Interscope was the chosen label by Iglesias and he released his first English album Enrique before the year ended. This propelled Iglesias’ popularity and attracted labels like bees to a honeypot. His single “Bailamos” was included in the soundtrack of the 1999 comedy Wild Wild West. He did get the “Favorite Latin Artist” award in the American Music Awards. Unfortunately his own father beat Iglesias to the accolade. The following year Iglesias released Cosas del Amor, his third studio album, and was nominated for a “Best Latin Pop Performance” award in the Grammys. He had his first ever tour which spanned 16 countries with all venues sold out. Enrique Iglesias’ Rise to Fameġ997 saw the release of Iglesias’ second album Vivir which again enjoyed millions of sales and critical praise. It was quite a feat for an album packed with songs not in English. Enrique Iglesias peaked Latin charts, was certified Gold, and earned Iglesias multiple accolades from the American Music Awards and the Grammys. In 1995 his eponymous debut album was released and it proved to be a massive success. Iglesias dropped out of college after two semesters and he only told his parents about this when he was already halfway through recording in Toronto. With the help of Fernan Martinez, a publicist who used to work for his father, Iglesias sent out his demo tapes to various labels but found no success.Įventually his efforts paid off when Fonovisa Records contacted him for a record deal. Iglesias used the pseudonym “Enrique Martinez” because he didn’t want people to think that he’s just riding on his father’s popularity. He first borrowed cash from his nanny which he used to record a cassette containing English and Spanish songs.
Later on Iglesias realized that a career in music proved to be a very bright path to the future.