On Tuesday Julio Iglesias, one of the world’s most romantic crooners, will bring his charm to the Taipei Arena. Iglesias is the ageless Spanish heartthrob who has released 80 albums, selling more than 300 million records over the past four decades. As one of the top five best-selling music artists in history (according to Sony Music), he has conquered fans worldwide with his sultry vocals and sexy persona.
“Music is my life,” Iglesias told The Taipei Times in an e-mail interview. “Music is a universal language, which turns into a magic bond between people all over the world.”
The concert is part of Iglesias’ 45th anniversary world tour, and will mark his fifth visit to Taiwan. The sex symbol is known for delivering Latin pop, sultry salsa numbers, piano-driven love odes and staggering ballads.
Photo Courtesy of Dada Arts Promotion
The superstar won a Grammy for his Latin album Un Hombre Solo (A Man Alone) in 1988 and numerous other music awards around the globe. He has performed duets including My Love with Stevie Wonder, All of You with Diana Ross and To All the Girls I’ve Loved Before with Willie Nelson.
Iglesias has delivered songs in 14 languages. Asked about his willingness to tackle different languages, he said: “It is not easy, it requires many hours and the patience of a good teacher. But singing the lyrics in people’s mother tongue helps you communicate better with them.”
The music icon will perform songs from his latest album Numero 1, backed up by a 23-person music team. This release includes all the signature hits from his career but are re-recorded and re-arranged.
“I truly believe I sing better now than years ago,” the singer said. “I am sure this will be a very emotional concert. I love you (Taiwan).”
A series of dramatic news items dropped last month that shed light on Chinese Communist Party (CCP) attitudes towards three candidates for last year’s presidential election: Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) founder Ko Wen-je (柯文哲), Terry Gou (郭台銘), founder of Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (鴻海精密), also known as Foxconn Technology Group (富士康科技集團), and New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT). It also revealed deep blue support for Ko and Gou from inside the KMT, how they interacted with the CCP and alleged election interference involving NT$100 million (US$3.05 million) or more raised by the
A white horse stark against a black beach. A family pushes a car through floodwaters in Chiayi County. People play on a beach in Pingtung County, as a nuclear power plant looms in the background. These are just some of the powerful images on display as part of Shen Chao-liang’s (沈昭良) Drifting (Overture) exhibition, currently on display at AKI Gallery in Taipei. For the first time in Shen’s decorated career, his photography seeks to speak to broader, multi-layered issues within the fabric of Taiwanese society. The photographs look towards history, national identity, ecological changes and more to create a collection of images
At a funeral in rural Changhua County, musicians wearing pleated mini-skirts and go-go boots march around a coffin to the beat of the 1980s hit I Hate Myself for Loving You. The performance in a rural farming community is a modern mash-up of ancient Chinese funeral rites and folk traditions, with saxophones, rock music and daring outfits. Da Zhong (大眾) women’s group is part of a long tradition of funeral marching bands performing in mostly rural areas of Taiwan for families wanting to give their loved ones an upbeat send-off. The band was composed mainly of men when it started 50
While riding a scooter along the northeast coast in Yilan County a few years ago, I was alarmed to see a building in the distance that appeared to have fallen over, as if toppled by an earthquake. As I got closer, I realized this was intentional. The architects had made this building appear to be jutting out of the Earth, much like a mountain that was forced upward by tectonic activity. This was the Lanyang Museum (蘭陽博物館), which tells the story of Yilan, both its natural environment and cultural heritage. The museum is worth a visit, if only just to get a