Enrique Miguel Iglesias Preysler is a Latin pop singer known for romantic ballads, dance pop, reggaeton, and bachata. He is also a songwriter, record producer, and Spanish actor. He was born in Madrid on May 8, 1975. He is the youngest son of the famous singer Julio Iglesias and the highly popular socialite in the Spanish gossip press, Isabel Preysler.
Enrique became very popular in America and also in Cuba in the 90s with his debut album Enrique Iglesias (1995), which produced several highly played and successful tracks such as "Experiencia religiosa," "Si tú te vas," "Trapecista," "No llores por mí," and "Por amarte." With this album, he won a Grammy Award for Best Latin Pop Album in 1997, and thanks to these singles, he reached the number one spot on the Billboard Hot Latin Tracks chart. He would later release the equally successful album Vivir (1997), from which Cubans remember the single "Enamorado por primera vez," and Cosas del amor (1998).
In his fourth album, Enrique (2000), which marked the Spanish artist's debut in the English-speaking market, the song "Bailamos" is featured as part of the original soundtrack for the film Wild Wild West, starring Salma Hayek and Will Smith, who personally requested that the singer include the track in the movie. This song reached the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States, helping to solidify his international career, further strengthened by other hits such as "Hero," "Escape," and "Don't Turn Off the Lights," all from the album Escape (2000).
Iglesias has won many awards and recognitions over his long career. With millions of copies sold, he has been honored multiple times with the Premio Lo Nuestro, Latin Grammy Awards, TVyNovelas Awards for Best Musical Theme, Premios Juventud, and he received the Grammy for Best Latin Artist in 1997. Additionally, many of his singles and albums have been recognized with the Billboard Latin Award and Billboard Music Award for featuring among the most popular entries on the U.S. charts.
In 2010, Enrique released Euphoria, an album featuring memorable collaborations with Juan Luis Guerra, Pitbull, Wisin and Yandel, Usher, Nicole Scherzinger, and Akon.
"When I Fall in Love," a duet with Juan Luis Guerra, a bachata written by the Cuban composer Descemer Bueno, and "I Like It" featuring Pitbull were major hits and ranked high on the charts. With this album, the artist achieved number one in sales in Spain, Mexico, and other countries. It was certified double platinum in the United States, platinum in Mexico and Colombia, and gold in Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, France, Russia, and Poland.
In April 2014, Enrique Iglesias brought Cuban musicians Gente de Zona and Descemer Bueno into the international spotlight after performing the song "Bailando" with them. The song had originally been recorded by the Cubans and was presented to Iglesias by Descemer, who mentioned that initially, the Spanish artist did not like it until he saw it recorded. That was when he decided to include it in his album "Sex and Love."
Later, the song was released by the record label Republic Records and performed by Enrique Iglesias, Descemer Bueno, and Gente de Zona. All versions of the music video were directed by Cuban producer Alejandro Pérez and filmed in Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and Portugal. This video propelled Cuban dancer Ana Karla Suárez to fame.
"Bailando" became a resounding success worldwide, staying on the charts for many weeks. In 2016, it earned two Guinness World Records in Mexico. Enrique Iglesias and Descemer have repeated their successful collaborations: In 2017, they released the single "Súbeme la radio" together with the Puerto Rican duo Zion & Lennox, and in 2018, they collaborated again on "Nos fuimos lejos," also featuring Micha.
In 2020, coinciding with the sixth anniversary of the release of the music video for the song "Bailando," Descemer Bueno announced that he was working on a second part of the single together with the Cuban group Gente de Zona, but it was not specified whether singer Enrique Iglesias would participate in it.
