Julio Iglesias Jr. photographed by Jesus Cordero

Julio Iglesias Jr. was born into singing royalty. The star grew up watching his father, Julio Iglesias, make best-selling hits. “All that sticks in you, and it grows on you,” he tells GRAZIA USA about watching his father tour. He and his younger brother Enrique Iglesias followed in their father’s footsteps and made their mark in music in their own distinct ways.

For Iglesias Jr.’s next album, Under the Covers, (out Feb. 7), he’s paying homage to the classics by reimagining an eclectic mix of beloved tunes, all backed by a joyous and booming big band sound. Iglesias recorded the new album with Grammy-winning producer Rudy Pérez and together, they curated an assortment of universally cherished melodies, from buzzy pop songs to timeless love ballads. Songs by Marvin Gaye, Billy Joel, Belinda Carlisle, Stevie Wonder, and even Ed Sheeran get Iglesias’ swing treatment. Brian McKnight, Jewel, Right Said Fred, and the legendary Benny Mardones sing along in duets with the Madrid-born crooner.

Two singles are out now (“Into The Night” ft. Benny Mardones and a Stevie Wonder medley with Brian McKnight) and Iglesias Jr. says fans can expect to hear more songs on the album “that everybody knows and that everybody can sing along to.” He says the record has “big bands, horns, and just great vibes,” which perfectly fits with his personality. “It’s just happy and melodic music that people can really enjoy while they’re taking a shower, chilling, just relaxing before going to sleep. I love that type of music.”

Ahead of the release of Under the Covers, GRAZIA USA caught up with the talented singer to chat about the significance of his song choices, his collaborators, and what’s next.

Julio Iglesias Jr. photographed by Jesus Cordero

GRAZIA USA: Can you tell me about your Stevie Wonder medley featuring Brian McKnight? How that come about?

JI: When Rudy Perez and I started trying to figure out songs that we wanted to do for the record, we said, ‘We need a Stevie Wonder song,’ because we love Stevie Wonder. I grew up listening to him. Stevie Wonder has always been one of my favorite songwriter/ entertainers in the world. It was very hard for us to choose just one song because there’s so many great ones. We had the idea to do a Stevie Wonder Medley, which was the best idea ever because we got to sing “Overjoyed,” “I Just Called to Say I Love You,” and “Isn’t She Lovely?” Which are three great songs that everybody knows.

We ended up doing the medley and then we reached out to Brian, and he came on board to do the duet with me. It was super exciting and I was very lucky to be able to work with Brian and to be able to do such a great song with such an amazing artist.

G: How long did you work on it?

JI: It’s funny, this is a crazy story, because I had never met Brian. I obviously have heard his music and I know all his songs, but about two years ago, I went to one of his shows without even knowing that a year after I’ll be working with him on a song. I was in Northern California, and he was playing at one of the casinos and I went to see him. It was incredible. The next thing I know, I’m doing a duet with him on my new record. I told him that. I’m like, “Brian, I went to see your show.” And it was just a great coincidence that I went to see him. It didn’t take that long because my part of the song was recorded already, so he just sang at the parts that Rudy told him to sing, which was amazing.

G: What was the inspiration for the song “Into the Night” with Benny Mardones?

JI: I came across this song that I grew up listening to when Rudy and I were deciding on songs to include. I was very young the first time when I came to live in the US in 1986. I remember going to elementary school and listening to this song in the radio, driving in the car. It was one of those hits, one of those great songs that everybody loved. Rudy and I decided to do “Into the Night” with Benny. I was blessed to be able to do a duet with him and it was just an incredible experience for me.

 G: Coming from a musical family, do you seek their support or guidance when you’re going into new projects?

JI: I do. I remember when I was very young, going on tour and just learning about the music business. Traveling the world and with my dad when I was 7, 8, 9, 10 years old, going to all these countries and just watching my dad perform live. Believe it or not, all that sticks in you, and it grows on you. You become used to it. So, I love it. I love what I do for a living. I love entertaining. I love being on stage. I love traveling. I love making music. I love it.

Julio Iglesias Jr. photographed by Jesus Cordero

G: Have your father and Enrique heard the new album yet?

JI: Oh yes, of course they have. They like it very much. In our family, we support each other very much. We love what each other does music-wise. Enrique has his style, my dad obviously, he’s been in the business for over 55 years. He loves this type of music because a lot of these songs are songs that he would sing too. It’s a very close connection. In many of my shows, I sing a lot of my dad’s songs, which I love to do because I grew up listening to all these great songs.

G: You’ve done a lot over the years in terms of modeling and television. Do you have any desire to go back to those endeavors along with pursuing your music?

JI: I’ve done a lot of things in my life. I started in the fashion world when I was very young. I’ve done a lot of stuff. I’ve done TV series, I’ve done movies, I’ve done it all. But I love music. Music has always been a big part of my life. I love the fact that I get to do something that truly makes me happy, which is to perform, sing, and song-write and just be in the music business.

G: What’s next for you after this album?

JI: Another album!

G: No breaks?

JI: No breaks. I want to do another record where maybe I sit down for about three, four months and write original songs. I would love to do a record of all my dad’s greatest songs. There’s a lot of things I could do. I could do a little combo of original songs with songs that I’ve always known and that I grew up listening to.