As Enrique Iglesias, the Grammy-winning singer behind hits like Tonight (I’m Lovin’ You), returns to Mumbai for a concert, here’s a playlist of 10 hits that remind us why he remains the King of Latin Pop
Enrique Iglesias walked out of Mumbai’s Kalina Airport on Tuesday (October 28), flashing a quick smile and folding his hands in a “Namaste.” It was a full-circle moment for a generation that grew up lip-syncing Escape in the backseat of school buses and dedicating Hero on late-night radio. Thirteen years after his last India tour, the Grammy-winning Spanish singer is back for a two-day concert at the MMRDA Grounds in Bandra Kurla Complex; the tickets were sold out in a matter of minutes.
In his trademark laid-back airport look — grey tee, matching joggers, cap, and black sunglasses — Enrique looked like he’d walked straight out of one of his 2000s videos. The crowd cheered when he greeted them with folded hands before slipping into his car. For fans, it sent them down memory lane. “I’ve missed performing in India; the fans there are some of the most loyal and passionate in the world,” he said in a statement ahead of his show.
And he’s right. Few artists have managed to stay in rotation across generations and continents the way Enrique has, moving effortlessly from romantic ballads to high-energy Latin pop anthems. Ahead of his Mumbai concert, we count down 10 songs that define Enrique Iglesias: the singer, the dancer, the performer.
1. Hero (2001): If you were alive in the early 2000s, you remember where you were when Hero played. That whispering voice, that slow build, that aching plea — “Would you dance if I asked you to dance?” — made Enrique the soundtrack of every teenage heartbreak. The music video, shot like a mini-action movie with Jennifer Love Hewitt, turned him into pop’s tragic romantic. It’s not just a love song; it’s an emotional monologue dressed as melody.
2. Bailamos (1999): This was the song that made the world dance in Spanish before we knew the words. With its signature flamenco-infused rhythm and irresistible hook, Bailamos — “Let’s dance” — broke through in Hollywood after featuring in the Will Smith film Wild Wild West. It announced Enrique as a global crossover act, fusing Latin beats with American pop in a way that felt effortless and infectious.
3. Escape (2001): “You can run, you can hide, but you can’t escape my love.” The line that defined a summer, and probably an entire MTV generation. Escape was slick, pulsating, and cinematic. The music video, co-starring his then-girlfriend Anna Kournikova, made tabloid history. The track remains a stadium anthem; it’s one of those songs that still gets crowds screaming every word.
4. Be With You (2000): A dance floor favourite and one of his early Grammy-nominated hits, Be With You combines techno-pop production with heartbreak lyrics, classic Enrique formula. It’s smooth but urgent, sensual yet pleading, the kind of track that belongs as much in a club as on a breakup playlist.
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5. Addicted (2003): This was Enrique at his most dark and desperate. Addicted trades his usual sunlit charm for obsession and longing, with that unforgettable line, “Have I told you lately I’m addicted to you?” The black-and-white music video, featuring model Mischa Barton, is as haunting as the song itself.
6. Do You Know? (The Ping Pong Song) (2007): The title sounds playful, but Do You Know? is pure heartbreak hiding behind a pop beat. That ping-pong sample became an instant earworm. Beneath it, Enrique delivers one of his most vulnerable vocal performances, full of yearning and self-doubt — the confession of a man trying to sound fine when he clearly isn’t.
7. Tired of Being Sorry (2007): Originally written by the band Ringside, Enrique’s version took the song global. Its restrained tone and moody production marked his evolution from early pop ballads to more mature storytelling. It’s the sound of an artist learning to live with imperfection, and fans loved him all the more for it.
8. I Like It (feat. Pitbull) (2010): I Like It, the comeback single, brought Enrique roaring back into the club scene. With Pitbull’s Miami swagger and a sample from Lionel Richie’s All Night Long, it became a summer anthem that ruled radio, gym playlists, and beach parties. By now, Enrique had learned to reinvent himself without losing the pulse of his audience.
9. Tonight (I’m Lovin’ You) (feat. Ludacris & DJ Frank E) (2010): This one needs no introduction. Tonight was unapologetically bold, borderline scandalous, and completely unfiltered that showed us how Enrique was never just the soft-hearted crooner. He could turn on the swagger just as easily, giving global pop the kind of energy few others could.
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10. Bailando (feat. Descemer Bueno & Gente de Zona) (2014): If Bailamos was the start, Bailando was the full-circle moment. With its mix of flamenco guitar, reggaeton rhythm, and Spanish lyrics, it brought Latin pop roaring back into the mainstream. It spent 41 weeks atop Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs chart, and to this day, no Enrique concert is complete without it.
For all his fame and fanfare, Enrique Iglesias has always been about connection. His slightly raspy voice and soft-spoken charm have earned him legions of admirers in India. This time, he returns to Mumbai after more than a decade and is reportedly planning a short trip to Agra to see the Taj Mahal. In the last 13 years, his music has grown older with us, changed shape, changed rhythm, but never lost its core, a belief that love, in all its forms, still deserves a melody. And if you’re at MMRDA Grounds this week, you’ll hear it: thousands of voices singing Hero and other charttoppers under the Mumbai sky.
