Enrique Iglesias is a Spanish singer and actor known for leading Latin pop hits such as "Bailamos," "Hero," "Escape" and "Bailando." He became a major international artist after crossing from Spanish-language music into the English-language market, while also appearing in films and television series.
Personal life
Since 2001, Enrique Iglesias has been in a relationship with Russian tennis player Anna Kournikova, whom he met after she appeared in the music video for his song "Escape." They have four children: twins Nicholas and Lucy, born in 2017, daughter Mary, born in 2020, and son Romeo, born in 2025. The family resides in Miami.
Iglesias is the son of Spanish singer Julio Iglesias and socialite and journalist Isabel Preysler. He has two older siblings, Chábeli Iglesias and Julio Iglesias Jr.
From a secret debut to the English-language market
Iglesias began writing music as a teenager and initially kept his ambitions private from his parents. He recorded a demo with money borrowed from his nanny, Elvira Olivares, and promoted it under the name Enrique Martinez so that his famous surname would not influence the outcome. Fonovisa signed him in 1995, and his self-titled debut album established him as a successful Spanish-language recording artist.
His early albums Enrique Iglesias, Vivir and Cosas del Amor produced multiple number-one songs on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart. In 1999, "Bailamos," which appeared on the Wild Wild West soundtrack, reached number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. He followed that success with his first full English-language album, Enrique, which included "Rhythm Divine" and "Be with You."
The album Escape became his largest commercial success and included "Hero," "Maybe," "Escape" and "Don't Turn Off the Lights." He co-wrote the album and supported it with a world tour that included sold-out performances at Radio City Music Hall and London's Royal Albert Hall.
Bilingual albums and record-setting singles
Iglesias continued releasing music in both Spanish and English with albums including Quizás, 7, Insomniac, Euphoria and Sex and Love. Euphoria, released in 2010, was his first bilingual album, combining seven original English songs with six original Spanish songs. Its singles included "I Like It," featuring Pitbull, and "Cuando Me Enamoro," featuring Juan Luis Guerra.
The 2014 album Sex and Love produced "Bailando," a collaboration with Descemer Bueno and Gente de Zona. The song remained at number one on Billboard's Hot Latin Songs chart for 41 consecutive weeks, a record at the time, and won three Latin Grammy Awards including Song of the Year. Iglesias also recorded versions featuring Sean Paul, Mickael Carreira and Luan Santana.
After leaving Universal Music in 2015, Iglesias signed with Sony Music. His later singles included "El Perdón" with Nicky Jam, "Duele el Corazón" with Wisin, "Súbeme la Radio," "El Baño" with Bad Bunny, "Move to Miami" with Pitbull and "Me Pasé" with Farruko. He released Final (Vol. 1) in 2021 and Final (Vol. 2) in 2024, describing the two albums as his final album projects while continuing to write songs.
Acting, songwriting and philanthropy
Iglesias made his Hollywood film debut in Robert Rodriguez's Once Upon a Time in Mexico, playing the character Lorenzo alongside Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek and Johnny Depp. He later had guest roles in Two and a Half Men and How I Met Your Mother, where he played Gael, a love interest of Robin.
As a songwriter, Iglesias co-wrote "The Way" for Clay Aiken and Jennifer Lopez's "Dance Again." He also co-wrote "Un Nuovo Giorno" for Andrea Bocelli, later adapted into English as "First Day of My Life" for Melanie C, and co-produced the off-Broadway musical Four Guys Named Jose and Una Mujer Named Maria.
His charitable work has included co-producing Download to Donate for Haiti with Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park, supporting relief efforts after Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines and partnering with Save the Children on a heart-themed T-shirt campaign. He has also supported organizations including City of Hope, Habitat for Humanity, Special Olympics and the American Red Cross.
Quick facts
- Iglesias secretly recorded his first demo with money borrowed from his nanny, Elvira Olivares, and promoted it under the name Enrique Martinez.
- His song "Bailamos" reached number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 after appearing on the soundtrack of Wild Wild West.
- Iglesias performed during the halftime show at Super Bowl XXXIV.
- His album Quizás became the fastest-selling Spanish-language album in five years after selling a million copies in one week.
- Iglesias's song "Can You Hear Me" was selected as the official song of the UEFA Euro 2008 football tournament, and he performed it at the final.
- He became the first Western artist to perform in Syria in three decades when he played a concert in Damascus in 2007.
- The song "Bailando" stayed at number one on Billboard's Hot Latin Songs chart for 41 consecutive weeks, a record at the time.
- The Spanish-language video for "Bailando" became the first Spanish-language music video to reach one billion views on YouTube.
- Iglesias co-wrote Jennifer Lopez's song "Dance Again," which reached number one on Billboard's Hot Dance Club Songs chart.
- He co-produced the charity album Download to Donate for Haiti with Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park.
FAQs about Enrique Iglesias
What medical condition does Enrique Iglesias have?
Enrique Iglesias was born with situs inversus, a rare congenital condition in which some major organs, including the heart, are positioned on the opposite side of the body from their usual location.
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