Efe, efe or EFE may refer to one of the following.

Science and engineering[link]

• The Einstein field equations
• Early fuel evaporator
• Endocardial fibroelastosis, a heart condition in young children

People[link]

Individuals[link]

• Efe Aydan, Turkish former professional basketball player
• Efe Cakarel, Turkish entrepreneur
• Efe İnanç, Turkish footballer

Groups/populations[link]

• Efe people, an Mbuti pygmy people
  • the Efe language
• Efe (zeibek) were leaders of Turkish outlaws and soldiers

Other[link]

• Efe ceremony (see Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity)

Sports[link]

• Trofeo EFE, a Spanish football award
• EFE, a Spanish news agency

Vehicles and transport[link]

• Empresa de Ferrocarriles Ecuatorianos
• Empresa de los Ferrocarriles del Estado, a railway in Chile
• Exclusive First Editions, a producer of die-cast bus models

See also[link]

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Steve Lukather
Steve Lukather, July 2007 in Walker, Minnesota
Background information
Born	(1957-10-21) October 21, 1957 (age 54) San Fernando Valley, California, U.S.
Genres	Hard rock, pop rock, jazz fusion
Occupations	Musician, songwriter, producer
Instruments	Guitar, vocals
Years active	1975–present
Labels	Mascot Records
Associated acts	Toto, Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band, Los Lobotomys, Larry Carlton
Website	http://www.stevelukather.net/
Notable instruments
Music Man "Luke" signature model Ibanez Roadstar RS-1010SL Yamaha acoustic–electrics Ovation Adamas

Steven Lee "Luke" Lukather (born October 21, 1957) is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, arranger, and record producer best known for his work with the rock band Toto. A prolific session musician, Lukather has recorded guitar tracks for more than 1,500 albums representing a broad array of artists and genres. He has also contributed to albums and hit singles as a songwriter, arranger, and producer. Lukather has released six solo studio albums and is working on his seventh.

In 1976, when Lukather was nineteen years old, he was invited by his high school friends David Paich and the Porcaro brothers Steve and Jeff to join them in forming their band, Toto. He remained a member until the band split up in 2008, and has been involved in their periodic reunion tours. Lukather's reputation as a guitarist and his association with Paich and Jeff Porcaro, who also became established artists, allowed him to secure a solid flow of session work in the 1970s and 1980s. Lukather has been nominated for twelve Grammy awards, and has won five. While his work with Toto was predominantly based on pop rock music and his solo work ventures into progressive rock and hard rock, many of Lukather's side-projects are focused on jazz fusion. He held a long-time collaboration with jazz guitarist Larry Carlton that produced a Grammy-winning live album, and he was a member of the jazz fusion band Los Lobotomys, a collaboration of notable session musicians.

Influenced by such blues-rock guitarists as Jimi Hendrix and Jimmy Page, and such jazz fusion players as Al Di Meola and Frank Gambale, Lukather is known for a "melodic and intense"^[1] playing style. He is also recognized for his efficiency in the studio, often recording tracks in one take using minimal sound processing. While he once used many guitar effects in the studio and on stage, he now frequently disparages such practice, and instead advocates clean tones and minimal studio processing. Lukather plays primarily a signature electric guitar manufactured by Ernie Ball Music Man bearing his nickname, Luke. He also plays Yamaha and Ovation Adamas series acoustic–electric guitars.

Biography[link]

Early life[link]

Steven Lee Lukather was born on October 21, 1957 in San Fernando Valley, California. He first played keyboards and drums, and then taught himself how to play the guitar starting at age seven, when his father bought him a Kay acoustic guitar and a copy of The Beatles album Meet the Beatles. Lukather claims that the album "changed his life" and that he was greatly influenced by the guitar playing of George Harrison in particular.^[2][3]

In high school, Lukather met David Paich and the Porcaro brothers (Jeff, Steve, and Mike),^[4] all of whom eventually became members of Toto. Lukather, who had been a self-taught musician, began taking guitar lessons from Jimmy Wyble. With Wyble, Lukather expanded his knowledge of wider aspects of music, including orchestration. It was during this period in the early 1970s that Lukather became interested in the idea of becoming a session musician, a vocation that provided opportunities to play with a variety of famous musicians.^[2]

Jeff Porcaro, who had been playing drums with Steely Dan since 1973,^[5] became a mentor to Lukather and furthered his interest in session work. Lukather's first job in the music industry was studio work with Boz Scaggs,^[6] after which Paich and Jeff Porcaro—who had become prominent session musicians in their own right^[7]—asked Lukather to join them in forming Toto in 1976 along with Bobby Kimball, David Hungate, and Steve Porcaro.^[2] Lukather turned down an offer to join Miles Davis' band to accept their invitation.^[8]

Toto[link]

Lukather was the original lead guitarist for Toto, serving in that capacity for the band's entire history, as well as a lead and backing vocalist and composer. Lukather won three of his five Grammy awards for work with Toto, twice as an artist and once as a producer.^[9] David Paich led the band's songwriting efforts during the development of 1978's Toto—he penned all but two of the album's tracks, including all four of its singles. Lukather also credits Jeff Porcaro for his leadership within the band during that period. However, Lukather's role in Toto evolved over time owing to the changing needs of the band. He contributed songwriting to Toto albums starting with the eponymous lead track on 1979's Hydra. In August 1992, Jeff Porcaro collapsed while doing yard work at home and subsequently died of heart failure.^[10] The death profoundly affected Toto and Lukather in particular, who considered Porcaro a mentor. Lukather felt that he needed to step up and make sure the band kept going. Thus, he began taking more of a leadership role.^[2]

Lukather solo with Toto

Toto went through several lead vocalists over the years, including Kimball, Fergie Frederiksen, and Joseph Williams. After the 1990 dismissal of their fourth vocalist, Jean-Michel Byron, Toto was without a lead singer until around 1997; Lukather assumed most of the vocal duties for the band during that time. He performed lead vocals for every track on 1992's Kingdom of Desire and 1995's Tambu except for two instrumental tracks. The Tambu single "I Will Remember", co-written by Lukather and Stan Lynch, reached #64 on UK charts.^[2] Some Tambu reviewers contrasted Lukather's vocals with those of former singers Kimball and Williams (and indeed, heavily criticized the entire album),^[11] some concert reviewers noted that he struggled vocally on certain songs, and a number of backup singers and guest vocalists accompanied the band's live shows during that period.^[12] It was not until Toto brought back former lead singers Joseph Williams and Bobby Kimball to collaborate on 1998's Toto XX that Lukather returned to predominantly backup vocals.^[2]

Lukather's songwriting contributions grew from a smattering of tracks on early Toto albums to almost every track starting in the late 1980s. He wrote very few of Toto's songs by himself, an exception being the hit single "I Won't Hold You Back" from Toto IV. Lukather has admitted that writing lyrics is not one of his strengths. Thus, he collaborated with other band members to complete song ideas and make them into viable album tracks. Lukather contributed to all of the songs on Toto's 2006 album Falling in Between.^[13]

By 2008, Lukather was the only remaining original Toto member still performing with the band. In June of the same year, Lukather decided to leave Toto.^[14] This decision directly led to the official dissolution of the band. In a 2011 interview discussing his career with Toto, Lukather indicated that the band had evolved too far from its original incarnation and that he was dealing with the physical and mental toll of recording and performing.^[15] In February 2010, the band announced that they would reunite to support Toto bassist Mike Porcaro, who was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease.^[16] They continued to tour on a limited basis in 2011 and 2012;^[17] however, Lukather has indicated that the band will not record any further material.^[15]

Session work[link]

Lukather achieved notability in the 1970s and 1980s as one of the most sought-after session guitarists in Los Angeles,^[18] playing with a wide range of artists from Aretha Franklin to Warren Zevon.^[18][19] He has performed on over 1,500 records spanning 36 years.^[15] Music journalist Jude Gold noted, "It's hard to name a guitarist who has had a more prolific and fulfilling career than Steve Lukather."^[18] Lukather credits fellow Toto members David Paich and Jeff Porcaro for getting him exposure in the industry—although he lamented in an April 2011 interview that opportunities for session musicians have curtailed in recent years: "There is no 'session guy' thing any more—not like it was. It's not like the old days when I was doing 25 sessions a week. All the studios are gone. The budgets are gone. The record companies are all gone."^[15] His own output as a session musician has slowed along with the rest of the industry—as of 2009, Lukather stated he was only doing a few sessions a year.^[14]

Named by Gibson Guitar Corporation as one of the top 10 session guitars of all time,^[20] Lukather has performed on many notable tracks. He performed the guitar solo for Olivia Newton-John's popular 1981 single "Physical", which was Billboard's #1 single of the 1980s. Other notable session performances include Michael Jackson's "Beat It",^[4] two tracks from the Lionel Richie album Can't Slow Down, and the Richard Marx album Repeat Offender.^[21] Lukather and Jeff Porcaro were heavily involved in the recording of virtually all of Michael Jackson's Thriller.^[4][14] In addition to recording guitar tracks, Lukather has also written or produced music for Lionel Richie, Richard Marx, Chicago, Donna Summer, and The Tubes.^[21][22] He won a Grammy award in 1982 for the George Benson song "Turn Your Love Around".^[9][22]

Solo albums[link]

Lukather performing as vocalist and guitarist in Osnabrück, Germany, 2004

Lukather has released six solo studio albums: Lukather (1989), Candyman (1994), Luke (1997), Santamental (2003), Ever Changing Times (2008), and All's Well That Ends Well (2010).^[23] In December 2011, he began work on his seventh, a collaboration with C. J. Vanston featuring musicians Chad Smith, Gregg Bissonette, Leland Sklar, and others. The album is scheduled to be released in early 2013.^[24]

[edit] 1989–1997: Lukather, Candyman, and Luke

The 1989 album Lukather came about after Toto had been recording and playing for 11 years, and the consensus among the band members was to take a break. As Lukather had written a number of songs that did not appear on Toto albums, he decided to pursue a solo album, with the intention of presenting a dimension of his music that fans would be unfamiliar with. He collaborated with many notable musicians, including Eddie Van Halen, Richard Marx, Jan Hammer, Steve Stevens, and fellow Toto members Jeff Porcaro and David Paich. Lukather has said that the album was produced very simply, and that a lot of ambient studio noise—counting off on various tracks, for instance—is audible on it. He also credits bands Pink Floyd, Cream, Led Zeppelin, and guitarists Jimi Hendrix, David Gilmour, Jeff Beck, and Eric Clapton as influences on the album. The single "Swear Your Love" came from the album.^[25]

Candyman, recorded and mastered from March 1993 through November 1993, was a collaboration of musicians who were for the most part also in Lukather's band Los Lobotomys.^[26] Toto familiars Simon Phillips and David Paich participated as well as David Garfield, John Peña, Chris Trujillo, Lenny Castro, Larry Klimas, Fee Waybill, Richard Page, and Paul Rodgers. Lukather recorded the album in mostly live takes with little overdubbing.^[27] Some international fans were confused about whether Candyman was a Steve Lukather album or a Los Lobotomys album. The Japanese and US releases of Candyman were under the Los Lobotomys name rather than Lukather's; the Japanese release also featured a version of the Hendrix song "Red House". The European release of Candyman was credited to Lukather alone. Additionally, the touring band for the album was sometimes introduced as "Steve Lukather and Los Lobotomys" and sometimes as just "Los Lobotomys".^[28] The song "Borrowed Time" was released as a single in Europe and included "Red House" as a B-side.^[27]

Lukather describes 1997's Luke as a much different and more "introspective" album than his previous two solo efforts. The album is a concentrated collection of many of Lukather's musical influences, and he deliberately let those influences come out on the album. Luke is an experimental album, and like Candyman it was recorded mostly in live sessions with minimal overdubbing and processing afterwards. Luke also features instrumentation not heard on previous Lukather albums: pedal steel, harmonicas, Mellotrons, and experimental guitar, bass, and drum sounds. The US version of Luke includes a version of the Jeff Beck song "The Pump". The song "Hate Everything About U" was released as a single.^[29]

[edit] 2003: Santamental

Santamental, released in October 2003,^[30] is a collaborative project featuring several prominent musicians such as guitarists Edward Van Halen, Slash, Steve Vai, and drummer Gregg Bissonette.^[31] When Lukather's record company, Bop City Records, approached him about recording a Christmas album, he responded with a quip about his suitability for the project. The company wanted him to do the record knowing he would approach the project with a unique angle and produce something different from the typical Christmas album. Lukather recruited keyboardist Jeff Babko and guitarist Larry Carlton, who Lukather had worked with previously, to help arrange the songs. The project was a challenge to Lukather, who had to be creative to turn the traditionally simple songs into something interesting for listeners without altering the fundamental structures. He said of the album, "But I never dreamt in a million years that I'd do a Christmas record."^[18]

The musicians Lukather chose for Santamental, most of whom were involved in the hard-rock genre, lent a heavy feel to the album. Van Halen recorded guitar tracks for "Joy to the World" after not having been in the studio for some time but immediately made an impression on Lukather with his level of playing. Vai provided guitar work for "Carol of the Bells" along with Lukather's son Trevor, then 14 years old. Slash, who recorded his part in one take, played on the Lukather/Stan Lynch composition "Broken Heart for Christmas". Lukather spoke highly of Slash after the project, calling him the "Keith Richards of our generation". Well-known session guitarist Michael Landau played on the song "Look Out For Angels",^[18] and there is a version of "Jingle Bells" featuring a big band and sung by Sammy Davis, Jr.^[18] Santamental was recorded in six days, after which Lukather proclaimed it "his first and last Christmas album".^[32]

[edit] 2008–2010: Ever Changing Times and All's Well That Ends Well

Ever Changing Times, released on February 22, 2008, is a collection of songs Lukather recorded in 2007 between Toto tours. The album contains contributions from fellow session musicians Bill Champlin, Abe Laboriel, Jr., Leland Sklar, Steve Porcaro, and many others. Lukather's son Trevor contributed as well. Joseph Williams provides backing vocals on five of the tracks. Lukather wrote the songs for the album in a hotel room with his son and a handful of other musicians, using basic equipment. His song-writing philosophy is that if a song sounds good with only guitars and vocals, it will likely sound good after a full production.^[3] Lukather collaborated with Grammy Award-winning engineer and producer Steve MacMillan on the project, with the goal of introducing some new methods and techniques into the recording process. Lukather described the final tracks as "perfectly imperfect", preferring to record with the five-piece backing band in one room and in one take. MacMillan encouraged Lukather to use "organic, vintage tones". As a result, Lukather eschewed effects and played the guitar parts directly through tube amplifiers manufactured by Marshall, Vox, and some boutique brands. Lukather commented that MacMillan served as a valuable "second set of ears" in the studio, often encouraging him to keep parts that he normally would have discarded.^[7] As Toto had recently disbanded when Ever Changing Times was released, Lukather embarked on a solo tour to promote the album. The shows featured a mixture of songs from the album, songs written for other side projects, and "a few Toto obscurities".^[14]

Lukather's sixth studio album, All's Well That Ends Well, was released on October 11, 2010 in Europe and Japan, and November 16 as a digital download worldwide. The material was written predominantly in collaboration with longtime associate C. J. Vanston, and the album features stalwart musicians from Lukather's touring band. Songwriter Randy Goodrum, who has collaborated with Lukather many times over the years including on the 1986 Toto single "I'll Be over You", contributes to the track "Brody's".^[15] All's Well That Ends Well draws from Lukather's personal experiences in the two years since Ever Changing Times. Critic Arlene Weiss noted that the album features three distinct flavors of music: one that "bares [Lukather's] soul and emotional heartache", one that pans elements of popular culture like TMZ.com, and one that expresses optimism and enthusiasm about the future. While Lukather focused on instrumental writing and production on previous albums but collaborated with lyricists, he wrote much of the lyrics for All's Well That Ends Well himself.^[22] Lukather describes the album as being a "real" and "honest" reflection of the period between 2008 and 2010, when he experienced difficulties within his private life.^[15]

Side projects[link]

When not working with Toto, Lukather has participated in numerous side projects including playing with jazz fusion band Los Lobotomys and with other session musicians, and touring with Larry Carlton, Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, and others.

Lukather was a long-time member of the band Los Lobotomys, a collaboration of session musicians including jazz and be-bop player David "Creatchy" Garfield and Toto drummer Jeff Porcaro, replaced after his death by Simon Phillips, who also replaced Porcaro in Toto. Los Lobotomys formed in the mid-1980s and played regular shows in the Los Angeles area, often inviting whatever session musicians happened to be available and in the area. They recorded an album under the Los Lobotomys name in 1989, and the band was heavily involved in the recording of Lukather's Candyman.^[26] Los Lobotomys recorded a live album in 2004 comprising several tracks from Candyman and from the 1989 album.^[33]

In 1998, Lukather received an invitation to tour Japan with fellow guitarist Larry Carlton after Japanese promoters requested that Carlton's annual tours each be different from the last. Lukather and Carlton exchanged some recorded material and decided that a collaboration would be interesting. Lukather was flattered by the invitation to tour with Carlton, citing him as his favorite guitarist. Lukather speaks highly of their stage efforts, although the two were admittedly outside their normal realm of work. He stated in an interview that "you can hear us having fun on the record—you can hear the smiles on our faces."^[34] After several shows, the duo realized that they should record their collaboration even if just for their own use. Guitarist and producer Steve Vai heard one of the subsequent recordings and expressed interest in releasing it under his Favored Nations label, also home to such artists as Eric Johnson and Dweezil Zappa. Vai and Lukather mixed and produced the recording, which is said to be a mixture of jazz, blues, and fusion music.^[34] The resulting album, No Substitutions: Live in Osaka, won a 2001 Grammy award for Best Pop Instrumental Album.^[9][35] Album reviewers described Lukather as having a heavier style than Carlton.^[36] Lukather and Carlton later did an international tour in support of the album.^[34]

In 2005, Lukather won critical praise for his rendition of the Jimi Hendrix song "Little Wing" at a gala 90th birthday celebration for jazz guitarist Les Paul.^[37] Returning after a five year absence, the 2012 G3 Tour will feature Lukather alongside Joe Satriani and Steve Vai.^[38] In February 2012, Ringo Starr announced that Lukather will be the guitarist in his All Starr Band for their summer tour.^[39]

Lukather periodically contributes material and expertise to instructional and educational enterprises. In 1985, he released the instructional "Star Licks" guitar video featuring many of the guitar parts from the first five Toto studio albums. It was released on DVD in 2005.^[40] The guitarist has also been participating in the Fermatta Master Class Series project, an educational cooperative organized by the Fermatta Music Academy in Mexico.^[41]

Musical style and equipment[link]

Lukather playing an Ovation Adamas

Influenced by such blues-rock guitarists as Jimi Hendrix and Jimmy Page, and such jazz fusion players as Al Di Meola and Frank Gambale, Lukather is known for a "melodic and intense" playing style.^[1] He has also cited Steely Dan as a major long-time influence—one that emerges prominently in later solo work such as All's Well That Ends Well.^[42] Journalist Jude Gold notes that his vibrato is very pronounced and his "exaggerated wide bends" are distinctive and quickly recognizable. Well-versed in music theory, Lukather can follow chord charts and changes in a way typical of jazz musicians—this ability enhances his value as a session musician. In interviews, he has explained how he thinks of the guitar in a "chordal cluster" format, and not the typical "linear scale" format.^[43]

Lukather's approach to engineering his sound in the studio is usually very simple. He is not known for doing a large number of takes or for incorporating much overdubbing—rather, he has a reputation for doing only single takes for many parts.^[44] He has said about this approach: "If a solo didn't work—either because I didn't have the right sound, or because I wasn't inspired at that moment—I'd just move on. A part either works or it doesn't. You can't batter it into submission, or force inspiration to save you. It's always better to just surrender, and then come back later to give it a go with fresh ears."^[7] Although he enjoys the technical mastery that is possible in the studio, Lukather prefers the dynamic of performing live on stage.^[45] He has stated that dynamics are the most important element of producing a recording with good sound quality.^[46]

Despite being known in the past for having an intricate set of effects units, Lukather now claims to play mostly free of such modifications after seeing some overdone commercial unit configurations named after him.^[18] Other than some delay, he has not used many effects in recent years.^[45] He has held a long association with Bob Bradshaw of Custom Audio Electronics, who designed and manufactured key elements of Lukather's effects rack. Lukather is one of the few official endorsers of EMG pickups, having collaborated on his own Lukather signature "SL20" pickup system, which is a single unit incorporating two different types of pickups (including a humbucker), single volume and tone knobs, and a pickguard.^[47]

Lukather endorses Music Man guitars and has a signature model named "Luke" that incorporates his signature EMG pickup system. The guitar started out with only MusicMan specifications (including a Floyd Rose locking vibrato, later replaced with a vintage-style fulcrum bridge), but in 1998, the manufacturer made several customizations to the model to better fit Lukather's playing style.^[48] Music Man also produces a Ball Family Reserve Steve Lukather Model that features upgraded hardware and materials.^[49] Lukather has also been known to play Ibanez and Valley Arts guitars. His relationship with Ibanez and Valley Arts yielded an endorsement for a brief time in the 1980s with the release of the Ibanez Roadstar RS1010SL and Valley Arts Custom Pro Steve Lukather Signature guitars in 1984–85.^[49] He has played Ovation Adamas series acoustic–electric guitars.^[50] Starting before his 2010 All's Well That Ends Well tour, Lukather began playing and endorsing Yamaha Studio Response Technology acoustic–electric guitars.^[51]

Discography[link]

Solo

• Lukather (1989)
• Candyman (1994)
• Luke (1997)
• No Substitutions: Live in Osaka (2001)
• Santamental (2003)
• Ever Changing Times (2008)
• All's Well That Ends Well (2010)

With Toto

With Los Lobotomys

• Los Lobotomys (1989)

Awards[link]

• 1982 – Grammy Award for Best R&B Song: Steve Lukather, Jay Graydon, Bill Champlin (for George Benson) – "Turn Your Love Around"
• 1982 – Grammy Award for Producer of the Year: Toto – Toto IV
• 1982 – Grammy Award for Album of the Year: Toto – Toto IV
• 1982 – Grammy Award for Record of the Year: Toto – "Rosanna"
• 2002 – Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Album: Larry Carlton & Steve Lukather – No Substitutions: Live in Osaka

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Steve Lukather

• stevelukather.net, Official website, http://www.stevelukather.net/ 
• Steve Lukather at Allmusic
• Steve Lukather at the Internet Movie Database

v t e   Toto David Paich Steve Lukather Joseph Williams Steve Porcaro Simon Phillips Mike Porcaro Jeff Porcaro Bobby Kimball David Hungate Fergie Frederiksen Greg Phillinganes Jean-Michel Byron Studio albums Toto Hydra Turn Back Toto IV Isolation Fahrenheit The Seventh One Kingdom of Desire Tambu Mindfields Through the Looking Glass Falling in Between Live albums Greatest Hits Live...and More Absolutely Live Livefields Live in Amsterdam Falling in Between Live Compilation albums Past to Present 1977–1990 Best Ballads Toto XX Super Hits The Very Best of Toto The Essential Toto The Collection Soundtracks Dune Notable songs "Hold the Line" "I'll Supply the Love" "Georgy Porgy" "99" "Rosanna" "Make Believe" "Africa" "I Won't Hold You Back" "Stranger in Town" "I'll Be over You" "Pamela" "Stop Loving You" "Mushanga" "Bottom of Your Soul" Related people Lenny Castro Nathan East Tony Spinner Tom Kelly Joe Porcaro Marty Paich Related articles Discography Members Rosanna shuffle Boz Scaggs Book:Toto

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