JULIO IGLESIAS, JR TAPPED BY HOST JOHN RICH AS CMT’S HIT SERIES “GONE COUNTRY” WINNER
03/10/08
Iglesias, Jr. will release single and video immediately
NASHVILLE, TN- March 7, 2008 – CMT’s GONE COUNTRY superstar host John Rich lauded the entire cast of the hit series for their unprecedented dedication to the art of going country, then presented a custom made “Gone Country” ring to Julio Iglesias, Jr. Julio is set to immediately release "The Way I Want You," the song he penned with Nashville songwriters James Slater and Tammy Hyler while taping the series, which will soon be available for download via CMT.com. The song is produced by John Rich. The accompanying video will debut on CMT and CMT.com on Saturday, March 8.
A shocked and excited Julio said, “I really had no idea what to expect when I agreed to do ‘Gone Country’, and I really didn’t expect to make such great friends with the cast and the songwriters I worked with. The whole experience was amazing – especially trying to lasso horses and clean out horse stalls at Gretchen Wilson’s house. John Rich was a lot tougher that I thought he would be, but he absolutely loves country music and respects its history. I’m not sure where all of this will take me, but I really hope country radio likes this single as much as we enjoyed writing and recording it.”
John Rich states, "It was a real exercise in judgment to pick the artist that I thought had the most bases covered for being an entertainer in our business of country music. All of the artists on the show are uniquely gifted, and all have their stronger and weaker points. I thought Julio’s song was outstanding, and was blown away at the response from the fans at his live performance. This really boils down to how the fans react to the music you're making, and in my estimation, Julio won them over the most. Beyond that, he is a class act and a real stand up sort of guy."
Julio was born in Madrid, Spain and moved to Miami, the city he now calls home. He recently released a Spanish album in Spain and is set to work on a stateside project with John Rich.
GONE COUNTRY is executive produced by David Garfinkle and Jay Renfroe of Renegade 83 Productions. Marc Oswald serves as executive producer. Melanie Moreau and Bob Kusbit serve as executive producers for CMT.
Visit CMT's press-only Web site www.cmtpress.com for more information and downloadable photos on all of CMT's programming.
CMT, a unit of Viacom’s MTV Networks (NYSE: VIA and VIA.B), is the leading television and digital authority on country music and entertainment, reaching more than 87 million homes in the U.S. CMT and its website, CMT.com, offer an unparalleled mix of music, news, live concerts and series and is the top resource for country music on demand. The network’s digital platforms include the 24-hour music channel, CMT Pure Country, CMT Mobile and CMT VOD.
MTV Networks, a unit of Viacom, is one of the world's leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. MTV Networks, with 137 channels worldwide, owns and operates the following television programming services - MTV: MUSIC TELEVISION, MTV2, VH1, mtvU, NICKELODEON, NICK at NITE, COMEDY CENTRAL, TV LAND, SPIKE TV, CMT, NOGGIN/THE N, VH1 CLASSIC, LOGO, MTVN INTERNATIONAL and THE DIGITAL SUITE FROM MTV NETWORKS, a package of 13 digital services, all of these networks trademarks of MTV Networks. MTV Networks connects with its audiences through its robust consumer products businesses and its more than 200 interactive properties worldwide, including online, broadband, wireless and interactive television services and also has licensing agreements, joint ventures, and syndication deals whereby all of its programming services can be seen worldwide.
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