MEXICO CITY, MEXICO: Singing sensation Enrique Iglesias recently announced that he will no longer be performing at the Tecate Emblema Festival, which is taking place at the Hermanos Rodriguez Autodrome in Mexico City. The 48-year-old Spanish singer and songwriter was scheduled to headline the first day of the music festival on Saturday, May 13.
The ‘Why Not Me’ hit-maker decided to pull out of the performance on doctor's orders after developing severe pneumonia. Iglesias made the announcement on social media just hours before he was scheduled to perform at the two-day event. “Dear fans, much to my regret, it’ll be impossible for me to appear at the show tonight in Mexico,” read a statement in Spanish shared on Iglesias’s social platforms. “I have pneumonia and doctors have advised absolute rest and have forbidden me to get on an airplane,” the announcement noted, adding, “I am frankly sad to cancel this show in a country that has given me so much. I hope to recover fast and be able to be with you all in full form soon.”
READ MORE
Who will fill Iglesias’ spot?
Following Iglesias’ announcement, the Mexican concert promoter OCESA clarified that a group of artists would take over in the absence of global stars including Netflix’s 'Elite' star Danna Paola. Other additions include Kabah, Magneto, Caló, JNS, The Sacados, and Litzy, who all are part of the 90’s Pop Tour group. It was also announced that the rest of the line-up will remain unchanged, with The Chainsmokers also headlining the first night of Tecate Emblema. The festival's first day also includes performances by One Republic, Melanie C, Belinda, Niki, Pabllo Vittar, The Driver Era, and Alizzzz, as per Daily Mail.
OCESA also made a statement indicating that anyone who purchased individual tickets for the event on Saturday, May 13, can attend the day after, or, if they so desired, get a refund, according to the official Tecate Emblema page. As for the second day of the festival, Robbie Williams and KYGO are the headlining performers. Day 2's schedule also includes performances by the Black Eyed Peas, Bizarrap, Camilo, Becky G, Roisin Murphy, Emilia, Lasso, and Moenia.
Iglesias' 'final' album
The show's cancellation follows the release of Iglesias' 11th studio album, 'Final (Vol 1)', and comes before the release of 'Final (Vol 2)'. The 'Final' volumes are said to be his final albums to be released in the conventional album format. "It might be my final album. It's not something that I have been thinking about for the past few months. It’s something that I have been thinking about for the past few years," the ‘Hero’ star said during an Instagram chat with Ricky Martin and Sebastian Yatra, as reported by The Reporter in September 2021.
"There’s going to be Vol. 1 and Vol. 2, but they're final. I'm in that moment in my life, that chapter in my life, where I think it's the right time to put it out and I’ve been thinking about this since 2015,” he continued. Fans may rest easy knowing that despite the news, Iglesias claimed he won't completely stop creating songs. "I'm never going to stop writing songs because I love writing songs, but I'm going to do it in a different way – meaning they don't necessarily have to be packaged as an album – so this project to me is important," he explained at the time.