside Euphoria’s CD case you’ll find Enrique’s album dedication to Grammy (who sadly passed away recently) and a photo of the two together on the beach.
And of course, there is another special someone in Enrique’s life. Sorry ladies –yes, he is still dating beautiful, blond, ex-tennis player, Anna Kournikova. “All is cool. Everything is good,” Enrique said of their relationship.
No comments:
Post a Comment