"If you want to be a success in anything, you have to take that big step," says Enrique Iglesias. And that's exactly what he did. Determined not to ride on the successful coat-tails of his father, the Latin-legend Julio Iglesias, Enrique set out independently, shopping his first demos under the pseudonym, Enrique Martinez.

The Spanish-born crooner was raised outside the glamourous world of show business but he still had aspirations and of musical stardom. In 1995, Iglesias abandoned his business studies at the University of Miami to focus solely on his music. He flew to Toronto and in five months, churned out his first, self-titled album. Enrique Iglesias (1996) sold more than a million copies in three months and earned the 1996 Grammy for Best Latin Performer and Billboard Artist of the Year. Within three years, Enrique sold more than 17 million Spanish-language albums (more than anyone else during that period). His Spanish-language triumphs prompted Iglesias to tackle the English, Italian and Portuguese markets.