Julio Iglesias announces two shows at Dubai Opera

The Spanish crooner is set to return to the UAE with his 50th anniversary tour

LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 13:  Julio Iglesias performs live on stage at the Royal Albert Hall on May 13, 2014 in London, England.  (Photo by Samir Hussein/Getty Images)
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Julio Iglesias is returning to the UAE in October.

The Spanish crooner announced on his official website that his latest run of shows will include two dates at Dubai Opera on October 1 and 2.

Dubai Opera has yet to make an official statement confirming the shows.

Fans of the 74-year-old, who is the father of pop star Enrique Iglesias, should be excited at the prospect of seeing the veteran singer in the classy venue in Downtown Dubai.

A regular visitor the Gulf, Iglesias previous UAE shows were at the cavernous Dubai World Trade Centre in 2013 and three years later at the outdoor Al Majaz Amphitheatre in Sharjah.

With Dubai Opera's pitch-perfect acoustics, fans will be treated to the experience of Iglesias performing his catalogue of hits including Amor and When You Tell Me That You Love Me.

The Dubai shows are part of Iglesias' 50th-anniversary world tour which, since beginning last year, has been picking up steam with shows already performed in venues in Eastern Europe, including Moscow’s Grand Kremlin Palace last October.

Born in Madrid, Iglesias dreamed of a professional football career, but after a car accident left him unable to walk for two years, he discovered the guitar and delved into music as part of his recovery process.

After obtaining a law degree, he focused on his entertainment career, which was subsequently launched after he won Spain's premiere singing competition the Benidorm International Song Festival in 1968.

Not long after he released his debut album Yo Canto, which spent 15 years on the Spanish charts. Since then, he amassed a string of European hits including Gwendolyne and Manuela, before branching out to the English-speaking market with popular tracks To All The Girls I've Loved Before and All of You.

Speaking to The National in 2013, Iglesias said he revels in having an international fan-base and that performing in the Middle East always feels like home.

"I am a typical Mediterranean singer. The sound of the ocean, the character of my people, the food, the conversation and the sound and the voice – it is all in my genes,” he said.

“This is also why I feel at home in Arab countries, because they come from the same latitude of my life. Arabs have been living in our country for over eight centuries and many things in our genes comes from the Arab people."

Details and pricing will be revealed soon on www.dubaiopera.com.