Enrique Iglesias loves his Israeli fans, but misses family ‘like crazy’
Spanish pop star says he wouldn’t succumb to pressure to cancel Tel Aviv gig: ‘My music is not about politics’
AP — Pop star Enrique Iglesias misses his newborn twins “like crazy.” But he says performing for his fans is the next best thing to being home.
While the Spanish singer has traditionally kept his personal life private, he and his wife, former tennis player Anna Kournikova, took to social media last week to share some rare photos and videos of themselves and their children. He said he wanted to open up to his fans because they have given him so much.
“I don’t mind sharing part of my life with them,” he told The Associated Press. “I always have, in a way, through my music.”
Iglesias performed to nearly 50,000 fans in Tel Aviv Sunday night. The crowd cheered when Iglesias took to the stage, starting with his song “I’m a Freak,” accompanied by a show of lasers. Devoted fans wore T-shirts proclaiming their love for the 43-year-old pop star, and held signs declaring him the “sexiest father alive.”
The Latin pop star had moved the concert from Saturday night, May 26, to Sunday, May 27, after Israeli fans took to Facebook, telling Iglesias that Sabbath observers wouldn’t be able to get there in time.
He spent much of the concert chatting and taking selfies with the crowd, as well as inviting teenage girls from the audience up on stage to sing and dance with him, much to their elation.
Iglesias grappled with sound issues and mike issues throughout the concert, letting his backup singers handle much of the singing, while he sounded off-key throughout large portions of the show, including during his duet with Israeli singer Rotem Cohen for “Subeme La Radio.”
The crowd didn’t seem to care much about Iglesias’s singing abilities.
It was his fourth performance in Israel. Artists, including Iglesias, often come under pressure from a grassroots pro-Palestinian boycott movement not to perform in Israel. But Iglesias said he never had second thoughts about coming to the country.
“I’ve sang in so many countries around the world during conflicts, my music is not about politics,” he said. “If my fans ask me to go to a place and there is demand, I will be there no matter what.”
Iglesias’ most recent single, “Move to Miami,” was released in May. Iglesias has been performing around Europe and South America, and came to Israel following a performance in Ljubljana, Slovenia.
“I miss my family like crazy,” said Iglesias. “But I love doing what I do, which is being on stage and just being surrounded by my fans. Those are the two things I love most in my life.”
The Times of Israel Community.