Enrique Iglesias Proves He Really Can Sing
From his appearance on Howard Stern's radio show on Thursday (June 8),
it sounds as if Enrique Iglesias can keep his Grammy Award.
All week long, Stern had been playing a tape purported to be Iglesias
singing severely off-key to his hit 'Rhythm Divine.' Stern and his team
wondered on the air whether Iglesias was a fraud this year's
version of Milli Vanilli , the
dance-pop duo stripped of their Grammys in 1990 when it was discovered
the two vocalists did not sing on their own records.
During his appearance on the program, Iglesias admitted it could be his
voice on the tape but that it was likely recorded at a television taping where he performed to a playback of his music but didn't actually sing live.
'If it's me, it's definitely me screwing around,' Iglesias explained.
'The music is so loud at those tapings, you can't even hear yourself.
It's not me singing at one of my concerts.' Iglesias even mimicked the
Stern tape at one point, intentionally singing off-key.
'I think the words of Howard Stern sum it up best,' said an Iglesias
spokesperson who preferred not to be named. '[Stern] told Enrique, 'I
respect you for coming in here; you really can sing.' Controversy over.'
Iglesias, who appeared with guitarist Tony
Bruno , repeatedly performed the first verse and the chorus
from 'Rhythm Divine' ( RealAudio excerpt ) and a portion of 'Be With You' ( RealAudio excerpt ), currently #4 on Billboard 's Hot 100 chart, on the Stern program. Iglesias passed his 'test' with flying colors, gamely enduring the host's wisecracks about Julio Iglesias , Enrique's father, as well as other taunts.
'[Iglesias] handled the situation very well,' said Adriana Madrigal, 21, a fan of the singer who also manages up-and-coming Latin artists in Los Angeles. 'I respect [Stern] for giving Enrique the opportunity and for taking back what he said. I respect Enrique for always proving himself,' she wrote in an email.
