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CNN
(CNN) -- So, is he or isn't he?
Is Enrique Iglesias really the Latin lover that he makes out to be in those steamy, erotic music videos?
Apparently not, according to the dark-haired, dreamy-eyed singer himself.
Yes, it's true. That same guy who sends girls into screaming fits whenever he moves his thigh but an inch on stage; that same guy we've seen planting hungry kisses on the likes of actress Jennifer Love Hewitt and tennis babe Anna Kournikova; that same guy who flashes his pearly whites and tanned pecs, says he's not the smooth, seductive love god people think he is.
"I've been around the world and people have so many definitions of what they think a Latin lover is," said Iglesias. "And most of the definitions that they're giving me, I'm completely the opposite... I'm actually shy."
And Tweety Bird is actually a giant sea cow who feeds on strawberry ice cream on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
While his modesty may be hard to swallow, Iglesias, 27, assured The Music Room in a recent interview the female attention he gets as a superstar is in stark contrast to his days as a hopelessly shy teenager.
"Growing up and going into high school and college I wasn't the stud. I couldn't even get a date to the prom once," he said.
'Escape' around the world
| Enrique plants a kiss on Kournikova in the music video for his latest single, "Escape." | |
Whether he thinks he's a heartthrob, Iglesias has definitely made an enormous impression on the musical world; "world" being the key word here. Iglesias' latest album, "Escape," has been scaling the album charts from Australia to Germany, and from Ireland to Canada since its release last November.
The album's global success was spurred on by the gentle, heartwarming first single "Hero," which was released a week before the tragic events of September 11 in the United States. The song quickly became an appropriate soother as well as a top seller.
"Escape" is Iglesias' second album recorded in English and follows the veritable success of 1999's "Enrique Iglesias," which gave listeners a taste for his romance-infused ballads like "Bailamos," "Rhythm Divine" and "Be With You."
Iglesias, the son of veteran Spanish singer Julio Iglesias, made several albums in Spanish before making his mark on the English-speaking world.
Born in Madrid, Enrique moved to Miami, Florida, when he was 8, and his current music very much reflects the mix of Anglo-pop and Spanish rhythms he was exposed to growing up.
"I feel that I'm Spanish," he said. "But at the same time I feel like I grew up in America, so I think I have the best of both worlds."
And as the singer takes his set list from his latest album on a world tour, he makes it clear he's keen to 'escape' rumors he's dating Kournikova, and the Latin lover stereotype he's so often associated with.
"The one thing I love about this business is that at the end of the day, you know, it is a business -- but what matters is the music," Iglesias said. "Thank God."
Iglesias sat down with The Music Room to talk seriously about his love for music -- not his love for women. Sorry girls. Here's what he had to say:
TMR: How is "Escape" different to your last English album released in 1999?
Iglesias: In comparison to my other albums, it's a much more aggressive album, musically and lyrically. When I created this album I knew that when I went on stage with it I was going to have a fun time.
It's more me because it's more fun. I lived with it for such a long time. I was in the studio for a whole year, (which is) the first time I took so long to do an album. But, I feel it just became so much a part of me. I just love it.
That's kind of why I called it "Escape"... When I listen to the album it's the kind of album that you want to be, for example, in a car, on a road trip, and you put on the CD and you can listen to it from song number one to song number 10.
TMR: You recorded several albums in Spanish before you crossed over to singing in English. Do you consider yourself more a Latin or U.S. artist?
Iglesias: Well, I was so much influenced by Anglo pop musically, but I mean my background is Spanish. And even a little bit of Asian, because my mom is part Asian. I feel that I'm Spanish, but at the same time I feel like I grew up in America because I moved to America when I was 8 years old. I think I have the best of both worlds.
TMR: How involved are you in the writing process of your songs?
Iglesias: Well, that's how I began in music; I began writing more than actually singing. For me it was all about the writing. That was the only thing I was consistent at. I could sit down and write for hours and hours.
TMR: Do you have a formula for how you write songs for a complete album?
Iglesias: It depends. Like on this album I kind of changed my formula a lot. What I did was I came up with titles and out of those titles, I wrote the songs. I've never done that before and it worked out well for me.
TMR: When do you do your best writing?
Iglesias: Late at night. I write late, late.... 3, 4, 5 in the morning.
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