Look up Enrique :} in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Enrique (Spanish pronunciation: [enˈrike]) is the Spanish variant of Heinrich of Germanic origin.^[1] As a given name, it ranked 298 out of 1219 for males of all ages in the 1990 U.S. Census. Equivalents in other languages are Henry (English), Enrico (Italian), Henrik (Norway), Henri (French), and Henrique (Portuguese). Common nicknames of Enrique are Kiki, Kiko, Kike or Quique (also spelled Kiké) and Enriqueto or "Enriquito" (meaning "Little Enrique").

Enrique is also a surname and, as a surname, it ranked 32067 out of 88799 for people of all ages in the 1990 U.S. Census. A variant surname is Enriquez (Son of Enrique)

• Enrique of Malacca, slave who may (see article for details) have been the first person to travel around the world
• Enrique Aguirre, athlete
• Enrique Álvarez Félix (1934–1996), Mexican actor
• Enrique Lizalde, Mexican actor
• Enrique Bolaños Geyer, former President of Nicaragua (2002–2007)
• Enrique Bunbury, Spanish singer and band member of Heroes Del Silencio
• Enrique Campos, Venezuelan road bicycle racer
• Enrique-Alfonso Castillo, Australian-Canadian landscape architect
• Enrique Escalante, Puerto Rican volleyball player
• Enrique de la Fuente, Spanish volleyball player
• Enrique Granados, Spanish pianist and classical composer
• Enrique Iglesias, Spanish singer
  • Enrique Iglesias (album), his 1995 album
  • Enrique (album), his 1999 album
• Enrique Fernando Ortiz Moruno, Spanish football player
• Enrique Martin Morales, Puerto Rican singer better known as Ricky Martin
• Enrique Jardiel Poncela, Spanish playwright
• Jose Enrique, Spanish football player
• Enrique Sabari, Cuban weightlifter
• Quique González, Spanish singer-songwriter
• Quique Sánchez Flores, Spanish football coach
• Enrique Murciano, Cuban-American actor (Without A Trace)
• Jorge Enrique Adoum (1926-2009), Ecuadorian writer

References[link]

See also[link]

• Henry (disambiguation)

This page or section lists people that share the same given name. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change that link to point directly to the intended article.

Enrique Iglesias
Enrique Iglesias, during an interview with MuchMusic.
Background information
Birth name	Enrique Miguel Iglesias Preysler
Born	(1975-05-08) May 8, 1975 (age 37) Madrid, Spain
Genres	Pop, Latin pop, R&B, dance-pop, soft rock, rap
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, actor, record producer, model
Instruments	Vocals, guitar
Years active	1994–present
Labels	Fonovisa, Interscope, Universal Music Latino, Universal Republic, Polydor
Website	www.enriqueiglesias.com

Enrique Iglesias (born Enrique Miguel Iglesias Preysler; May 8, 1975) is a Spanish singer, songwriter and occasional actor, popular in both the Latin market and the Hispanic American market in the United States. He is the son of the famous Spanish singer Julio Iglesias. Within five years of beginning his musical career in the 1990s, he became the biggest seller of Spanish-language albums of that decade. He made his crossover into the mainstream English language market before the turn of the millennium, signing a multi-album deal with Universal Music Group for an unprecedented US$50,000,000 with Universal Music Latino to release his Spanish albums and Interscope to release English albums. In 2010, he parted with Interscope and signed with another Universal Music Group label, Universal Republic.

Iglesias has sold over 100 million records worldwide, making him one of the best selling Spanish language artists of all time.^[1] He has had five Billboard Hot 100 top five singles, including two number-ones, and holds the record for producing 22 number-one Spanish-language singles on the Billboard's Hot Latin Tracks.^[2] He has also had ten number-one songs on Billboard's Dance charts, more than any other single male artist. Altogether, Iglesias has amassed 55 number-one hits on the various Billboard charts. Billboard has called him The King of Latin Pop and The King of Dance. Billboard also named Enrique the number two Latin artist of the years 1986–2011 (Luis Miguel taking the first spot).^[3]

Early life[link]

Iglesias was born in Madrid, Spain,^[4] and is the third and youngest child of singer Julio Iglesias and socialite and magazine journalist Isabel Preysler. His mother is Filipina^[5][6] and his father is of Spanish ancestry from Galicia.^[7][8] His parents' marriage was annulled in 1979.

In 1986, Iglesias' grandfather, Dr. Julio Iglesias Puga, was kidnapped by the armed Basque terrorist group ETA. For their safety, Enrique and his brother, Julio Iglesias, Jr., were sent to live with their father in Miami.^[9] He also lived in Belgrade, Serbia, for one year with his mother.^[10] As his father's career kept him on the road, the young Iglesias was raised by the family nanny. He attended the prestigious Gulliver Preparatory School, where he made his singing debut in a production of Hello, Dolly!.^[11] Iglesias later went on to study business at the University of Miami.^[12]

Iglesias did not want his father to know about his plans for a musical career and did not want his famous surname to help advance his career. He borrowed money from his family nanny and he recorded a demo cassette tape which consisted of a Spanish song and two English songs. Approaching his father's former publicist, Fernan Martinez, the two promoted the songs under the stage name 'Enrique Martinez' with the backstory of being an unknown singer from Guatemala. Iglesias was signed the Mexican label Fonovisa. After dropping out of college, he traveled to Toronto to record his first album.^[13]

Music career[link]

[edit] 1995–96: Enrique Iglesias

On July 12, 1995, Iglesias released Enrique Iglesias, a collection of light rock ballads, including hits such as "Si Tú Te Vas", "Experiencia Religiosa", and others. The record sold half a million copies in its first week, a rare accomplishment then for an album recorded in a language other than English, going Gold in Portugal within the first week of release, and sold over a million copies in the next three months.^[11]

His song "Por Amarte" was included in Televisa's telenovela Marisol, but with a twist: instead of Por amarte daría mi vida (To love you, I'd give my life), the words were Por amarte Marisol, moriría (To love you, Marisol, I'd die). The CD also yielded Italian and Portuguese editions of the album, with most of the songs translated into those languages.

Five singles released from this album, such as "Por Amarte", "No Llores Por Mí", and "Trapecista" topped the Billboard's Latin charts. The album went on to win Iglesias a Grammy Award for Best Latin Pop Performance.

[edit] 1997–99: Vivir and Cosas Del Amor

Iglesias with Ronald McDonald in 1999, his Cosas del Amor tour was sponsored by McDonald's.

In 1997, Iglesias' star continued to rise with the release of Vivir (To Live), which put him up with other English language music superstars in sales for that year. The album also included a cover version of the Yazoo song "Only You", translated into Spanish as "Solo en Tí".

Three singles released from Vivir ("Enamorado Por Primera Vez", "Sólo en Ti" and "Miente") topped the Latin singles chart as well as those in several Spanish-speaking countries. Along with his father and Luis Miguel, Iglesias was nominated for an American Music Award in the first-ever awarded category of Favorite Latin Artist. It was said beforehand that the elder Iglesias would walk out if he did not win the award. Iglesias lost out to his father, but did perform the song "Lluvia Cae" at the event.

Insisting on playing stadiums for his first concert tour, that summer, Iglesias , backed by sidemen for Elton John, Bruce Springsteen and Billy Joel, played to sold-out audiences in sixteen countries. Beginning in Odessa, Texas the tour went on to three consecutive nights in Mexico's Plaza de Toros, two consecutive nights at Monterrey's Auditorio Coca Cola and two at the Estadio River Plate in Buenos Aires, Argentina to over 130,000 people as well as 19 arenas in the U.S.^[14]

In 1998, Iglesias released his third album, Cosas del Amor (Things of Love). Taking a more mature musical direction, the album, aided by the popular singles "Esperanza" and "Nunca Te Olvidaré", both of which topped the Latin singles chart, helped cement his status in the Latin music scene.

Iglesias did a short tour of smaller venues to accompany the release of the album, with one show being televised from Acapulco, Mexico. This was followed by a larger world tour of over eighty shows in even bigger venues. The Cosas del Amor Tour was the first ever concert tour sponsored by McDonald's.

He won an American Music Award in the category of Favorite Latin Artist against Ricky Martin and Los Tigres del Norte. The song "Nunca te Olvidaré" was also used as the theme music for a Spanish soap opera of the same name and he sang the song himself on the last episode of the series.

[edit] 1999–2000: Enrique

By 1999, Iglesias had begun a successful crossover career into the English language music market. Thanks to other successful crossover acts, most notably that of Ricky Martin and Selena, Latino artists and music had a great surge in popularity in mainstream music. After attending one of his concerts Will Smith asked Iglesias to contribute to the soundtrack of his movie Wild Wild West, his contribution "Bailamos" was released as a single and became a number one hit in the US.

After the success of "Bailamos", several mainstream record labels were eager to sign Iglesias. Signing a multi-album deal after weeks of negotiations with Interscope, Iglesias recorded and released his first full CD in English, Enrique. The pop album, with some Latin influences, took two months to complete. It contained the song Rhythm Divine, a duet with Whitney Houston entitled "Could I Have This Kiss Forever", and a cover of the Bruce Springsteen song "Sad Eyes".

In 2000 Iglesias performed at the Superbowl halftime show with Christina Aguilara. Shock jock Howard Stern repeatedly played a tape of a supposedly very off-key Iglesias on his radio show and accused the Iglesias of not being able to sing live. On June 8th 2000 Iglesias sang the song live on Stern's show with just a guitar accompanying him. After the performance Stern remarked "I respect you for coming in here; you really can sing".^[15] Iglesias would remark that the controversy was the best promotion he could have. The album's single Be With You became Iglesias's second #1 single on Billboard's Hot 100.

[edit] 2001–02: Escape

In 2001 Iglesias released his second English language album Escape. Where most of the Latin crossover acts of the previous year experienced some difficulty matching the record sales of their first English language albums, Iglesias actually went on to sell even more. The album's first single, "Hero", became a number one hit in the United Kingdom, and in many other countries. The entire album was co-written by Iglesias.

Escape is his biggest commercial success to date. The singles "Escape" and "Don't Turn Off The Lights" became radio staples, fairing well and placing highly or topping various charts both in North America and elsewhere. A second edition of the album was released internationally and contained a new version of one of Iglesias's favorite tracks, "Maybe", as well as a duet with Lionel Richie called "To Love a Woman".

Iglesias capitalized on the album's success with his "One-Night Stand World Tour" consisting of 50 sold-out shows in 16 countries. Including Radio City Music Hall and three consecutive nights in London's Royal Albert Hall, the tour ended with a big show at Stadium National Lia Manoliu in Bucharest, Romania. The concert launched MTV Romania, with the video for "Love to See You Cry" being the first to be shown on the channel.

The second leg of the tour, "Don't Turn Off The Lights", was completed in the summer of 2002, with two sold-out nights in Madison Square Garden and another two in Mexico's National Auditorium. The tour finished with a single show in the Roberto Clemente Coliseum in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

[edit] 2002–04: Quizás & 7

In 2002, Iglesias chose to release a fourth Spanish-language album titled Quizás (Perhaps). A more polished musical production than his previous Spanish albums and containing more introspective songs, the album's title track is a song about the strained relationship Iglesias has with his famous father.

The album debuted at number 12 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, the highest placement of a Spanish language album on the chart at the time. Quizás sold a million copies in a week, making it the fastest-selling album in Spanish in 5 years. The three singles released from the album all ended up topping the Latin chart, giving Iglesias a total of 16 number ones on the chart. He currently holds the record for the most number one singles on Billboard's Latin Chart. His last single from the album, "Para Que la Vida", reached a million spins on U.S. radio, the only Spanish language song to do so.^[16]

The video to the song "Quizás" was the first Spanish language music video to be added to the selection on one of MTV's popular show Total Request Live. Iglesias performed the song on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, becoming the first to sing a Spanish song on the show, and opening doors for other artists such as Ricky Martin, Juanes and Jorge Drexler to perform their Spanish material. Iglesias included songs from Quizás in his "Don't Turn Off the Lights Tour", and the album went on to win a Latin Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album.

By 2003 Iglesias released his seventh album, which he called 7, the second to be co-written by Iglesias. Among its more 1980s-inspired material, it features the song "Roamer", which he wrote with his friend and longtime guitarist, Tony Bruno. The CD also contained the song "Be Yourself", a song about independence (the chorus talks about how Iglesias' own parents did not believe he'd ever succeed in his singing career). The first single was the song "Addicted", and was followed closely by a remix of the song "Not in Love", featuring Kelis.

With this album, Iglesias went on his biggest world tour to date. The highly publicised tour started with twelve shows in the United States ending with Iglesias playing at Houston Rodeo and continued on to several countries, most of which he'd never previously visited playing to sold-out arenas and stadiums in Australia, India, Egypt and Singapore before ending his tour in South Africa.

[edit] 2007–08: Insomniac

Iglesias performing on August 29, 2007.

Iglesias released his new album Insomniac on June 12, 2007. The album was so named due to it being recorded mainly at night. The album contained a more contemporary pop style than that of previous albums. The album's highlights include "Push", with rapper Lil' Wayne, as well as "Ring My Bells", and a cover of Ringside's "Tired of Being Sorry".

The first single "Do You Know? (The Ping Pong Song)" was released on April 10, 2007. It was the Iglesias's highest charting song on the Hot 100 since "Escape" it was also a hit throughout Europe peaking in the top 10 in many countries and the Spanish version entitled "Dímelo" was #1 on Hot Latin Tracks for 12 weeks becoming his second best performing song on that chart.

Iglesias followed up with the ballad "Somebody's Me", which was released as a single in the American continent. The song was played extensively on AC radio and peaked high on Billboard's Hot AC, where the Spanish version also performed well. In Europe, the second single was "Tired of Being Sorry", which performed well in many countries; he recorded a version of the song with French singer Nâdiya which was #1 in France for eleven weeks.

On July 4, Enrique Iglesias became the first Western artist to play a concert in Syria in three decades when he performed for a sold-out crowd of 10,000 in the capital [Damas] and in the same week performed on Live Earth in [Hamburg].

The Insomniac World Tour was launched at the Dome in Johannesburg, South Africa, the same venue he ended his last world Tour and took him to sold out arenas throughout Europe. It was his first arena tour of the UK with him playing venues such as Manchester's MEN Arena and Wembley Arena. The tour ended with Iglesias performing at newly opened L.A. Live. A second leg of the tour has taken him throughout Latin America from Mexico to Argentina.

A solo version of "Push" was added to the soundtrack of the movie Step Up 2 the Streets. The song was regarded as the third single from the album. A music video was shot which features the film's lead actors. Despite never being officially added to radio the song has charted in several countries and is one of his most highly rated songs amongst fans.

Iglesias's song "Can You Hear Me" has been chosen as the official song of the UEFA Euro 2008 football tournament.^[17] He performed the song live at the June 29, 2008 final in Vienna, Austria.^[18] The song featured on a re-issue of the Insomniac album being released in certain countries.

[edit] 2008–09: Greatest Hits albums

Iglesias released a Spanish Greatest Hits album on March 25, 2008 which included his seventeen #1 songs on Hot Latin Tracks chart, plus two new songs. The first single was the song "Dónde Están Corazón", which is written by Argentine star Coti and became Iglesias's 18th #1 single on Billboard's Hot Latin Songs. The album debuted at #1 on Billboard's Latin Albums Chart and #18 on the overall Billboard 200 albums chart. It was Iglesias's second Spanish album to debut in the top 20 of the Billboard 200 (Quizás debuted at #12 in 2002). The album was certified double Platinum (Latin field) in the U.S. and in some Latin American countries.

The album's second single "Lloro Por Ti" had an official remix featuring Wisin & Yandel which also reached #1. Iglesias did a tour of the US. Beginning in Laredo, Texas and ending at the Izod Center in New Jersey he was accompanied though most of the tour with Bachata band Aventura who also performed "Lloro Por Ti" with him at the Premios Juventud.

Iglesias was a surprise performer at the Lo Nuestro Awards, opening the show with a medley of "Dónde Están Corazón" and "Dimelo". He also performed at the Billboard Latin Music Awards, where he received a special award.

After the success of his Spanish Greatest Hits compilation, Iglesias released a compilation of his English language hits on November 11. The album includes "Can You Hear Me" as well two new songs. The first single is entitled "Away" featuring Sean Garrett and was followed by "Takin' Back My Love" featuring Ciara.^[19]

The compilation includes English hit songs such as "Bailamos", "Hero", "Be with You", "Not in Love" and "Escape" which have topped various Billboard charts (two of which did so on the Hot 100) as well as songs such as "Rhythm Divine", "Tired of Being Sorry" and "Do You Know? (The Ping Pong Song)", which have also topped charts in Europe.

After the successful collaboration with Nadiya Iglesias has recorded a second duet with her called "Miss You" which featured on a deluxe edition of the album.

The album debuted at #3 on the official UK Albums Chart and sold over 80,000 copies in its first two weeks of release alone.

Iglesias was the winner of two World Music Awards in the categories of "World's Best Selling Latin Performer" and "World's Best Selling Spanish Artist", in the ceremony held in Monaco on November 9, 2008.

[edit] 2010–present: Euphoria

Earlier in 2010, Iglesias featured in the charity song We Are the World 25 for Haiti along with 25 other top artists from USA in order to raise funds for the Earthquake hit Haiti area. It was produced by Quincy Jones, and executively produced by Lionel Richie, and Haitian-American musician Wyclef Jean. Enrique also recorded the song "It Must Be Love" for the album Download to Donate for Haiti for the same cause.

On July 5, 2010, Iglesias released his ninth and tenth studio albums, Euphoria, his first work to be released under his new label, Universal Republic. The album is Iglesias's first bilingual album with seven original English songs and six original Spanish songs.^[20] The album has won Billboard Music Award for Top Latin Album, Billboard Latin Award for Latin Album of the Year and Latin Pop Album of the Year and was nominated for Latin Grammy Award for Album of the Year.

Iglesias worked with three (actually four but one isn't mentioned) producers whom he has worked with before; RedOne, Mark Taylor and Carlos Paucer. The album features collaborations with Akon, Usher, Nicole Scherzinger, Ludacris, Pitbull, Juan Luis Guerra and his third duet with Wisin & Yandel. In a joint venture with Universal Latino Iglesias will release different singles in both languages simultaneously to different formats.

The first English single from the album, "I Like It", which features the rapper Pitbull, was released on May 3, 2010 in the U.S. and became a success, reaching number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100.

"Cuando Me Enamoro" was released as the lead Spanish single from the album. The song debuted at number 8 and number 25 on U.S Latin Pop Songs and U.S. Hot Latin Songs, respectively. The song became his 25th top 10 single on the U.S. Billboard Hot Latin Songs & after 4 weeks of its release date it became his 21st No.1 song on this chart.^[21][22]

As of January 2011 "Tonight (I'm Fuckin' You)" broke into the top 10 on the Billboard charts reaching no 4.^[23] The song was released only for digital download in the U.S. although was featured on some Editions of "Euphoria" in Europe and some Asian areas. The song has became his first #1 on the US Pop Songs and Hot 100 airplay Charts.^[24]

A remix version of "Dirty Dancer" was released and became his ninth Dance Club play chart topper making him the male with the most number-one dance singles. tying with Prince & Michael Jackson.^[25][26] "Ayer" serves as the albums seventh single.

The Euphoria Tour has taken him across the US, Canada UK and Europe. A second which has taken him to Australia will include leg will include fellow artists Pitbull and Prince Royce and will be across North America. Iglesias was finalizing production for an extension to Euphoria, titled Euphoria Reloaded, however due to the poor commercial performance of I Like How It Feels featuring rapper Pitbull, plans of the rerelease were cut.The song topped the Billboard Hot Dance-Club Songs,making him the male artist with most number-one dance singles. Iglesias has recently collaborated with Dev on a song called "Naked". It was released on iTunes on December 20, 2011. This song was written by Iglesias.

Iglesias announced on 30 April, 2012 in a press conference at Boulevard3 that he would go on a joint world tour titled Jennifer Lopez and Enrique Iglesias in Concert with Jennifer Lopez & Wisin & Yandel. The trek is presented by State Farm Insurance and promoted by AEG Live. ^[27]

On May 22, 2012 Iglesias performed at the first Q102 Springle Ball 2012 concert, among the songs he performed were "Tonight I'm Loving You", "Hero", and "I Like It".

Songwriting, producing, and acting[link]

Iglesias has collaborated with songwriter Guy Chambers to write "Un Nuovo Giorno", the lead single from Andrea Bocelli's first pop album. The song was later translated into English as "First Day of My Life" and recorded by Spice Girl Melanie C. The song has since gone to become a huge hit throughout Europe, and peaked in the number one spot in numerous countries. Iglesias also wrote the single "The Way" for American Idol runner up Clay Aiken. Four songs co-written by Iglesias appear on the UK band The Hollies' current album. Many times Iglesias has said that should he ever retire, he wants to write and produce songs for other artists. In 2010 Idol Allstars 2010 (Swedish Idol Series) released a song "All I Need Is You" co-written by Iglesias with Andreas Carlsson, Kalle Engström and Kristian Lundin. It went straight to iTunes #1.

In 2000, Iglesias co-produced an off Broadway musical called Four Guys Named Jose and Una Mujer Named Maria. In the musical, four Americans of Latin heritage possess a common interest in music and meet and decide to put on a show. The show contained many references and allusions to many classic and contemporary Latin and pop songs by the likes of Carmen Miranda, Selena, Richie Valens, Santana, Ricky Martin and Iglesias himself.

Iglesias also developed an interest in acting, starring alongside Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek and Johnny Depp in the Robert Rodriguez film Once Upon a Time in Mexico, in which he played the foul-mouthed gun-wielding Lorenzo. In 2007, he had guest starred in the TV comedy Two and a Half Men as a carpenter/handyman. He says that he would act again if given small roles that he could fit in between his musical commitments.

He also guest starred as Gael, an Argentinean guitar playing/surfer/massage therapist love interest of Robin in season 3 of the CBS hit TV show How I Met Your Mother.

Iglesias also played the part of an evil Roman emperor in an ambitious TV commercial for Pepsi, which sponsored his last world tour. He starred alongside Britney Spears, Beyoncé and Pink, who turn the tables on him in the commercial. He's also starred in commercials for Tommy Hilfiger, Doritos and for Viceroy watches.

Personal life[link]

Iglesias started dating tennis player Anna Kournikova in late 2001 (she appeared in his video, "Escape"), and rumors that the couple had secretly married circulated in 2003 and again in 2005. Kournikova herself has consistently refused to directly confirm or deny the status of her personal relationships. But in May 2007, Enrique Iglesias was quoted (incorrectly, as he would clarify later) in the New York Sun that he had no intention of marrying Kournikova and settling down because they had split up^{[citation needed]}. The singer would later deny these rumors of "divorce" or simply separation^{[citation needed]}. In June 2008, Iglesias told the Daily Star that he had married Kournikova the previous year and that they are currently separated.^[28] In an interview with Graham Norton in 2010, Kournikova confirmed that she and Iglesias have been together for over eight years but have no plans to marry in the near future.^{[citation needed]}

Discography[link]

• Enrique Iglesias (1995)
• Vivir (1997)
• Cosas del Amor (1998)
• Enrique (1999)
• Escape (2001)
• Quizás (2002)
• 7 (2003)
• Insomniac (2007)
• Euphoria (2010)

Filmography[link]

Tours[link]

• Vivir World Tour (1997)
• Enrique World Tour (2000)
• One Night Stand World Tour (2002)
• Insomniac World Tour (2007)
• Greatest Hits Tour (2009)
• Euphoria Tour (2010-12)
• Jennifer Lopez and Enrique Iglesias in Concert (2012)

Awards and nominations[link]

• Enrique Iglesias is one of the most celebrated Latin musical artists of all time. He has won 16 Billboard Music Awards and 23 Billboard Latin Music Awards, as well as 5 American Music Awards, a Grammy, a Latin Grammy and 7 World Music Awards. He also won an award for Best International Pop Act at the MTV India Awards. As well as being named "King of Latin Pop", he has won 15 Premios Lo Nuestro awards. In 2000, he was also awarded Most Fashionable Artist at the VH1/Vogue Fashion Awards. In 2001, for the release of his second English studio album Escape, he received awards for Best-Selling Pop Male Artist and European Male Artist at the World Music Awards.^[29] Iglesias also won an award for Most Successful Spanish Artist of the Decade at Premios Ondas in 2002.

See also[link]

Latin American music portal

• List of best-selling Latin artists
• List of best-selling music artists
• List of best-selling singles worldwide

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Enrique Iglesias

• Enrique Iglesias at the Internet Movie Database
• Official Enrique Iglesias website
• Official Interscope Records website
• Enrique Iglesias on Myspace
• Enrique Iglesias's channel on YouTube
• Enrique Iglesias on Facebook
• Enrique Iglesias profile at NNDB

Daddy Yankee
Background information
Birth name	Ramón Ayala
Also known as	Winchester 30-30 El Cangri El Jefe The Big Boss DY El Máximo Lider
Born	(1977-02-03) February 3, 1977 (age 35)
Origin	San Juan, Puerto Rico
Genres	Reggaeton, Latin rap, hip-hop
Years active	1992–present
Labels	El Cartel, Interscope, Sony Music Latin
Website	daddyyankee.com

Ramón Luis Ayala Rodríguez (born February 3, 1977), known artistically as Daddy Yankee, is a Latin Grammy Award-winning Puerto Rican reggaeton recording artist. Ayala was born in Río Piedras, the largest district of San Juan, where he became interested in music at a young age. In his youth he was interested in baseball, and aspired to become a Major League Baseball player. He was unable to continue this sport when he received an injury to one of his legs, leaving him unable to walk correctly. He then became involved in the underground rap movement that was in its early stages in Puerto Rico, later to be called reggaeton. After receiving lessons from several artists within the genre, he developed an independent career, first recording in a production titled Playero 37. After this he began to produce independent albums. His first solo album was No Mercy. He subsequently formed a duo with Nicky Jam, and then continued his solo career with the releases of El Cartel and El Cartel II. This led him be one of many pioneers of the reggaeton genre earning him the nickname "El Cangri".

In 2002 El Cangri.com became Ayala's first album with international success, receiving coverage in the markets of New York and Miami. Barrio Fino was released in 2004, and the album received numerous awards, including Lo Nuestro Awards and a Latin Billboard, as well as receiving nominations for the Latin Grammy and MTV Video Music Awards. Barrio Fino performed well in the sales charts of the United States, Latin America, Europe, and Japan. On June 5, 2007, El Cartel Records released El Cartel: The Big Boss, which was ranked as the top-selling album in Latin music genres in 2007. He promoted the album with an international tour which began in the United States and continued through Latin America, breaking attendance records in Ecuador and Bolivia.

His performances have appeared on more than 70 albums, including compilations such as Mas Flow 2 and Blin Blin Vol. 1. Outside of his work as a musician, Ayala has also worked as an actor and producer. Throughout his career, he has been generally reluctant to discuss his personal life, but has publicly expressed the importance of his wife and children to him.

Following the incident, he became interested in the underground movement, which at the time was in an early organizational stage.^[1] He also took more interest in the events that took place in the neighborhood in which he was raised, a public housing project named Villa Kennedy.^[2] Early in his career he attempted to imitate the style of Vico C. He went on to emulate other artists in the genre, including DJ Playero, DJ Nelson, and DJ Goldy, taking elements from their styles in order to develop an original style.^[1] In doing so, he eventually abandoned the traditional model of rap and became one of the first artists to perform reggaeton.^[1] Ayala first recorded with DJ Playero as a featured artist in a production titled Playero 37, which was released in 1992.^[2]

Musical career[link]

Independent productions[link]

His first album, titled No Mercy, was produced in 1995 when Ayala was eighteen years old.^[2] The production did not sell well, and he continued his work within the genre for the rest of the decade, eventually forming a duo with Nicky Jam. One of the duo's songs, "Posición", was included in the soundtrack of One Tough Cop, a movie directed by Bruno Barreto, that was released in 1998. Beginning in 2000, Ayala began concentrating more on his solo career, releasing albums produced outside studios. The first production he released was titled El Cartel, featuring elements of the mixtape style.^[2] In 2001 El Cartel II was released, a direct sequel to the previous production, and influenced by similar genres.

In 2005 El Cangri.com was released, and became the first album in Ayala's career to sell well outside Puerto Rico, mostly in the United States.^[2] The album was produced by VI Music, an independent recording studio in Puerto Rico, and was not supported by a major label.^[2] The most successful single from the album was "Latigazo", which received significant play on radio stations in New York and Miami.^[2] The album reached #43 on Billboard's Top Latin Albums chart.^[2] Following the release of this disc, Ayala performed at the Roberto Clemente Coliseum before 12,000 fans.^[3] The following year VI Music produced Los Homerun-es.^[2] The album became the leader in sales in Puerto Rico during a year in which several other reggaeton artists released significant productions, including Luny Tune's Mas Flow, Don Omar's The Last Don, and Tego Calderón's El Abayarde.^[2] The album's success helped Ayala receive the publicity required for a crossover to the United States market, and marked the last album he released with VI music before signing a contract with Universal

2004–2005[link]

Ayala's next album, Barrio Fino, was produced by Luny Tunes and released in July 2004 by El Cartel Records and VI Music. It was the most highly anticipated album in the reggaeton community.^[4] Ayala had enjoyed Salsa music since he was young, and this led him to include music of genres besides reggaeton in the album.^[4] The most prominent of these cross-genre singles was "Melao", in which he performed with Andy Montañez.^[4] The album was described as his most complete, and with it he intended to introduce combinations of reggaeton and other genres to the English-speaking market.^[4] Barrio Fino was followed up by an international tour with performances in numerous countries including the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Honduras, Spain, Colombia, Argentina, Venezuela, and the United States.^[4] The album has sold over 500,000 copies in the United States alone and has sold well throughout Latin America and worldwide.^[5]

In 2005 Ayala won several international awards, making him one of the most recognized reggaeton artists within the music industry.^[6] The first award of the year was Lo Nuestro Awards within the "Latin music" category, which he received for Barrio Fino.^[6] In this event he performed "Gasolina" in a performance that was described as "innovative".^[6] Barrio Fino also won the "Reggaeton Album of the Year" award in the Latin Billboard that took place on April 28, 2005,^[6] where he performed a mix of three of his songs in a duo with P. Diddy. The album was promoted throughout Latin America, the United States, and Europe, reaching certified gold in Japan. Due to the album's success, Ayala received promotional contracts with radio stations and soda companies, including Pepsi.^[7] His single "Gasolina" received the majority of votes cast for the second edition of Premios Juventud, in which it received eight nominations and won seven awards.^[6] Ayala also made a live presentation during the award ceremony. "Gasolina" received nominations in the Latin Grammy and MTV Video Music Awards.^[6]

The successful single, "Gasolina", was covered by artists from different music genres. This led to a controversy when Los Lagos, a Mexican banda group, did a cover with the original beat but changed the song's lyrics.^[8] The group's label had solicited the copyright permission to perform the single and translate it to a different music style, but did not receive consent to change the lyrics; legal action followed.^[8] Speaking for the artist, Ayala's lawyer stated that having his songs covered was an "honor, but it must be done the right way."^[8]

2006–present[link]

On April 30, 2006, Ayala was named one of the 100 most influential people by Time magazine, which cited the 2 million copies of Barrio Fino sold, Ayala's $20 million contract with Interscope Records, and his Pepsi endorsement.^[9] During this period, Ayala and William Omar Landrón (more commonly known by his artistic name Don Omar) were involved in a rivalry within the genre, dubbed "tiraera". The rivalry received significant press coverage despite being denied early on by both artists. It originated with a lyrical conflict between the artists begun by Ayala's comments in a remix single, where he criticized Landron's common usage of the nickname "King of Kings".^[10] Don Omar responded to this in a song titled "Ahora Son Mejor", part of his album Los Rompediscotecas.^[10]

El Cartel: The Big Boss was released by Interscope on June 5, 2007. Ayala stated that the album marked a return to his hip-hop roots as opposed to being considered a strictly reggaeton album.^[11] The album was produced in 2006, and included the participation of will.i.am, Scott Storch, Tainy Tunes, Neli, and personnel from Ayala's label. Singles were produced with Héctor Delgado, Fergie, Nicole Scherzinger and Akon.^[11] The first single from the album was titled "Impacto", and was released prior to the completion of the album. The album was promoted by a tour throughout the United States, which continued throughout Latin America.^[11] He performed in Mexico, first in Monterrey, where 10,000 attended the concert, and later at San Luis Potosí coliseum, where the concert sold out, leaving hundreds of fans outside the building.^[12] Ayala performed in Chile as well, and established a record for attendance in Ecuador.^[13] He also performed in Bolivia, setting another record when 50,000 fans attended his Santa Cruz de la Sierra concert.^[13] This show was later described as "the best show with the biggest attendance in history" and as "somehappy that his album had sold more than those of Juan Luis Guerra and Juanes, and that this was an "official proof that reggaeton's principal exponent defeated the rest of the genres".^[14] Ayala made a guest appearance in an album titled "Caribbean he loved the color reed|Inner Circle]], Bounty Killer, Elephant Man and Wayne Wonder.^[15] In July 2008, Ayala announced that as part of his work, he would produce a cover version of Thalía's song, Ten Paciencia.^[16] Prior to the album's release, Ayala scheduled several activities, including an in-store contract signing.^[17] On February 27, 2009, he performed at the Viña del Mar International Song Festival in Chile.^[18] In this event, the artists receive awards based on the public's reaction. After performing "Rompe", "Llamado de emergencia", "Tú me dejaste caer", "Gasolina", "Limpia parabrisas" and "Lo que pasó, pasó" over the course of two hours, Ayala received the "Silver Torch", "Gold Torch" and "Silver Seagull" recognitions.^[18] On April 24, 2009, he received the Spirit of Hope Award as part of the Latin Billboard Music Awards ceremony.^[19] The recognition is given to the artists that participate in community or social efforts throughout the year. The single "Grito Mundial" was released on October 8, 2009,^[20] in order to promote his ninth album, Mundial. Despite releasing "El Ritmo No Perdona (Prende)" more than a month before, that single was not considered the first official promotional single.

Film and other career projects[link]

Ayala has negotiated promotional deals with several companies outside of the music industry, releasing merchandise under his name. In 2005, he became the first Latin artist to sign a deal with Reebok, in order to produce accessories,^[21] including the licensed clothing line "DY", which was released in 2006.^[22] He also teamed up with the company to have his own shoes and sporting goods made, which were first distributed on May 23, 2006.^[11] Reebok continued the partnership with the introduction of the Travel Trainer collection in July 2007. In August 2007, Pepsi began an advertising campaign titled "Puertas", in which Ayala is depicted returning to his youth by opening a series of doors.^[23]

In 2008, Ayala participated in a campaign to promote voting in the 2008 general elections in Puerto Rico. This initiative included a concert titled "Vota o quédate callao".^[24] On August 25, 2008, Ayala endorsed John McCain's candidacy for President of the United States, stating that McCain "has been a fighter for the Hispanic community".^[25] As part of this campaign, Ayala moderated a debate titled “Vota o quédate callao: los candidatos responden a los jóvenes”, which was aired on October 9, 2008.^[26]

Ayala has worked in the film industry as both an actor and producer. His acting debut was the lead role of Vampiros, a film directed by Eduardo Ortiz and filmed in Puerto Rico.^[27] The film premiered at the Festival of Latin American Cinema in New York, where it received a positive reaction. This led Image Entertainment to produce a DVD, internationally released in March 2005.^[27] Ayala played the main role "Edgar" in Talento de Barrio, which was filmed in Puerto Rico and directed by José Iván Santiago. Ayala produced the film, which is based on his experience of growing up in a poor city neighborhood.^[28] While the film is not directly a biography, Ayala has stated that it mirrors his early life.^[28] Talento de Barrio's debut was scheduled for July 23, 2008, in New York's Latino Film Festival.^[29] After the premier, Ayala expressed satisfaction, saying that he had been invited to audition for other producers.^[30] On release, Talento de Barrio broke the record held by Maldeamores for the most tickets to a Puerto Rican movie sold in a single day in Caribbean Cinemas.^[31]

Ayala has been involved in the administration of three organizations, the first being El Cartel Records which he co-owns with Andres Hernandez. He also created the Fundación Corazón Guerrero, a charitable organization in Puerto Rico which works with young incarcerated people.^[32] On April 26, 2008, he was presented with a "Latino of the Year Award" by the student organization Presencia Latina of Harvard College, receiving it for his work with Puerto Rican youth and creating Corazón Guerrero.^[33] On February 6, 2008, Ayala announced in a Baloncesto Superior Nacional press conference that he had bought part of the Criollos de Caguas' ownership.^[34]

Personal life[link]

Ayala has kept most of his personal life private, rarely speaking about it in interviews.^[35] He has said that he avoids doing so because such details are the only aspect of his life that are not public and that they are like a "little treasure".^[35] He made an exception in 2006 when he spoke about his relationship with his wife and children in an interview with María Celeste Arrarás in Al Rojo Vivo.^[35] He stated that his marriage is strong because he and his wife are "friends above anything", adding that he has tried to ignore other temptations because "weakness is the reason for the downfall of several artists."^[35] He also described his "very close" communication with his children, in which he tries to offer advice against drugs and negative influences.^[35] His first daughter was born when he was seventeen years old,^[35] which he has described as confusing at first, adding that raising a daughter at that age was a hard experience.^[36]

Studio albums[link]

• 1995: No Mercy
• 2002: El Cangri.com
• 2004: Barrio Fino
• 2007: El Cartel: The Big Boss
• 2010: Daddy Yankee Mundial
• 2012: Prestige

Filmography[link]

Film

Television

See also[link]

	Biography portal
	Puerto Rico portal
	Music portal

• Latin American music
• List of Caribbean music genres
• List of Puerto Ricans
• List of Puerto Rican songwriters
• Urban contemporary

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official site
• Daddy Yankee at the Internet Movie Database