After the kidnapping of his grandfather in Spain, Enrique moved to Miami in 1985. While in Miami, Enrique enjoyed the luxuries of being the son of a billionaire, but he developed a taste for simpler things, a fact that would later surface in his concerts, where he would use all white, cotton shirts instead of expensive clothing to perform.
Iglesias first performed while in high school, at a play named Hello Dolly. While attending the University of Miami, he went into an audition with his future manager, using the name Enrique Martinez. It was with that fake name that he promoted his demos across Central America. Months later, he was signed by Fonovisa and went to Toronto to record his first CD, under total anonymity.
In 1996, he released his first album in Spanish, the self titled Enrique Iglesias, which included mega-hits Por Amarte, Trapecista, and others. His song Por Amarte was included in Televisa's telenovela Marisol, but with a twist: instead of saying por amarte YO moriria (because of loving YOU I'd die), it said por amarte MARISOL moriria (because of loving MARISOL I'd die).
In 1997, Iglesias' star continued to rise, when he released Vivir, which put him up in sales with other, English music superstars for that year.
By 1999, Iglesias had begun a successful cross-over into the English music market. In 2001, he released his English cd, Enrique, his song Hero becoming a number one hit in many places.
Iglesias has won numerous awards during his career as a singer, including the Grammy.