Enrique brings a barrage of hits to Doha

What pop music means today largely depends on what angle you’re looking at it from; it has significantly changed in the past few years.Though not solely responsible for the change, Enrique Iglesias’s 1998 smash hit 'Bailamos' marked a seismic shift in global appetite for Latin and non-English language music not seen since the days of Gloria Estefan in the 1980s and Ricky Martin in the 1990s.It has been – since then – music that strives for lustre, energy, trance and a phenomenon.A time where you could only think of Michael Jackson and Madonna –another meaning of pop, so tightly tethered and not dependent on language – was introduced.Iglesias and his music turned out to be a Spanish music phenomenon, with many fascinated by the singer’s stage presence and his suave style.Qatar Airways and Qatar Tourism have launched Qatar Live – a series of music concerts and festivals taking place in Doha, sponsored by Ooredoo and organised by Alchemy Project.As part of the initiative, the Spanish singer made his Qatar debut at Doha Golf Club over the weekend, backed by his band.Iglesias has been one of the few singers who has commercially not gone wrong for decades, with every song he has belted turning multiplatinum, and his sales and fan base undiminished.In that hoopla of Latinx crowd that includes fashion-savvy Maluma, trap rapper Bad Bunny and the logo-loving singer J Balvin, Latino Grammy award winner Iglesias still stands out with his heavy, swirling upbeat tracks, sensuality and risk-taking fashion smarts.Much like his gruff sound, the singer’s productions have their own distinct beat.For his Doha gig, Iglesias cultivated a look that was all about a silky button-up shirt paired with leather pants.His fashion sense embodied a certain type of confidence when he appeared on stage with his 2014 track 'I’m a Freak' featuring Pitbull – a whole vibe that seemed totally rockstar.Featuring a futuristic theme charged with lasers, the concert was all about audiovisual effects and pyrotechnics presented in a way never seen before.Iglesias has swag – everyone would agree – as he picked up a young girl from the audience to sit with him on the stairs of the stage and try to make her sing his lyrics.Consider it one more reason to be a fan.His music has always been suffused by a human, rough-and-ready, touching kind of love.It helps that his songs are staples for a dance night out, coaxing all generations on to the dance floor, and forcing even the coolest kid to throw aside their pretension.Indeed, there’s something disarming about seeing Iglesias on stage.He just bombarded with hits – I Like It, Bailamos, Hero – and an eye-popping spectacle of pyrotechnics and confetti cannon, all cranked up, and the sound of tens of thousands of voices singing along to Bailando.There wasn’t a beat out of place or a minute when fans didn’t have their hands in the air, swirling away.A houseful of Latino music lovers and an absolute out-and-out way of welcoming the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.