Julio Iglesias Says 50-year Singing Career is 'a Miracle'

 

At age 75, singer Julio Iglesias cannot run and can no longer play football. But Iglesias still performs as a singer, as he has for the past 50 years. He calls his singing career “a miracle¹” in his life.

The Spanish star will be performing at cities across Europe this month as part of a tour to celebrate his career. The first show is this Sunday in Antwerp, Belgium.

Long before Latin² American pop artists like Prince Royce, Shakira or Ricky Martin, Iglesias was making songs that were successful all over the world. Many people know him best for 1980s music hits like “Begin the Beguine” and “To All the Girls I’ve Loved Before.”

Iglesias is the best-selling Latin artist ever. He has sold more than 300 million recordings³ in 14 languages. Six years ago, he was named the most popular international artist in China.

Iglesias told Reuters he feels honored⁴ to have enjoyed such a long career. He denies concerns raised by the Spanish media about his recent health. He became a singer after a 1963 car accident that ended his promising⁵ career as a football player.

He said, “I still have the passion in my heart. If I don’t sing, my heart doesn’t beat so strong... Fifty years on the road, playing from China to Finland, it’s a miracle.”

Iglesias said he still gets excited from performing in front of a crowd.

“The feeling is the same. You close your eyes and you are on the stage and you feel that warmth from the people,” he said. He added, “I am an artist who is grateful 1,000 percent to the people. I will belong to the people until I die.”

Iglesias will spend the month of June performing in Europe. He will then travel to the United States for a number of concerts in September.

I’m Jonathan Evans.

Words in This Story

excited – adj. very enthusiastic and eager about something

grateful – adj. feeling or showing thanks

miracle – n. a very amazing or unusual event, thing, or achievement

passion – n. a strong feeling of enthusiasm⁶ or excitement for something or about doing something

tour – n. a series of related⁷ performances, appearances, competitions, etc., that occur at different places over a period of time

1 miracle   

n.奇迹，令人惊奇的人或事

参考例句：

• The doctors said that his recovery was a miracle. 医生们说他的复原是件奇事。
• It is simply a miracle that rice should grow in such a place.稻子竟能在这样的地方生长，这实在是个奇迹。

2 Latin   

adj.拉丁的，拉丁语的，拉丁人的；n.拉丁语

参考例句：

• She learned Latin without a master.她无师自通学会了拉丁语。
• Please use only Latin characters.请仅使用拉丁文字符。

3 recordings   

n.记录( recording的名词复数 )；录音；录像；唱片

参考例句：

• a boxed set of original recordings 一套盒装原声录音带
• old jazz recordings reissued on CD 以激光唱片重新发行的老爵士乐

4 honored   

adj.光荣的：荣幸的v.尊敬，给以荣誉( honor的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• I hope to be honored with further orders. 如蒙惠顾，不胜荣幸。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• This is a time-honored custom. 这是一个古老的习俗。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 promising   

adj.有希望的，有前途的

参考例句：

• The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
• We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。

6 enthusiasm   

n.热情，激情；巨大兴趣；热衷的事物

参考例句：

• We set about our task at once with great enthusiasm.我们立刻兴致勃勃地干起来。
• A team which is full of enthusiasm is more likely to win.情绪高涨的球队更可能获胜。

7 related   

adj.有关系的，有关联的，叙述的，讲述的

参考例句：

• I am not related to him in any way.我和他无任何关系。
• We spent days going through all related reference material.我们花了好多天功夫查阅所有有关的参考资料。