Enrique Iglesias

"This is the album that is the most like me. I know it's a gamble but I have faith. If you want to be a success in anything, you have to take that big step." (Enrique Iglesias)

Enrique Iglesias is back with a new album titled "Escape" due for release in November 2001. This album will no doubt surprise his hardcore fans who made him the biggest-selling Spanish-language artist in the world as well as those who sent his first English-language album, 1999's "Enrique", to double platinum (six million worldwide) and two of its singles to #1 on the pop chart. Why? Because other than on the album's first single, the intimate ballad "Hero", Enrique rocks with stadium-sized songs that reflect his love for the music he grew up with.

From "Don't Turn Off The Lights" (and its Spanish version, "No Apagues La Luz") to "Making Love For Fun," "I Will Survive" and "World Crashes Down," Iglesias challenges expectations, while displaying his prowess as a songwriter.

"I'm Latin and always will be but my music is not. Even when I sang only in Spanish, it was still pop. What made it Latin was that I was the guy singing. I've always said my influences are the musicians of the '80s: Dire Straits, The Police, U2, even Bruce Springsteen. What I like most about that music is that it was made to be played in a huge arena. I'm going to enjoy singing the songs on this album in concert more than any others because I can see thousands of people singing along. These are songs I imagine someone playing driving their car and just going nuts, beating on the wheel and singing out loud and having fun."

While "Hero" satisfies the romantic balladeer side of Iglesias, the rest of the album fuels his rock 'n' roll heart. "This was the most fun I've had doing an album. I felt something in the studio I'd never felt before--magic. It all clicked. I was so into it I practically lived in the studio. At one point I didn't leave for three days straight and I just slept on the sofa," he says, adding with a laugh, "I didn't even take a bath."

For "Escape", Iglesias again worked with dance beat masters Paul Barry and Mark Taylor ("Bailamos," "Be With You" and "Rhythm Divine" and now "Hero," "One Night Stand," "She Be The One" and "Love To See You Cry"). Also returning was Lester Mendez (who produced "Sad Eyes" and now co-wrote/co-produced "World Crashes Down"). But while many might have attempted to duplicate a previous success, feeling the pressure of a follow-up, Iglesias chose to follow his own instincts. One result was the selection of highly respected but little known Morales as collaborator on five tracks on "Escape". A far more recognizable but also new choice was Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis for "Rocking Your World."

Iglesias, who co-wrote and co-produced nearly every song on "Escape", applied a unique litmus test to judge whether a song would make the album: "If you can play it in any style and it still sounds good. The test on 'Don't Turn Off The Lights' was doing it acoustic. We made 'I Will Survive' sound like anything from Run-DMC to disco. We took a lot of time mixing each song. Without a doubt, this is the most detailed album I've ever done."


"Enrique Iglesias" (1996) sold more than a million copies in three months (he earned his first gold record in Portugal in a scant seven days) and to date has sold more than six million worldwide. "Vivir" (1997) has enjoyed global sales of more than five million discs and launched his first world tour backed by sidemen for Elton John, Springsteen and Billy Joel. The critically acclaimed road trip was an immense commercial success as well--78 venues, including 50,000+ seat stadiums, in 16 countries, among them the U.S. His second world tour in 1998, with more than 80 performances in support of "Cosas del Amor" (which has sold almost four million copies), was the first ever sponsored by McDonald's. He also won the 1996 Grammy for Best Latin Performer, 1996's Billboard Artist of the Year, Billboard's Album of the Year for "Vivir", two American Music Awards, a World Music Award; eight Premio Lo Nuestro Awards; two ACE Performer of the Year Awards, and ASCAP prizes for Best Composer of 1996 and 1997, in addition to countless accolades around the world.

His talent and looks have also forced Hollywood to pay attention. Enrique recently landed his first feature film role in Robert Rodriguez' "Once Upon A Time In Mexico," alongside Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek and Johnny Depp. The Miramax feature will be released in 2002.

For this star who admits to being shy in private, music is indeed an escape. "What I want when I listen to music is what everyone wants--that it take me someplace else, make me happy or sad or remember a feeling. Music changes you."

And Enrique Iglesias just may change the borders people have put around pop music.