Iglesias to bring the Latin spirit back to Dubai with nights at the Opera
Spanish crooner returns in October on 50th anniversary tour, writes Saeed Saeed
Julio Iglesias is returning to the UAE in October. The Spanish crooner announced his latest tour on his official website and it includes two dates at Dubai Opera on October 1 and 2.
Dubai Opera has yet to make a statement confirming the shows. But fans of the 74-yearold (father of pop star Enrique Iglesias) will be excited at the prospect of watching Iglesias perform at the classy venue in Downtown Dubai.
A regular visitor the Gulf, Iglesias’s previous UAE shows
were at the cavernous Dubai World Trade Centre in 2013 and three years later, at the outdoor Al Majaz Amphitheatre in Sharjah.
With Dubai Opera’s pitch-perfect acoustics, fans will be treated to the experience of Iglesias performing his catalogue of hits, including Amor and When You Tell Me That You Love Me.
The Dubai shows are part of Iglesias’s 50th-anniversary world tour which, since last year, has been picking up steam, with shows already performed in venues in Eastern Europe including Moscow’s grand Kremlin Palace in October.
Born in Madrid, Iglesias dreamed of a professional career as a footballer but after a car accident left him unable to walk for two years, he discovered the guitar and delved into music as part of his recovery process.
After obtaining his law degree, he focused on his entertainment career. It was launched after he won Spain’s premiere singing contest Benidorm International Song Festival in 1968.
Not long after, he released his debut album Yo Canto
(1969) which spent 15 years on the Spanish charts.
Since then, he has amassed a string of European hits including Gwendolyne and
Manuela before branching out to the English language market with popular tracks To All the Girls I’ve Loved Before
and All of You.
Speaking to The National in 2013, Iglesias said he revels in having an international fan base and that performing in the Middle East always feels like home.
“I am a typical Mediterranean singer. The sound of the ocean, the character of my people, the food, the conversation and the sound and the voice – it is all in my genes,” said Iglesias.
“This is also why I feel at home in Arab countries, because they come from the same latitude of my life.
“Arabs have been living in our country for over eight centuries and many things in our genes comes from the Arab people.”
Julio Iglesias, October 1-2, Dubai Opera, Dubai. Details and pricing will be announced soon on www.dubaiopera.com