This happened with Enrique - Enrique Iglesias

4
NEWS IN 2011.
EUPHORIC FEELING
19th January - Written by Memo
Enrique Iglesias - celebrity spawn, Hispanic heartthrob,
and chart-topping music sensation - is excited:
his album, Euphoria, is being repackaged and rereleased
in 2011, as an accompaniment to a world
tour that includes stops at Madison Square Garden
in NYC (on February 5th) and Puerto Rico (on January
29th) courtesy of SBS Entertainment. Superstars such
as Pitbull, Akon, Juan Luis Guerra, and Wisin y Yandel
have lent their talents to features on the singer’s
first bilingual, bicultural effort, which has produced
chart toppers such as Cuando Me Enamoro (I Like
It), and was released to worldwide acclaim that took
him from Africa to Brazil and back around again.
Still, the 35-year-old singer-songwriter remains as
humble, humorous, and passionate as ever as he sat
down to talk about everything from the state of the
music industry to the surprises the fans can expect on
his multi-city, nearly-sold-out tour. “I want to make
this album as special as possible,” he said. “In the
past, I used to get upset when I would see artists put
out a “repackage.” But, when you make new songs
- when you give the fans something special - you
sort of get a whole new album with the “old” one!”
The new songs on the re-release reflect the musical
eclecticism that Iglesias - born in Madrid, Spain, and
reared in Miami from his 9th birthday - prides himself
on. “I’m so diverse, musically. When I lived in Spain,
I listened primarily to [local Spanish artists]. When I
came to America, I started listening to the legends -
Michael Jackson, Bruce Springsteen, Phil Collins and
Bob Seeger. I love Bob Seeger,” he said, who points
out that the soundtrack to his life would also include
songs from Juan Luis Guerra and Marco Antonio Solis.
And though Iglesias won’t spill the beans about
whom, precisely, will be making special guest
appearances on his tour - “I want it to be a
surprise,” he said mischievously - he’s happy to
talk about two things that he’s clearly passionate
about: being Latino, and being downloaded.
Of the downloads, Iglesias says that while, in the
past, he didn’t mind his songs being downloaded
so long as people supported the albums he
released, his stance has changed strongly in the
past few years. “I came from an era when people
bought albums,” he said. “But downloading
doesn’t really affect the artists who already have
an established career. Think of all the artists who
don’t have an established career - the up-andcomers!
All of their hard work is going to waste.
“The industry is suffering tremendously,” he
continued. “I’ve seen, firsthand, how dangerous
it’s become - people behind the scenes, who work
so hard to help the artist, no longer have jobs. No
one knows where the industry is going to be even
five years from now. And whereas you used to have
so many successful artists - superstars - nowadays,
you rarely hear about “phenomenons.” Maybe one
or two, like Lady Gaga. But not a whole movement.
“But I’m really optimistic,” he said, “because,
truthfully, music is a force that will never
die! Everyone has music that they consider
to be part of the soundtrack to their life.”
When asked about “being Latino,” however,
Iglesias is a bit more contemplative.