Julen Abio: a Basque among stars

The day started very early. At 6:30am we were already crossing Manhattan by subway; actually many people wake up early in the morning to go to work. The subway, as usual, crowded.

Coffee in hand and quite fast to arrive on time at Enrique's rehearsal, we got to Columbus in the street 62, in Lincoln Square. ABC is there. TV channel Julen has been working in for approximately 26 years.

Once again, making use of our contacts with programme staff, we skipped the kilometric queue to enter the studios and got into the set still in the darkness, as if the programme were not to be broadcast any more.

Julen let eitb24 go deep into the morning programme that has been leader of audience in the US for 20 years.

Wearing jeans, sports shoes, a sweatshirt and a cap, Enrique came into the set. No ceremony, no delusions of grandeur, and nice with programme staff. Rehearsals lasted almost half an hour. The thing is that no matter how many mentholated sweets you eat, voice doesn't flow at 8:00am.

But eventually, with the help of sound engineers, the excellent musicians accompanying him and much effort, Enrique offered an agreeable live performance.

That's another point to highlight. In "Live with Regis and Kelly" all artists sing live and those who are not ready to do so don't enjoy their minutes of glory in the morning programme par excellence.

The young man was agreeable with the audience, and as he told Julen, "those from the north are the ones I like the most in Spain." According to Enrique, northerners are "the kindest and most agreeable."

The artist and our most international man from Bakio chatted friendly and left at least some curious photos. And this chatty Basque man made the idol of thousands of people in the world laugh and joke as if they were Sunday mus (cards play) mates.

And this about mus is not pure coincidence. Yesterday Julen and I connected with the live programme of Radio Euskadi "Graffiti" and Julen didn't almost let presenters Leire Zorrozua and Felix Linares ask questions. That Felix cheats at cards, that his cousin wins him… and all that in a live programme, of course.

The years he has been controlling a set of such a programme as his seem to have taught him how to cope as if he made interviews every day. Once again, Julen was excellent.

With all the glamour of Preysler's son, once again this is New York.