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Issue link: https://digital.miamilivingmagazine.com/i/1492587
do, and we finally decided we wanted to do a big band record with all of these great oldies but goodies. It’s all of these great songs that everybody knows, and that my generation grew up listening to. We came across Into the Night and I was actually telling Rudy that when I first came to the U.S. (Iglesias Jr. emigrated from Madrid, Spain) in 1986, I used to always listen to that song on the radio and think, “Oh my God, I love this song!” even though I didn’t understand it. I loved the music and I loved the beat. I never thought when I first listened to this song in 1986 that I would one day do the duet with Benny, and that it would be my first single on my new record. Allison: Some the elements of the original song would be politically incorrect today in today’s culture. Julio: We actually changed the lyrics. You’re totally right. We were recording the song and Rudy comes up to me and says, “Dude, I think we have to change the lyrics, and Benny loved the idea at the time. He loved the idea of doing the duet with me and he was okay with actually changing the lyrics, which was incredible. [We just changed the first line of the song]. Allison: One of the things that makes the song so powerful is its passion. Would you say that you have a romantic soul? Julio: Big time, and this is the type of music that I love. I’ve listened to all types of music in my life, but for the last 10-15 years I have felt that this is the path I want. These are the songs that I want to sing. I feel very comfortable and very happy singing great ballads, love songs and songs that touch your heart. I really feel that is my thing. Allison: What’s your relationship situation? Julio: I actually got divorced two years ago, and now I’m dating and I’m super happy. I have a girlfriend now. We get a long really well, and she’s good. Allison: You cover a lot of artists’ classic songs. Do you write original material as well? Julio: I wrote my whole 2003 Spanish record in 2003, called Tercera Dimension. I was really inspired in the early 2000s to write these songs in Spanish. It just came to me and I started writing like crazy. It’s been a while since I’ve really written a song. I definitely know what I like, and I know a great song. I would love to get back to writing and really focus again like I did in 2003. Allison: The album that is coming out this winter is called Under the Covers. Is this your first all English-language album? Julio: This is actually my second English