Enrique Iglesias's performance of his hit "I Like It" aboard a cruise ship was the highlight of this year's Macy's Fourth of July spectacular — unless you're possessed by Bieber Fever.
I recently caught up with the Miami resident and on-again boyfriend of Anna Kournikova for the latest issue of Us Weekly to discuss his 12th bilingual release, Euphoria. Want more, ladies? Check out the full discussion below, where he refuses to agree that he's a heartthrob and also explains just why he's not settling down any time soon.
UsMagazine.com: You have songs in both English and Spanish on the album. What was the recording process like?
Enrique Iglesias: It's good — but tough and a little nerve-wracking. This is the type of album that I wanted to make years ago but it probably wasn't the right time. [Doing a bilingual album] helped artistically because whenever I got bored of writing in English, I would write in Spanish. It's always cool when you have the choice. Euphoria is the most eclectic album of my career by far.
Us: You duetted with Usher on one track. How was that?
EI: It was fun. We're friends and we've been talking for quite some time about working together. We both were in Miami at the same time and we were in the studio together. I played him the song, he liked it and we recorded it.
Us: Did Usher have his kids in there with him?
EI: No, but it's funny you said that, because the other day I came back from a European trip and I sent him a text message at 7 a.m. in the morning and he replied right away! I was like 'What are you doing awake at 7 in the morning?" and he said, "You forget, I have kids.' I thought about it, and I'm not ready to have kids! It's pretty impressive, but I would never be able to do it.
Us: The Jersey Shore cast was in your "I Like It" video. Can you dish any dirt?
EI: [laughs] I didn't party with them. On the show, you see a lot of drama, fighting, and craziness and think it's going to be like that [in real life], but the kids were very down to earth and easy to work with. I'm a fan now. Fame didn't seem like it had gotten to them yet, which is refreshing to see.
Us: Did Snooki hit on you?
EI: No, Snooki didn't hit on me, I hit on her!
Us: How do you handle women throwing themselves at you all the time?
EI: First of all, I'm not a heartthrob. If you saw me in high school, you wouldn't say I'm a heartthrob. Having a hit song, the minute you're famous, you're a heartthrob. I know you don't believe me, but I honestly don't consider myself a heartthrob.
Us: How about your girlfriend, Anna Kournikova? How much of a role did she play in helping you produce and select the songs on your new album?
EI: She listens, but it's hard for her to be impartial. I truly go by what I feel and then I talk it over with the record company. If I talk it over with the people closest to me, I know I'm going to make mistakes because it's difficult for her to be objective.
Us: You recently said that you're never going to get married. Will that offend your girlfriend?
EI: That makes me sound like I'm completely against marriage. I want to clarify it: I'm not against marriage, marriage is great if you want to get married. A lot of my friends are happily married. I don't think walking down the aisle and [having] a legal document can make a difference. That doesn't mean you love someone more or you respect them more — you can be with someone perfectly well without being married.
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Us: Yeah you guys have been doing good with that for a long time.
EI: Yeah, definitely. We're good.
Us: Not engaged though, right?
EI: No!
Us: Finally, how did being happy in love inspire the album?
EI: Once you hit your thirties, you sit back and you try to enjoy life a little more. I'm in such a privileged position and so happy and at times I wouldn't say I took it for granted, but I truly didn't enjoy it. Working on this album, I want to sit back and if I have songs that connect with my fans, enjoy it and say, 'Wow, thank God I can still have a career and truly still love my job so it doesn't feel like a job."
By Ian Drew for UsMagazine.com. To read more of Ian's blog, click here and don't forget to follow him on Twitter.
