Spanish pop singer Enrique Iglesias and Cuban-American rapper Pitbull are currently on tour to promote Iglesias’s current studio album “Sex and Love.” Pitbull is one of the many collaborators featured on the album, which also showcases the talents of a wide range of performers, from Kylie Minogue to Flo Rida. Enrique Iglesias and Pitbull are bringing their worldwide tour to Florida this month, making three stops along the way. The first stop is at Hard Rock Live Hollywood on Saturday, October 25. The second is the next night, Sunday, October 26, at the AmericanAirlines Arena in Miami. Their last stop in the Sunshine State comes Tuesday, October 28, when they arrive in Orlando and perform at the Amway Center. J Balvin will open for Enrique and Pitbull at all three stops.
Enrique Iglesias has sold over 100 milion albums worldwide, and it’s easy to see where his talent and inspiration comes from, having been born into Latin music royalty. He lived with his father, superstar Julio Iglesias, in Miami for a good part of his childhood and adolescence. Enrique later went on to study business at the University of Miami. He released his first album at the age of 20 and it shot up the charts; despite being an all-Spanish album, over half a million copies were sold in the United States in its first week of release. The next year, he would go on to win his first Grammy Award for Best Latin Pop Album. Iglesias crossed into the English-language market with his fourth studio album, “Enrique,” in 1999. The singles “Bailamos” and “Be With You” became two of the biggest hits of the year, both topping the Billboard Hot 100. He followed up his debut English language release with another album, “Escape”, in 2001. This album was also a hit, with the singles “Hero” and the eponymous “Escape” becoming top 20 hits. His first bilingual album, “Euphoria,” was released in 2010, and was commercially successful; the singles “Tonight (I’m Lovin’ You)” and “I Like It” reached the top five on the U.S. pop charts. Currently Enrique Iglesias is nominated for a Latin Grammy for Song of the Year (“Bailando,” from the “Sex and Love” album).
Pitbull, born Armando Christian Pérez, also has roots in South Florida, growing up in Miami-Dade County and graduating from Miami Coral Park High School. He chose the rapper name “Pitbull” because “[they] bite to lock. The dog is too stupid to lose. And they’re outlawed in Dade County. They’re basically everything that I am.” He was signed to his first record deal at the age of 20 and was quickly introduced to Atlanta rapper Lil Jon, who gave Pitbull many opportunities to increase his star power. One of his songs, “Oye,” was released on the Fast and the Furious movie soundtrack in 2003. He released his first album, “M.I.A.M.I.”, in 2004, and achieved moderate success. It wasn’t until the release of his fourth album, “Rebelution”, in 2008, that he finally earned worldwide fame. His single “I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho)” peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States, topped the charts in France, and charted in the top ten in Canada, the U.K. and four other countries. “Rebelution” went on to sell nearly eight million copies worldwide. His 2011 album “Planet Pit” spawned the #1 hit “Give Me Everything” and the top ten single “Hey Baby (Drop It to the Floor).” His 2013 extended play “Meltdown” earned him another #1 hit, “Timber” (which featured Kesha). Most recently he was featured on the official World Cup single, “We Are One (Ole Ola),” featuring Jennifer Lopez and Claudia Leitte.
“There’s no better place for me than being up on stage in front of my fans,” Enrique Iglesias said when announcing tour dates earlier this year. “And going on tour with a close friend and someone I admire, like Pitbull, is truly an honor. We really want to give everybody a show that they will remember for the rest of their lives.”
For more information on the Sex and Love Tour, visit enriqueiglesias.com/events.
