Enrique Iglesias’ ‘Hero’ turns 25, celebrates moment with music video

The Latin pop star took to Instagram to share the music video for the track, which has gone on to sell more than eight million copies worldwide and become one of the biggest-selling singles of its era.

Alongside the video, Iglesias shared a line from the song and simply wrote, “hold me in your arms tonight #hero.”

Hero was released in 2001 as part of Iglesias’ second English-language studio album, Escape. The song was written by Iglesias along with Paul Barry and Mark Taylor.

Beyond its commercial success, Hero also became associated with a significant moment in American history. Following the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center, which took place eight days after the single’s release, radio stations in New York used a special version of the song featuring audio from police officers, firefighters, civilians at Ground Zero and political figures reflecting on the tragedy.

Iglesias began his recording career in the mid-1990s with the Mexican label Fonovisa.

He released three Spanish-language albums during that period, Enrique Iglesias, Vivir and Cosas del Amor, establishing himself as one of the decade’s biggest Spanish-language recording artists.

He subsequently expanded his career into the English-language market and became one of the best-selling Latin music artists in the world, with reported global album sales exceeding 100 million.

His career has included five Billboard Hot 100 top-five singles, including two songs that reached No. 1.

Iglesias has also enjoyed considerable success on the Billboard Dance charts, where he has achieved 14 No. 1 singles, the most among male artists.

His influence on Latin pop has earned him the widely used title “King of Latin Pop”. In 2022, Billboard recognised him as the Top Latin Artist of All Time at the Latin Billboard Awards.

Twenty-five years after its release, Hero remains one of Iglesias’ most recognisable songs and a defining entry in the romantic pop sound of the early 2000s.