Written for Kurrent Music
Published May 6th 2017
Enrique Iglesias blog
In most of Europe, it’s pretty normal to link the Spanish language to the feeling of summer, and more importantly, the feeling of a summer holiday. So once Spring settles in (oops, didn’t mean to rhyme a little there), more Spanish-mixed-with-English type of tracks enter the charts in their battle to become the ultimate summer hit.
It’s funny how Enrique Iglesias has managed to participate in this race every year, since 1999. I thought he was a bit of a novelty back then, becoming successful thanks to the success of his dad as a smooth Latin singer. And the upcoming trend of Latin cross over artists like Ricky Martin and Shakira, all with the help of Gloria Estefan. Oh, and being a pretty boy. Well, it’s easy to underestimate.
I wasn’t focused on the Latin market, so what was a cross over moment for a successful artist in Latin music, felt like a debut to me. By 1999, Enrique had already made a name for himself in such a way that would outdo his dad.
Breaking through to the mainstream pop charts was a natural next step, and I guess, in a way, a beginning, but not the debut I thought it was. It was the beginning of a very long career.
