Julio Iglesias - birthday boy: the path to success and the personal life of the legendary performer

Childhood and youth

Julio was born in Madrid (year of birth - September 23, 1943). The musician's father, Julio Iglesias Puga, was a famous gynecologist in the country, and his mother, Maria del Rosario, was the homemaker of a happy family (housewife). Another boy grew up in the family of the future singer - his younger brother Carlos; the age difference between the children was very small.

Julio Iglesias in his youth

According to Iglesias’s childhood dreams and plans, he was supposed to become a diplomat, a lawyer, or build a sports career, because while studying after school at St. Paul’s Catholic College, he became seriously interested in football. From the age of 16, a young and promising young man played for the Real Madrid club as a goalkeeper, he was distinguished by excellent athletic abilities, and high hopes were placed on the guy.

But life decreed otherwise. On September 22, 1963, Julio was in a terrible car accident and lay in a hospital bed for 2 years. The lower limb was crushed, the spine was damaged, there was practically no hope that Julio would walk again. Fortunately, the hands of the would-be football player turned out to be uninjured, therefore, in order to somehow distract the young man, the attending physician allowed him to play the guitar.

Julio Iglesias played football

Here in the hospital, a young guy discovered a new talent - composing music and songs. At night, suffering from insomnia and body pain, he often listened to the radio and wrote poems on high topics (romanticism, human destiny).

Iglesias did not give up, first he stood on crutches, diligently developed his legs, read a lot of books on neurology and defeated the disease. Now only a minor scar on his face and a slight limp remind him of that terrible period.

Julio Iglesias in his youth

After being discharged from the medical institution, Iglesias returned to university, and after graduation he moved to England to study English. He studied in London and Cambridge, returning to Madrid and enrolled in the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, where he received an education in opera (tenor). But even at St. Paul's College, the choir director, having heard the boy's vocal abilities, recommended that he choose any profession in life with the exception of musical activity.

Some facts[edit | edit code]

• During a concert on June 24, 2008 in Yekaterinburg, Julio Iglesias interrupted the singing and informed the audience that he could not perform the song further. As it turned out, the singer had a heart attack[9]. Politely and very respectfully to the audience, Julio Iglesias explained in English the reason why he was forced to interrupt his performance and reschedule it from June 24, 2008 to June 26, 2008. The administration of the concert hall translated the singer's request into Russian and then officially notified him of the upcoming concert. It was also indicated that those interested can return tickets to the concert and receive money for them in a timely manner. On the day of the concert promised for June 26, 2008, it turned out that the public had handed over about a thousand tickets. Thus, the newly announced concert was attended by about 2.5 thousand people. The performer himself apologized to the public for the necessary postponement of the concert, and instead of the ordered concert lasting 1 hour and 30 minutes, the concert lasted exactly 2 hours.
• In September 2009, during a tour in Israel, Julio Iglesias said that his mother was Jewish by religion. He also half-jokingly called himself “a Jew from the waist up,” hinting that he was not circumcised as a child.[10]
• Julio Caracas, a character from the Canadian humorous animated series Crazy Heads, is a parody of Julio Iglesias; his hit “When I Saw You”[11] is a cover version of Iglesias’ hit Begin the Beguine
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Music

Julio decided to study English deeply for a reason. Friends liked his songs, so they invited the future musician to take part in a national competition, which was to be held in the resort town of Benidorm. To participate, you had to choose an English song.

In England, Julio Jose had the first impromptu concert in his life. The singer accidentally visited the Air Port Pub in the company of friends. There, in the hands of a stranger, he saw a guitar and asked him to perform a song. The Spanish composition “Guantanamero,” which tells the story of the unhappy love of a Cuban girl, was magnificently performed by a young man and shocked the audience present here. On this day, Julio received his first musical fee.

Julio Iglesias on stage

Later, the talented guy began performing in the pub on weekends, performing songs by popular musicians of that time: Tom Jones, The Beatles, Engelbert Humperdinck and others.

In Cambridge, Julio met one person - a French student Gwendoline Bollore. It was she who became his muse and close friend. Julio dedicated a song to her, which became a worldwide hit (“Gwendolyne” - 1970) and brought the singer a future fourth place at Eurovision.

Returning from England to his hometown, the aspiring musician and composer began searching for performers for his songs. Having donated several musical products to one of the Madrid recording studios, Julio soon receives a lucrative offer - to sing on his own and become a participant in a Spanish song competition.

Then, performing a song under the symbolic title “La Vida Sique Igual” (“Life Goes On”), the still unknown singer managed to win three awards simultaneously in the following categories:

1. "For the best performance."
2. "For the best text"
3. "For the best song."

It was a success. After a short period of time, Julio Iglesias worthily represents Spain at Eurovision (1970), participates in long foreign tours, and performs at prestigious European venues.

The talented musician stood out among the idols of those years. Julio always appeared on stage in a black tuxedo, a white shirt with a bow tie, and while singing he actively gesticulated, which aroused both admiration and ridicule among the audience. This manner of behavior was liked by the public, and his career quickly took off.

Within a few years of the Spanish Song Contest, Iglesias had won the title of his country's most famous and successful singer, as well as the most popular Spanish-language artist on the planet.

In 1969, Julio recorded his first disc. The musician’s hard work and unique talent led to the release of more than 80 albums performed by him. Over 300 million Julio Iglesias records have been sold worldwide. He has performed more than 5,000 concerts in various cities around the world, including Moscow.

The musician performed in a duet with the most famous performers of our time: maestro Frank Sinatra, Dolly Parton, Diana Ross and other celebrities. The big name of Julio Iglesias is included in the Guinness Book of Records.

Among the singer’s best compositions are: “Amor Amor”, “Besame Mucho”, “Abrazame”, “Baila Morena” and others. Thousands of views of the artist’s music videos on YouTube indicate his constant demand among listeners. It is possible to compare Ilesias’s performance with vocal hypnosis, which has an amazing effect on a person’s psychological state.

Discography[edit | edit code]

Participation in the discs of other singers[edit | edit code]

Personal life

In 1970, a young but already famous musician met the amazingly beautiful model and journalist Isabel Preysler. After interviewing Julio, the girl received an invitation to his next concert, and already in 1971 their wedding took place. But in 1979 the family broke up. From the first barque, the musician left three children: son Julio Iglesias Jr., daughter Maria Isabel, famous son Enrique Iglesias, with whom he continued to maintain relations.

Julio Iglesias and Enrique Iglesias

The marriage to Isabel turned out to be strange and unsuccessful for various reasons. The famous musician was constantly jealous of his wife, making her a hostage to the “golden cage,” while he himself enjoyed amorous relationships with different women. Soon after the divorce, Julio's children moved to live with him in Miami, because... It was not safe for them to be in Spain. The singer's father, Julio Iglesias Puga, was kidnapped by terrorists who demanded a huge ransom, and his mother decided to send Mario, Julio and Enrique to America.

Julio Iglesias and his family

On the one hand, the children were comfortable here, they did not need anything except the attention of their famous and constantly touring dad.

Julio Iglesias with his wife Miranda

The second and real marriage of Julio Iglesias was with a girl 22 years younger than him. Miranda Rinisburger is a former model who gave birth to the artist three sons (Rodrigo, Miguel and Alejandro) and twin daughters (Victoria and Christina). Despite her status as a mother of many children, Miranda managed to maintain a beautiful figure, and at the wedding ceremony, which took place after 20 years of marriage, she looked charming. This woman managed to win the heart of a famous performer, who claims that he is ready to live with her until the end of his days. Their love only grows stronger over the years.

Julio Iglesias now

Julio Iglesias's age can be called venerable, but the musician continues to write songs, release new albums, and travel around countries on tour. On May 25, 2020, he visited Moscow, performing a solo concert at the Kremlin Palace and presenting his new album “Mexico” to the audience. Julio boldly compared the Russian audience with the Spanish audience, finding similarities in temperament.

Julio Iglesias now

The great Spaniard admitted to Russian journalists that he adores and respects women, considers them life teachers and believes in energetic feminine power that can change the world.