Love, Julio style

Alex Coolman

They do it in Singapore; they do it in Guadalajara; they do it in Costa

Mesa, every chance they get.

People fall in love all over the globe, and the man singing the

soundtrack to this international swoon-fest for more than three decades

has been Julio Iglesias, polyglot pop phenomenon.

He’ll be doing it again -- singing, that is -- at The Orange County

Performing Arts Center’s Segerstrom Hall from Oct. 22 through 24,

reminding Newport-Mesa residents why he’s become the world’s poster boy

for undiminished vigor.

Iglesias announced his presence on the English-language pop scene in 1983

with “To All the Girls I’ve Loved Before,” a duet with Willie Nelson. The

Spanish performer went on from that successful collaboration to work with

artists ranging from Stevie Wonder to Dolly Parton, seducing North

America with the same ease of his conquest of the South.

These days, 56-year-old Iglesias’ reach is global in a way that only a

handful of stars -- Michael Jackson is perhaps a safe comparison -- can

match. He occupies a Guinness Book of Records entry for his unmatched

sales and has recorded more than 70 full-length albums. His appearance at

The Center is just a brief stop in a tour that includes dates throughout

America, Europe and China.

“We go from Costa Mesa to Beijing,” Iglesias said. At his Chinese

performances, “I sing in Spanish and in English, and nobody understands

what I’m talking about.”

That Iglesias hasn’t yet mastered a tune in Mandarin is remarkable. He

has recorded records not only in his native Spanish, but also in English,

French, German, Portuguese and Italian. His latest effort, “My Life: The

Greatest Hits” was released in six languages.

Underlying his universal appeal is a romantic approach to songwriting and

performing that hasn’t become less passionate with age. Iglesias claims

that in concert he feels as vital and, er, potent as he ever did.

“When I’m on the stage, I’m 22 years old from my waist up,” Iglesias

said. He quickly added, “From the waist down, I’m 25.”

Iglesias jokes about his image as a worldwide sex symbol and lover of

women, but he says his day-to-day existence is probably less romantic

than his fans believe.

“That’s a fantasy,” he said. “The reality is different. I’m not an

international lover, I’m an international artist. I only make love in

France.”

The singer, who calls himself a workaholic, has been steadily churning

out recordings since his career began in 1968 under circumstances that

are as much a part of the Iglesias legend and his supposed romancing.

Iglesias, whose first career was as a soccer goalie, originally turned

to music while recuperating from a horrendous car accident that landed

him in the hospital and left him partially paralyzed for years.

He was given a guitar only to exercise his damaged fingers, but found

when he began to learn a few chords that a torrent of songs suddenly

flowed out of him. Five years later, having physically recuperated and

become fairly musically accomplished, he managed to win one of Spain’s

premier music festivals and garner a recording deal with Columbia

Records.

It was not long before Iglesias was the No. 1 recording artist in Latin

America, a success that acted as a springboard for his global campaign of

domination by o7 amorf7 .

Iglesias says he continues to perform today purely for the thrill of

doing so, because he genuinely enjoys meeting the audiences he encounters

on his tours.

“I don’t need to sing for any reason, but it’s an expression, an escape

so strong in my life. It’s like an addiction.

“You feel so much younger [when performing],” he said. “And the audience

is so young and so great, and so beautiful. That’s why I’m still singing.

Because I love the audience.”

He admits that age is a factor he has to contend with now, but explains

-- in rapid English that breaks up as he grows more excited -- that the

same force of will that drove him to recover from his accident propels

him to deliver dynamic performances night after night.

“Energy means everything,” he said. “It’s in the brains, energy. It’s not

only physical. It’s the reactions, the instincts, the discovering of

things so much in a hurry, so beautiful.”

FYI

WHO: Julio Iglesias

WHERE: Orange County Performing Arts Center, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa

Mesa

WHEN: Friday through Oct. 24. Friday and Saturday shows are at 8 p.m.;

the Sunday show is at 4 p.m.

HOW MUCH: $25 to $75

PHONE: (714) 755-0236