| When you think of successful Latin music stars, one | | | | Antonio Banderas in the movie Once Upon a Time in |
| name instantly comes to mind: Enrique Iglesias. The son | | | | Mexico. |
| of a successful musician, Iglesias has rocked the | | | | Enrique Iglesias has become the biggest-selling |
| English-speaking music industry in more ways than one. | | | | Spanish-language pop star in the world. He has |
| Born in Madrid in 1975, Enrique's early life was spent in | | | | achieved a record breaking 16 number one songs on |
| Spain. He and his brother were sent to live with their | | | | the Billboard Latin chart. His albums have sold over 65 |
| father, singer Julio Iglesias, in Miami in 1983. That may | | | | million copies. His fame extends all over the world, |
| have been when his passion for music blossomed and | | | | even in countries where the primary language is |
| grew. | | | | neither Spanish nor English. |
| With the release of his first album in 1995, Enrique | | | | Recently, Enrique performed in Malta for the Isle of |
| established himself as somewhat of a phenomenon. | | | | MTV Malta Special. He won over the locals by |
| The album sold half a million copies in the first week | | | | proclaiming his love for the island nation while enjoying |
| alone. This is a rare feat, not only for an unknown | | | | the multitude of tourist activities there. Malta was |
| musician but especially for a non-English language | | | | apparently just as enamored of the star. Following his |
| album. | | | | performance, he was awarded honorary Maltese |
| His subsequent albums continued to fare much better | | | | citizenship by Valletta's mayor, Dr. Paul Borg Olivier. He |
| than anyone, even Enrique, expected. He developed a | | | | is only the second foreigner to receive this honor. |
| loyal fan base, many of whom didn't even understand | | | | Enrique leads what might, in the music industry, be |
| his Spanish lyrics. Several of his songs have appeared | | | | considered a quiet life. He has a long-term girlfriend, |
| in television shows and in movies. | | | | Russian tennis player Anna Kournikova, and he suffers |
| In 1999, Enrique crossed over in the English-language | | | | from very little negative publicity. When he was |
| music market with his fourth album, Enrique. There | | | | accused by Howard Stern of lip synching, he |
| were several notable Latin artists on the | | | | immediately performed live on Stern's radio show to |
| English-language charts at that time, and Enrique's | | | | clear his name. He maintains a good-natured and |
| emergence as a crossover artist gained him countless | | | | positive public image despite having been in the limelight |
| new fans. Since his first English-language release, | | | | for well over a decade. |
| Enrique has made albums in both Spanish and English. | | | | It's hard to imagine this superstar feeling that he needs |
| Since his rise to fame, this down-to-earth superstar | | | | to improve his music, but he has been quoted as |
| has seemed to live a golden life. His albums have all | | | | saying that he is constantly striving to make better |
| been well-received, making him one of the very few | | | | songs. He is clearly a focused and driven artist who |
| Latin-American crossover artists to enjoy long-standing | | | | will continue to capture hearts all around the world as |
| success. He has performed another difficult crossover | | | | his star continues to rise. |
| by acting in several small roles, including one alongside | | | | |