Iglesias Victorious On CMT Gone Country!
Julio Iglesias, Jr. is the winner of CMT's Gone Country reality series as announced on the show's final episode Friday night! Beating such celebrities as Bobby Brown and Twisted Sister's Dee Snider, Julio has just released the song he co-wrote for the show, "The Way I Want You," as a single to country radio.
Gone Country's host, John Rich, who produced the track, says Julio could fill what he believes to be a void in country music. Listen here
"I think the bridge that needs to be built between the Hispanic community and the United States and country radio is just a glaring problem. You know, I grew up in Amarillo, Texas in a predominately Hispanic neighborhood and they all listen to country music. You go down to Texas, you play the Houston Livestock Rodeo, there's 25 thousand people and 70 percent of them are Hispanic. The Big & Rich concerts we play.I mean there's Hispanic people comin' out by the thousands to every show you do. Well, but we don't have an artist necessarily that has combined that yet. We haven't had a Johnny Rodriguez in 25 years, you know, it's been a long time. So I think if a guy like Julio really decided he wanted to be serious about it, I think he could have a career in country, a big one, and would be a real asset to Nashville."
Reacting to his victory, Iglesias says, "I really had no idea what to expect when I agreed to do 'Gone Country,' and I really didn't expect to make such great friends with the cast and the songwriters I worked with. The whole experience was amazing - especially trying to lasso horses and clean out horse stalls at Gretchen Wilson's house. John Rich was a lot tougher than I thought he would be, but he absolutely loves country music and respects its history. I'm not sure where all of this will take me, but I really hope country radio likes this single as much as we enjoyed writing and recording it." As Julio continues to write with some of Nashville's top talents, fans can expect to see him at upcoming country music events. To keep up with him, check out his website, JulioJr.com.
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