Every year, when the calendar reaches its seventh month, Spanish-speaking internet users conspire to spark a meme trend featuring the legendary Spanish singer Julio Iglesias. As if it were an unwritten tradition, social media is flooded with humorous images, marking the arrival of July with wit and humor.
Although it’s unclear how the the viral trend that links the artist to the month (Julio in Spanish means July) got started — or who started it — there has been a spontaneous and very organic annual resurgence of Iglesias memes dating back at least to 2010, with different expressions alluding to the season. By this point, it’s impossible not to come across his unmistakable smile on social media, accompanied by phrases like “July is here” or “July is coming with heat.”
Far from being bothered, Iglesias himself has taken the trend with humor: “I know them, they’re nice, and if they make people laugh… well, that’s fine with me, as long as they’re not offensive,” the Latin icon told HOLA! magazine about the humorous trend in 2015. “I don’t see them all, but every now and then a friend sends me one and I laugh my head off.”
Julio José Iglesias de la Cueva, born on September 23, 1943, is much more than a viral star: He’s one of the most revered Spanish artists of all time, with No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart including “Que No Se Rompa La Noche,” “Torero” (with “El Puma” José Luis Rodríguez), and “Lo Mejor De Tu Vida,” which topped the ranking for 13 weeks in 1987.
At Billboard, we’re joining the trend by selecting some of the funniest and most memorable memes that celebrate the arrival of July with humor and a lot of love for this music icon. Here are the 10 best.
