Iglesias Julio, full name Julio José Iglesias de la Cueva *23 September 1944 Madrid, Spanish singer, composer, songwriter, guitarist, record producer. He is a lawyer by profession and a self-taught musician. He won the main prizes at the national festival in Benidorm (1968, with the song La vida sigue igual), the festival in Brasov (1969) and Barcelona (1970, with the song Gwendolyne). In 1970, he represented Spain at MIDEM (Marché International du Disque et de l’Edition Musicale) and at the Eurovision Song Contest in Amsterdam, and performed at the World Expo in Osaka. In 1972, he took part in the artistic programme of the Olympic Games in Munich. In 1981, he gained worldwide popularity thanks to the record-breaking sales of his album Volver a empezar (the Spanish version of the standard Begin the Beguine). In 1988, his rendition of the song Un hombre solo earned him a Grammy Award for Best Latin Pop Performance. Since 1989, he has been an ambassador for UNICEF (United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund). Iglesias enjoyed recording duets with artists such as Diana Ross, Willie Nelson, Stevie Wonder and Frank Sinatra. He has released a huge number of albums and in the 1980s gained a reputation as the most popular Spanish singer of all time. In 1986, a Polish reissue of Iglesias’s LP Libra (Wifon) was released. In 2003, the LP Divorcio sold 350,000 copies on its release day. Iglesias has performed only once in Poland: in 2019. Iglesias’s musical traditions are being continued by his two sons: Julio Jr. and Enrique. His hits include Quiero, 33 años, Júrame, Abrázame, Limelight, Quiéreme mucho, Amor, Todo y nada, Hey!, To All the Girls I’ve Loved Before (a duet with W. Nelson), All of You (a duet with D. Ross), Lo major de tu vida, Todo el amor que te hace falta, Que no se rompa la noche, Un hombre solo, My Love (a duet with S. Wonder).
