Mexican singer and actress Thalia photographed by John Russo for the cover shoot of the fashion magazine Glamour Mexico for their November 2012 issue.
Thalia: Profile - Biography
Also known as: Queen of Soap Operas, Empress of Beauty, Queen of Latin Pop
Date of Birth: 26 August 1971 (age 41)
Place of Birth: Mexico City, Mexico
Genres: Latin music, Latin pop, Pop rock, Adult contemporary, World music, Dance
Occupations: Singer, songwriter, actress, author, businesswoman, fashion designer, philanthropist
Instruments: Vocals
Years active: 1981–present
Labels: Fonovisa (1985–1994), EMI (1994–2008), Sony Music (2009–present)
Associated acts: Timbiriche, Emilio Estefan, Gloria Estefan, Tommy Mottola
Ariadna Thalía Sodi Miranda, (born 26 August 1971) known mononymously as Thalía, is a Mexican singer, songwriter, published author, actress and businesswoman, who has sung in Spanish, English, Portuguese, French and Tagalog. She is recognized as the most successful female solo Mexican artist internationally by media conglomerates such as Univision Communications, Televisa and TV Azteca, while she has sold over 40 million albums worldwide as a solo artist, being considered as one of the best selling Latin musicians of all time. Big part of the media refer to her as the "Queen of Latin pop", because of her numerous Latin pop hit singles and her legacy within the latin pop music scene of the past 2 decades. However, apart from singing, Thalía has also had a renowned career in acting, as she starred in a variety of soap operas that were watched by over two billion people in more than 180 countries and marked history in television because of their extremely high ratings. She was converted into a global television icon, especially during the decade of the 1990s, while she was publically referred to as the reigning "Queen of telenovelas" by the mass media, because of the phenomenal reception her soap operas had. She was also reported to be the most successful telenovela actress in history, as stated by Televisa, the largest mass media company in the Spanish-speaking world.
In 2008, the British tabloid The Sun, named her as one of "the 50 female singers who will never be forgotten" while in 2011, Terra Networks included her in their list of "the most powerful and iconic women in music". Thalía has also been nominated for various Latin Grammy, Latin Billboard and many other awards throughout her career. This has helped her to maintain her autonomy and her status as a powerful woman within the recording industry. She is also an occasional author, model, fashion designer, and record producer. With her productions, Thalía has received several gold and platinum sales certifications in most American, European, and Asian countries, establishing herself as the ultimate Spanish-language crossover artist. In 2013, she will be honored with her own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, as a recognition for her successful career in music and entertainment.
Thalía was born on 26 August 1971 in Mexico City, Mexico. She is the daughter of Ernesto Sodi Pallares, who was a scientist, doctor of pathology, criminologist and writer, and Yolanda Miranda Mange, who was a painter and Thalía's manager from 1980 to 1999. Thalía is the youngest of five daughters. She has four sisters, Laura Zapata (daughter of Guillermo Zapata Pérez de Utrera), Federica, Gabriela and Ernestina Sodi.
When she turned one year old, Thalía appeared in a commercial for Mexican television. When she was 4, she began to attend ballet and piano classes in the National Conservatory of Music of Mexico. In 1977, Thalía's father died, as he was affected by diabetes when Thalía was only six years old at the time. Many years later, the singer recognized that her father's death traumatized her dramatically, and that she didn't talk to anyone for a whole year. This leaded to her suffering under serious childhood disintegrative disorder, which belongs to a series of developmental disorders caused by autism spectrum. In order to deal with this, her mother brought her to many psychologists.
Thalía gained her primary education in the "Liceo Franco Mexicano", where she attended a bilingual curriculum, having the ability to learn how to speak fluently both French and Spanish at a very young age. In 1976, a year before her father's death, she appeared in the Mexican movie La guerra de los pasteles ("The war of the cakes"), although her name doesn't appear in the film credits. As Thalía was also practicing various sports during her infancy, she was inspired by Romanian record-setting athlete Nadia Comaneci. Nadia's record influenced Thalía to have the desire to follow a career in entertainment. Her major sister, Laura Zapata, was also a singer and she used to take Thalía with her at the theatre, when she was a child. This motivated her to passionately embrace and connect with acting at a very young age.
Life and career
1981–1989: Career beginnings and the Timbiriche era
In 1981, when Thalía was nine years old, she was incorporated as a vocalist in a children's group named Pac Man, which was formed in order to participate in a popular music festival known as Juguemos a cantar ("Let's play while singing"), a TV program by Televisa. Later, Pac Man changed their band name to "Din-Din". Thalía performed various times along with Din-Din in occasional events and parties, touring all over Mexico. The band recorded a total of 4 studio albums between 1982 and 1983 (En acción, Recordando el Rock and Roll, Somos alguien muy especial and Pitubailando), and later it was disbanded.
After the break-up of Din-Din in 1984, Thalía participated as a solo artist in two annual music festivals of Juguemos a cantar. In 1984, she placed second in the festival with the interpretation of the song «Moderna niña del rock» ("Modern rock girl"), and that brought her the opportunity to participate in the chorus of the popular musical Vaselina, a child version of the successful musical Grease, in which the band Timbiriche was acting and singing. The line-up of the band consisted of Sasha Sökol, Benny Ibarra, Erik Rubín, Diego Schoening, Mariana Garza and Paulina Rubio. Timbiriche was highly promoted at the time by Televisa, one of the most massive media enterprises globally and the most important in the Spanish-speaking world. Some time later, Thalía obtained the protagonist role of Sandy Dee in the musical, and she performed in 500 theater presentations of Vaselina along with Timbiriche.
In 1986, after the departure of Sasha Sökol from Timbiriche, Thalía became a member of the band. By that time, Timbiriche had already recorded five albums. In the following year, Thalía was offered to participate in the telenovela Pobre señorita Limantour; this production was actually Thalía's debut as a TV actress. However, she appeared in only one episode. In the same year, she recorded with Timbiriche the principal theme of the juvenile telenovela Quinceañera ("Fifteen-year-old"), in which Thalía was the co-protagonist with the role of Beatriz. The TV series was awarded as the «Best telenovela» by "Premios TVyNovelas" in 1988 and Thalía was awarded as the "the best new actress of 1988".
With Timbiriche, Thalía recorded four studio albums: Timbiriche VII (1987), the double album Timbiriche VIII y IX (1988) and Los clásicos de Timbiriche (1989). The last one is a compilation of the band's greatest hits, recorded originally in 1987, with new symphonic arrangements as it included the participation of Mexico's philharmonic orchestra. In 1989, Thalía departed from Timbiriche. In that year, she also starred in another TV series, Luz y sombra ("Light and shadow"), which was her first protagonist role.[44] Some time later she visited Los Angeles in order to take English courses in the University of California. She also attended music, singing, acting and dancing classes before beginning her career as a solo artist.
1990–1993: First albums as a solo artist
In 1990, Thalía returned to Mexico and released her first studio album as a solo artist, self-titled Thalía, which was produced by Alfredo Díaz Ordaz, and published by Fonovisa, Televisa's record label. From that album, she released a total of four singles that became huge radio hits : «Amarillo azul», «Pienso en ti», «Un pacto entre los dos» and «Saliva». The two last tracks were co-written by her and Díaz Ordaz and they were considered as provocative at the time («Un pacto entre los dos» was even labeled as a song with occult Satan-worship lyrics by various far-right parties).
In September 1991, Thalía released her second studio album, Mundo de cristal, which marks Thalía's last project in collaboration with Alfredo Díaz Ordaz. Four songs became radio singles from the album, and all of them had big radio impact in Mexico. Due to the success of the singles, the album was certified as double gold in Thalía's native country, Mexico. In the same year, Thalía was co-presenter of the late Spanish show VIP Noche, along with Spanish presenter Emilio Aragón, produced by Telecinco.
In October 1992, she released her third studio album and her last under the same label, entitled Love (Thalía album), which was recorded in Spain and it was produced by Luis Carlos Esteban. The album spread six singles, that had huge radio impact: «El bronceador», «Love», the classic ballad «Sangre», «María Mercedes» (official theme of the TV series), «No trates de engañarme» and «La vie en rose», the last one being a Spanish-French cover of the classic French song originally performed by Edith Piaf. Thalía wrote the song «Sangre» inspired in Díaz Ordaz, with whom she had broken up her sentimental relation. The album was praised by the critics, as it was an artistic evolution for Thalía, who experimented for the first time in different music genres, especially electronic music. The album reached number 15 on Billboard's Latin Pop Albums in 1993. In Mexico, it sold over 200,000 copies in the first month upon its release and very soon it reached the platinum and gold certification.
Date of Birth: 26 August 1971 (age 41)
Place of Birth: Mexico City, Mexico
Genres: Latin music, Latin pop, Pop rock, Adult contemporary, World music, Dance
Occupations: Singer, songwriter, actress, author, businesswoman, fashion designer, philanthropist
Instruments: Vocals
Years active: 1981–present
Labels: Fonovisa (1985–1994), EMI (1994–2008), Sony Music (2009–present)
Associated acts: Timbiriche, Emilio Estefan, Gloria Estefan, Tommy Mottola
Ariadna Thalía Sodi Miranda, (born 26 August 1971) known mononymously as Thalía, is a Mexican singer, songwriter, published author, actress and businesswoman, who has sung in Spanish, English, Portuguese, French and Tagalog. She is recognized as the most successful female solo Mexican artist internationally by media conglomerates such as Univision Communications, Televisa and TV Azteca, while she has sold over 40 million albums worldwide as a solo artist, being considered as one of the best selling Latin musicians of all time. Big part of the media refer to her as the "Queen of Latin pop", because of her numerous Latin pop hit singles and her legacy within the latin pop music scene of the past 2 decades. However, apart from singing, Thalía has also had a renowned career in acting, as she starred in a variety of soap operas that were watched by over two billion people in more than 180 countries and marked history in television because of their extremely high ratings. She was converted into a global television icon, especially during the decade of the 1990s, while she was publically referred to as the reigning "Queen of telenovelas" by the mass media, because of the phenomenal reception her soap operas had. She was also reported to be the most successful telenovela actress in history, as stated by Televisa, the largest mass media company in the Spanish-speaking world.
In 2008, the British tabloid The Sun, named her as one of "the 50 female singers who will never be forgotten" while in 2011, Terra Networks included her in their list of "the most powerful and iconic women in music". Thalía has also been nominated for various Latin Grammy, Latin Billboard and many other awards throughout her career. This has helped her to maintain her autonomy and her status as a powerful woman within the recording industry. She is also an occasional author, model, fashion designer, and record producer. With her productions, Thalía has received several gold and platinum sales certifications in most American, European, and Asian countries, establishing herself as the ultimate Spanish-language crossover artist. In 2013, she will be honored with her own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, as a recognition for her successful career in music and entertainment.
Thalía was born on 26 August 1971 in Mexico City, Mexico. She is the daughter of Ernesto Sodi Pallares, who was a scientist, doctor of pathology, criminologist and writer, and Yolanda Miranda Mange, who was a painter and Thalía's manager from 1980 to 1999. Thalía is the youngest of five daughters. She has four sisters, Laura Zapata (daughter of Guillermo Zapata Pérez de Utrera), Federica, Gabriela and Ernestina Sodi.
When she turned one year old, Thalía appeared in a commercial for Mexican television. When she was 4, she began to attend ballet and piano classes in the National Conservatory of Music of Mexico. In 1977, Thalía's father died, as he was affected by diabetes when Thalía was only six years old at the time. Many years later, the singer recognized that her father's death traumatized her dramatically, and that she didn't talk to anyone for a whole year. This leaded to her suffering under serious childhood disintegrative disorder, which belongs to a series of developmental disorders caused by autism spectrum. In order to deal with this, her mother brought her to many psychologists.
Thalía gained her primary education in the "Liceo Franco Mexicano", where she attended a bilingual curriculum, having the ability to learn how to speak fluently both French and Spanish at a very young age. In 1976, a year before her father's death, she appeared in the Mexican movie La guerra de los pasteles ("The war of the cakes"), although her name doesn't appear in the film credits. As Thalía was also practicing various sports during her infancy, she was inspired by Romanian record-setting athlete Nadia Comaneci. Nadia's record influenced Thalía to have the desire to follow a career in entertainment. Her major sister, Laura Zapata, was also a singer and she used to take Thalía with her at the theatre, when she was a child. This motivated her to passionately embrace and connect with acting at a very young age.
Life and career
1981–1989: Career beginnings and the Timbiriche era
In 1981, when Thalía was nine years old, she was incorporated as a vocalist in a children's group named Pac Man, which was formed in order to participate in a popular music festival known as Juguemos a cantar ("Let's play while singing"), a TV program by Televisa. Later, Pac Man changed their band name to "Din-Din". Thalía performed various times along with Din-Din in occasional events and parties, touring all over Mexico. The band recorded a total of 4 studio albums between 1982 and 1983 (En acción, Recordando el Rock and Roll, Somos alguien muy especial and Pitubailando), and later it was disbanded.
After the break-up of Din-Din in 1984, Thalía participated as a solo artist in two annual music festivals of Juguemos a cantar. In 1984, she placed second in the festival with the interpretation of the song «Moderna niña del rock» ("Modern rock girl"), and that brought her the opportunity to participate in the chorus of the popular musical Vaselina, a child version of the successful musical Grease, in which the band Timbiriche was acting and singing. The line-up of the band consisted of Sasha Sökol, Benny Ibarra, Erik Rubín, Diego Schoening, Mariana Garza and Paulina Rubio. Timbiriche was highly promoted at the time by Televisa, one of the most massive media enterprises globally and the most important in the Spanish-speaking world. Some time later, Thalía obtained the protagonist role of Sandy Dee in the musical, and she performed in 500 theater presentations of Vaselina along with Timbiriche.
In 1986, after the departure of Sasha Sökol from Timbiriche, Thalía became a member of the band. By that time, Timbiriche had already recorded five albums. In the following year, Thalía was offered to participate in the telenovela Pobre señorita Limantour; this production was actually Thalía's debut as a TV actress. However, she appeared in only one episode. In the same year, she recorded with Timbiriche the principal theme of the juvenile telenovela Quinceañera ("Fifteen-year-old"), in which Thalía was the co-protagonist with the role of Beatriz. The TV series was awarded as the «Best telenovela» by "Premios TVyNovelas" in 1988 and Thalía was awarded as the "the best new actress of 1988".
With Timbiriche, Thalía recorded four studio albums: Timbiriche VII (1987), the double album Timbiriche VIII y IX (1988) and Los clásicos de Timbiriche (1989). The last one is a compilation of the band's greatest hits, recorded originally in 1987, with new symphonic arrangements as it included the participation of Mexico's philharmonic orchestra. In 1989, Thalía departed from Timbiriche. In that year, she also starred in another TV series, Luz y sombra ("Light and shadow"), which was her first protagonist role.[44] Some time later she visited Los Angeles in order to take English courses in the University of California. She also attended music, singing, acting and dancing classes before beginning her career as a solo artist.
1990–1993: First albums as a solo artist
In 1990, Thalía returned to Mexico and released her first studio album as a solo artist, self-titled Thalía, which was produced by Alfredo Díaz Ordaz, and published by Fonovisa, Televisa's record label. From that album, she released a total of four singles that became huge radio hits : «Amarillo azul», «Pienso en ti», «Un pacto entre los dos» and «Saliva». The two last tracks were co-written by her and Díaz Ordaz and they were considered as provocative at the time («Un pacto entre los dos» was even labeled as a song with occult Satan-worship lyrics by various far-right parties).
In September 1991, Thalía released her second studio album, Mundo de cristal, which marks Thalía's last project in collaboration with Alfredo Díaz Ordaz. Four songs became radio singles from the album, and all of them had big radio impact in Mexico. Due to the success of the singles, the album was certified as double gold in Thalía's native country, Mexico. In the same year, Thalía was co-presenter of the late Spanish show VIP Noche, along with Spanish presenter Emilio Aragón, produced by Telecinco.
In October 1992, she released her third studio album and her last under the same label, entitled Love (Thalía album), which was recorded in Spain and it was produced by Luis Carlos Esteban. The album spread six singles, that had huge radio impact: «El bronceador», «Love», the classic ballad «Sangre», «María Mercedes» (official theme of the TV series), «No trates de engañarme» and «La vie en rose», the last one being a Spanish-French cover of the classic French song originally performed by Edith Piaf. Thalía wrote the song «Sangre» inspired in Díaz Ordaz, with whom she had broken up her sentimental relation. The album was praised by the critics, as it was an artistic evolution for Thalía, who experimented for the first time in different music genres, especially electronic music. The album reached number 15 on Billboard's Latin Pop Albums in 1993. In Mexico, it sold over 200,000 copies in the first month upon its release and very soon it reached the platinum and gold certification.
1994–1999: Popularity outbreak and international superstardom
In 1994, during the successful transmission of Marimar, Thalía signed a contract with the record label EMI in order to prepare her fourth studio album that was entitled En éxtasis. The album was released in October 1995. En éxtasis was produced with the aid of celebrated producers such as Emilio Estefan, Jr. (husband of the famous Cuban singer Gloria Estefan) and Óscar López. The album spawned a total of 7 singles including "Piel morena", "Amándote", "María la del barrio", "Quiero hacerte el amor", "Gracias a Dios, "Me Faltas Tú" and "Lágrimas".
Piel morena became a huge international hit apart from being voted as the best Spanish song ever in the United States from a poll relaized by mass media company Univision. It must also be added that Thalía was more oriented to the latin pop music genre in that album, even though it was influenced by various music genres.
The broadcast of the telenovelas "María Mercedes", "Marimar" and "María la del barrio" had already converted Thalía to a global television phenomenon by the end of 1996. In January 1997, she released her her first compilation album entitled Nandito Ako, which contains four songs recorded in Tagalog, the official language in Philippines, five English versions from various tracks from the album En éxtasis and a Spanish remix of the song Amándote. The only single that was released from this album was «Nandito Ako». The album became a commercial success in the Philippines as a result of Thalía's growing popularity and fame explosion, reaching platinum status by the Philippine Association of the Record Industry.
In July 1997, Thalía's fifth studio album was released, under the title Amor a la mexicana, produced again by Emilio Estefan, and including songs that became classic over the years like «Mujer Latina», «De dónde soy», «Por amor», «Noches sin luna» and «Amor a la mexicana». The album became a pure commercial success, while the first single of the album ("Amor a la mexicana") became a number one hit in 14 countries. With Amor a la mexicana, Thalía was able to bring her music and establish her projects in difficult markets like those of France, Belgium, Switzerland, Greece, Hungary, Turkey, Poland, Portugal, Italy and all the Spanish-speaking countries.
After the success of Amor a la mexicana, Thalía recorded the Spanish and Portuguese versions of the song «Journey to the Past», produced by Atlantic Records, as a part of the soundtrack of the Fox Animation Studios movie Anastasia (1997).
In the following year, Thalía starred for the first time in a movie in English, named "Mambo Café", written and directed by Reuben González. Mambo Café premiered in January 2000 in Mexico, Greece and Russia, distributed by Kushner Locke Entertainment.
In 1999, after Mambo Café, Thalía returned in television with telenovela Rosalinda. "Rosalinda" was considered to be Televisa's most expensive production ever by that time, as well as the most exported in foreign countries, as it was sold in over 180 countries. In an interview of that period Thalía commented: «The telenovelas are the ones that opened the doors of the world for me, because the audience of telenovelas is much more passionate than the audience of cinema. What's more, television is free».
2000–2005: Marriage, crossover and first tour in the United States
Emilio Estefan also produced Thalía's sixth studio album, Arrasando, released on April 25, 2000, which was very successful. It spawned the singles "Entre el mar y una estrella", "Regresa a mí", "Arrasando" and "Reencarnación". Thalía was nominated in the Latin Grammy category as the "Best Female Pop Artist of the Year". The album received one Latin Grammy nomination and it won in its category as the "Best Sound Engineered Album of the year". The singles of this album were huge hits. In 2001 she was nominated for her record Arrasando and won a Lo Nuestro award in the category of People's Prize, and was the first artist to whom an innovative award from Billboard Awards for Latin Music was given, the "Star Award".
On May 4, 2001, the President of the United States, George W. Bush, invited her to a party celebrating Cinco de mayo organized at the White House, where she interpreted a medley of popular Mexican songs with a Mexican mariachi orchestra.
On August 28, 2001, expressing her love for her country of birth, Mexico, she released her album Con Banda: Grandes Éxitos: a "greatest hits" album, but recorded with the typical Mexican "banda" sound. "Amor a la Mexicana" banda version was released as a single. The album was nominated for a Latin Grammy for "Best Banda Album" at the 3rd Annual Latin Grammy Awards in 2002.
Her seventh studio album, self-titled Thalía, was released on May 21, 2002. It was largely written and produced by Estéfano. Buoyed by a pair of chart-topping singles ("Tú y Yo" and "No me enseñaste") and a top-ten hit ("¿A quién le importa?") (cover of Alaska y Dinarama), this album hit number one for 6 consecutive weeks on the Top Latin Albums chart, reaching number eleven on the Billboard 200 chart and 4x Multi-Platinum status with sales 800,000 copies. It was nominated in one Latin Grammy category – "Female Pop Vocal Album", and in four Latin Billboard categories – "Pop Track Female" and "Tropical Track Female" for "No Me Enseñaste", "Your World Award", and "Female Pop Album", for Thalía, winning the last two awards. "No Me Enseñaste" reached at #1 in Billboard's Hot Latin Tracks chart.
On February 25, 2003, she released her first remix album, Thalía's Hits Remixed. This album contains some remixes of her EMI era hits, such as "Amor a la Mexicana", "Piel Morena", "No Me Enseñaste" and "Tú y Yo." It also contains the English version of "Arrasando", called "It's My Party". Furthermore, it includes the previously unreleased medley that Thalía had recorded especially for her 2001 Latin Grammy Awards performance, but was later cancelled, due to the September 11 attacks.
Thalía in the High Voltage Tour Los Angeles concert on May 14, 2004
On July 8, 2003, Thalía released her eighth studio album and the first one in English, the self-titled Thalía, featuring the rapper Fat Joe in "I Want You/Me Pones Sexy". "Baby, I'm in Love/Alguien Real", "Don't Look Back" and "Cerca De Ti" were singles too. The album sold over 150,000 within the first weeks in the United States (52,000 in the first week, landing at #11 in The Billboard 200), it also earned the general gold status in the U.S. for sales of over 500,000. The song "I Want You" entered the American Top 40 with Ryan Seacrest and even reached the top 10 during that year. The song also entered the American Billboard Top 100 Singles Charts that year. She won an International Dance Music Award for her club-hit "Dance Dance (The Mexican)".
On February 10, 2004, Thalía released her first official Greatest Hits album, and "Cerca de ti" and "Acción y Reacción" were the singles from this album. In April and May, she toured USA and Mexico with her "High Voltage Tour".
Her ninth studio album, El Sexto Sentido, was released on July 19, 2005 and recorded mostly in Spanish, but with a few of the songs sung in English as well. It was reported to be the most expensive music album produced in Latin America in 2005. It had mild success, although the sound and the overall result make it one of her most integrated projects. "Amar sin ser amada" was the first single of the album and is considered as an infectious rock-edged tango-based song. "Un alma sentenciada", the second single of the album, is a feverish and, at points, hyperdramatic ballad. The explosive "Seducción" ("Seduction") and "Olvidame" were also releases as singles, gaining considerable success. The album was also certified gold in Argentina, Greece and Mexico and double platinum in the United States.
2006–2008: The Conexión Thalía Radio Show, first pregnancy, Lyme disease and Lunada
In 2006, the album received a reloaded version, El Sexto Sentido: Re+Loaded. Thalía was the 'godmother' of Cantando Por Un Sueño, a Mexican TV reality show. It was rumored she got paid 1 million dollars to perform. Thalía recorded the title song of the show, and it was included in the album. It was released in Mexico on February 13, 2006 (U.S. June 6, Spain May 29) and features four new songs, including a duet with the group Aventura, "No, No, No" which become a massive hit. "El Sexto Sentido" was nominated for one Latin Grammy as "Best Female Pop Vocal Album", it was also nominated in one Latin Billboard category – "Pop Female Album" and in eight Premios Juventud categories.
In 2006, Thalía became a U.S. citizen at a swearing-in ceremony in New York, where she resides with her husband. Under Mexican law she is allowed to retain her Mexican citizenship.
In March 2007, Thalía also joined ABC Radio to start The Conexión Thalía Radio Show, where she talks about music, fashion, news and political issues.
Afterwards, she was named one of the 50 Most Beautiful People in People en Español 2008 for a record-breaking seventh time where they called her their "Queen". She was once again featured in the 2010 edition for an eighth time.
In May 2008, Thalía's single "Ten Paciencia", was premiered on the internet. Although, the single received a lukewarm response and did not perform well in the U.S. charts and Top 20 hits in Mexico, it was #1 in several countries of Latin America. Furthermore, her tenth studio album Lunada, was released on June 24, 2008 and debuted at number eight in Mexico and peaked at number ten on the Billboard Top Latin Albums (U.S). Despite the poor promotions of the album, it was the last Thalía's studio album released by EMI.
Thalía later appeared on El Show De Cristina, aired in late July by Univision's Spanish network to promote the said album. According to Univision network, her appearance on the said show, that day, received huge ratings success, reaching #1 in both Chicago and Miami beating the ratings of such huge worldwide networks as CBS, NBC and ABC. The show was viewed by over 87 million people as a result from showing it in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami and San Antonio, without even considering her home country Mexico which proves that the public still have not lost interest in her.
"Será porque te amo", the second single, received no promotion and became another failed single. It is a Spanish language cover version of the Italian hit "Sarà perché ti amo", performed originally by the group Ricchi e Poveri.
On October 23, it was announced that Thalía was suffering from Lyme disease, which is transmitted by ticks. Fortunately, it was discovered quickly, and the singer, as well as her mother, Yolanda Miranda, were able to receive antibiotics in time. On November 18, Thalía announced the end of her collaboration with EMI Music.
Despite Lunada being a commercial disappointment, it was named as the "Best Album of the Year" by ¡Hola! readers. The latest work of the Mexican singer achieved 8,750 votes beating artists, such as Luis Miguel, Britney Spears, Mariah Carey, Beyoncé and Madonna.
2009–2011: Success of Primera Fila and Growing Stronger
On July 30, 2009, Thalía recorded her acoustic album, Primera fila, her first album after she signed with Sony Music Entertainment. In October, Thalía performed at the White House, along with other Latin singers, in an event organized by President Barack Obama that celebrated Hispanic heritage. Thalía's performance was iconic and historic, as she was the first celebrity to publicly invite a United States President to dance.
In October of the same year, she released the first single from Primera fila, a song named Equivocada. In December Thalía released her album, which contained duets with Joan Sebastian and Pedro Capó and various other songs, that became huge radio hits in the following months. The production received critical accept and very positive reviews, while Jason Birchmeier stated that "Primera Fila" was one of the best albums Thalía has released in her whole career, and definitely the one with the most surprises. As for Thalía, she considered Primera Fila as "the most personal album" in her career.
Regarding to the album's commercial performance, Primera fila received diamond and triple platinum sales certifications in Mexico, where it was announced by the end of 2011 that the album had sold over 500,000 copies according to AMPROFON. Primera fila was the best selling album in Mexico in 2010, where it topped the charts for 55 non-consecutive weeks, the most weeks ever in Mexico's recorded music chart history. In Greece and Spain, the album reached the positions #6 and #32, respectively, while it initially reached #1 in both Billboard's top Latin Albums and Latin Pop Albums charts, but the sales of the standard edition and the Walmart edition were divided later. Primera fila peaked at #167, which was moved to #198 after dividing the sales on the Billboard 200 albums chart. Until the month of October 2012, Primera fila had sold over 1,5 million copies worldwide.
In September 2010, Thalía released a special anniversary edition of the album under the title Primera fila... Un año después, which included 8 songs from the original album, as well as 2 never-released before songs, 2 remixes and a dvd with a documentary of the recording process of the album. In October 2010, Michael Bublé invited her to record a song with him in his holiday album Christmas. Together they recorded the bilingual song «Feliz navidad (Mis deseos)» and their collaboration received very positive reviews.
2012–present: Habitame Siempre and the VIVA! Tour
Thalía had a collaboration with American music veteran Tony Bennett for his "Viva:Duets" album, which was released on October 22, 2012. Together they performed live the classic song "The way you look tonight" in Today's show and the Katie Couric's show.
During the past months, she had announced that she was recording her eleventh studio album, Habítame siempre. On September 21, 2012, Thalía gave a private concert in New York City at Hammerstein Ballroom as a preview of the upcoming album. The album's lead single, "Manías", was released on October 8, 2012.
Habítame siempre was released in November 19, 2012 in the United States and Latin America under the label of Sony Music Latin, while in Europe it is set to be released in 2013 by BMG Music. The album contains collaborations with Robbie Williams, Michael Bublé, Prince Royce and Gilberto Santa Rosa, among others and immensely after its release, it received mostly positive reviews.
"Habitame Siempre" was certified triple platinum in Mexico for sales of more than 180,000 copies, gold in the United States for shipments exceeding 50,000 copies and platinum in Venezuela for over 10,000 copies shipped.
In March 24, 2013 Thalía launched her VIVA! Tour in support of Habítame Siempre. The VIVA! Tour marks Thalía's first tour in a decade and consists of a series of intimate concerts in the United States and Latin America. Thalía stated in an interview that she also plans to expand the tour to Europe and Asia if it meets positive commercial reception.
Acting career
María la del barrio, Thalía's 1995 record-setting telenovela that was broadcast in more than 180 countries.
Thalia was cast in a supporting role in the 1986 telenovela "Pobre señorita Limantour", with which she began her collaboration with Televisa, the largest mass media company in the Spanish-speaking world. In 1987, she went on to star in her first major role for Televisa in the 1987 teenage drama series Quinceañera, along with Mexican actress Adela Noriega. "Quinceañera" won the "TV y Novelas" award for Best Telenovela of the Year 1988. In 1989, she got her first lead role in "Luz y Sombra", which was less successful.
However, Thalía's explosion in popularity came in 1992, when she starred in "María Mercedes" for which she won a "TV Y Novelas" award as Best Young Actress in 1993. This series was the first of three telenovelas, named by the Mexican press as "Las Tres Marias" ("The Three Marías"), because the name of the heroine in all of these telenovelas was María. The second telenovela of the trilogy was "Marimar" in 1994, and the third and final was "Maria la del Barrio" in 1995. In 1999, Thalía starred in her latest telenovela, "Rosalinda". All four telenovelas were basically based on the same rags to riches character. With these telenovelas, Thalía became famous worldwide and was consolidated as a television phenomenon, because of the extremely high ratings her TV series achieved in more than 180 countries.
Although Thalía's presence in television is legendary, her presence in cinema is less important. She appeared for the first time in a movie when she was still a child in the 1979 film "La Guerra De los Pasteles" ("The War of the Cakes"). Furthermore, in 1999, she starred in "Mambo Café", a modest indie film production that had a poor reception from critics, as it was a low budget film.
Cultural impact of telenovelas
Thalía has been labeled by various mass media companies as the "queen of soap operas", because her presence in television during the decade of the 90s was phenomenal. She starred in Mexico's highest-rated telenovelas ever that were exported in over 180 countries and viewed by more than 2 billion people. It is stated by media experts that at some point at the midst of the telenovela craze, Thalía's name even became synonymous with her native country, Mexico.
According to the newspaper "Ivoir'Soir": "At 7.30 sharp in the evening, when Marimar comes on, everything stops in Cote d'Ivoire". It is also mentioned that "Marimar" could attract more local fans than the 1998 World Cup, and that the program arrived in Africa after being a phenomenal rating hit in Indonesia and the Philippines, where in 1997, Thalía was received in Manila like a foreign head of state.
Thalía stated in her autobiography regarding to the impact of her telenovelas: "Soap operas made a lot of history; just look at the report by UNESCO, where it was noted that "in the Ivory Coast in Africa and in Paris (France), people stopped the daily course of their lives just to watch a soap opera. I never expected that kind of success [...] Whenever I arrived anywhere, I was treated like royalty; even the press in some of these countries referred to me as the Aztec Queen, the Mexican Queen, or the ambassador of Mexico, and like a proud peacock, I always brought my country's flag with me wherever I went to represent my motherland. I was in the clouds at the pinnacle of my career [...] During my visit at the Philippines, the organizers informed me that the last time so many people gathered in the streets for a person was when Pope John Paul the Second came to visit on January fourteenth, 1995 [...] In the Philippines, the country that probably felt the greatest impact from Marimar, the show was more widely promoted than the 1998 World Cup and more highly rated than the Super Bowl or the Grammys. In fact while I was visiting the country, the people and the media were so enthralled to see Marimar in the flesh that a historic peace treaty between the government and the querillas and the centennial celebrations of the Philippine Revolutions that were happening at the same time were pushed aside in the midst of Marimar fever. As a result, the archipelago was temporarily dubbed "Republica de MariMar."
The phenomenon of Thalía's telenovelas also became visible in countries like Indonesia, Turkey, Greece, Hungary, Poland, Russia, Brazil, Lebanon, France, Egypt, Portugal and of course the majority of Spanish-speaking countries around the world.
Business activities
In 2002, Thalía signed a deal with Kmart in order to release her own clothing collection for women, as well as accessories and home products. In the middle of 2003, the "Thalía Sodi" collection was officially available in the US market in over 2,000 stores. Thalía commented: «My collection is a dream that came through. I'm so happy to have created a clothe line inspired by my culture, trying to show the colors and the passion of our culture, that captures also a big part of my personal style». Thalía became the first Mexican woman to launch a clothing brand in the US.
Simultaneously, Thalía debuted her eyewear collection under the brand name "Thalía Eyewear Collection" in association with Kenmark Optical. In 2005, the line also became available in Mexico's market as Thalía signed a deal with "Devlyn" company. Up to 2007 Thalía had generated 100 million $US from the sales of «Thalía Eyewear», with more than 1 million products sold. Precisely in 2007 Thalía presented a new eyewear collection in New York, and the brand was exported to over eighty countries around the world.
In April 2004, Thalía entered the editorial market by releasing her own magazine Thalía in US, produced by American Media and oriented to the female Latin youth. The magazine included consultation and reports about themes like health, fashion and beauty secrets. Some months later, in September, Thalía became the face of jewels' company Jacob & Co.
In 2004, Thalía signed a contract with Hershey's with which she released her chocolate and candy brand. In 2005 Thalía designed a summer clothe line, and in the following year, she was converted into the face of "Carol’s Daughter" company, specialized in beauty products, while in 2007 she launched her perfume, produced by "Fuller Cosmetics" company. In 2007, she joined ABC Radio and started her own radio show known as "The Conexión Thalía Radio Show", in which she discusses about music, fashion, news and political issues, and invites various people to talk with her on different issues. The program, that is weekly and lasts two hours premiered on March 17, 2007 and still goes on, while it has expanded to over 70 radio stations through the US.
In September 2007, she released "Thalía: ¡Belleza!-Lessons in Lipgloss and Happiness" while in June 2009, she released her second book entitled "Thalia: ¡Radiante!-Your Guide to a Fit and a Fabulous Pregnancy". In May 2010, Thalía revealed new accessories and jewels available via her website, apart from a new clothing line in association with multinational company C&A. In February 2011, she became the new face of Head & Shoulders and in November, she released her third book, which is her autobiography and named "Growing Stronger". Thalía has also been the public face of various advertisements, like Dr Pepper in 2001 or Victoria's Secret in 2005. According to Mira! magazine, in 2008 it was estimated that Thalía was one of the most wealthy Mexican businesswomen with a net worth of over 100 million $US. In April 2012, she inaugurated her own yoga center in New York.
Personal life
Thalía was married to music executive Tommy Mottola in New York City at St. Patrick's Cathedral on December 2, 2000. Since then, she has been living in Connecticut with her husband and their two children, a daughter named Sabrina Sakae and a son named Matthew Alejandro.
Thalía has stated in her autobiography and in various of her interviews, that she has a deep connection with religion, and believes profoundly in God. She also began studying Kabbalah in 2002, while she used many of its symbols in the artwork of her album El Sexto Sentido.
In September 2002, Thalía's sisters, Laura Zapata and Ernestina Sodi, were kidnapped in Mexico City. Zapata was released 18 days after her kidnapping, and her sister Ernestina was released on the 36th day. Thalía has had a series of familial conflicts, especially with her sister Laura Zapata. However, she has opted to keep her point of view regarding to her familial issues in privacy, despite the attacks she has received from her elder sister. In a press interview, Thalía stated that her familial problems with her sister are "just a dark cloud in a shiny sky".
In 2008, Thalía was affected by Lyme disease, an emerging infectious disease caused by at least three species of bacteria belonging to the genus "Borrelia" and transmitted to humans by the bite of infected ticks belonging to a few species of the genus "Ixodes". Thalía's illness prevented her from promoting her album Lunada, while it functioned as a motivation for her to have a totally different perspective towards life. In reference to her illness, Thalia stated in her autobiography : “I would sweat profusely, soaking my pajamas, the sheets and even the mattress; everything hurt, even my hair, which, by the way, started to fall out. At times it felt as if my head were going to burst, as if there were lead inside of it; my eyes ached in their sockets….the hypersensitivity of my skin was so severe that sometimes I couldn’t even handle the bed sheets.”
Humanitarian work
Thalía has participated in various humanitarian campaigns. Since 2004, she has been an official celebrity ambassador and volunteer of March of Dimes, in order to support national fundraising and awareness campaigns. March of Dimes is a United States nonprofit organization that works to improve the health of mothers and babies.Through various public service campaigns and through her own media channels, Thalia has been a strong voice for March of Dimes Prematurity Campaign. She also is featured in March of Dimes Education and Health Promotion materials in English and Spanish, while she has helped to raise awareness and critical funds for the March of Dimes year-round. Furthermore, she supports March for Babies and works to find ongoing opportunities for March of Dimes strategic alliances and media promotions.
In 2006, Thalía along with her husband attended the event A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To Cure Parkinson's with the aim to economically support the foundation The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research of Michael J. Fox.
In May 2009, Thalía and Tommy Mottola were recognized from St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Miami for their support in children in need. In 2010, she reunited with other recording artists, performers and actors like Sharon Stone, Michael Douglas, Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony between others, in order to raise funds for the "Foundation of the New York's police department", which works for better urban security. In 2011, she attended a beneficial event in New York, organized by the Robin Hood Foundation with the aim to raise money for homeless youth. In the same year, she closed the Mexican Teleton by offering a live concert.
Thalía is also a member of "ALAS Foundation", which is a non-profit organization that strives to launch a new social movement that will generate a collective commitment to comprehensive Early Childhood Development programs for the children in Latin America.
In November 2012, Thalía took humanitarian aid and comfort to compatriots of her in New York that were affected by Hurricane Sandy. She stated : “When I started seeing the destruction of Sandy I thought it was incredible, but, when I saw my Mexican brothers and sisters I felt the need to try and do something for them” in front of a group of families gathered at the Staten Island Immigrant Information Center in one of the most devastated by the storm areas. She went on to say that in times like this an artist should use the reach of the media to collect aid for the victims, and at the same time she called on the public to deposit money in the account opened by the Mexican Consulate for that purpose.
Influences and legacy
Thalía invites United States President Barack Obama to dance with her while performing her signature hit "Amor a la mexicana" at the "In Performance at the White House: Fiesta Latina".
According to Thalia herself, her major personal influence was her mother, who was a motivating manager for Thalia from the very beginning of her career until 2000. As for her artistic influences, Thalia's work is mostly influenced by Gloria Estefan, Celine Dion, Sade, Billie Holiday, Frank Sinatra, The Doors, Michael Jackson and Kylie Minogue, while she has stated that she always admired Marilyn Monroe and Madonna. Thalia's first idol, according to her, was athlete Nadia Comaneci. She has even stated that her record-breaking performance was a huge motivation for her to follow a career in entertainment. Thalia has been also an influential artist for almost every Latin pop singer, while Julio Iglesias, Tony Bennett, Juan Luis Guerra, Gloria Estefan, Ricky Martin, Carlos Vives, Tiziano Ferro, Michael Bublé, Shakira, Lindsay Lohan, Anahi, Espinoza Paz, Gloria Trevi, Inna, Erik Rubin, Pedro Capó and many other artists have expressed their admiration towards her talent and charisma.
Univision Networks included her in their list of "25 most influential Mexican musicians", while she holds a record for appearing the most times in People en Español's annual list of the most beautiful Latin celebrities. The same magazine chose her in 2011 as one of the most powerful Latin women. The British tabloid "The Sun" declared Thalia as the 25th female singer who will never be forgotten. In 1998, French company Louis Vuitton invited her to appear in Rebonds publication, being at the time the first Latin celebrity to appear in such an important book. In 1997, 25 April was declared by the government of Los Angeles, as Thalia's National Day, because of her growing popularity among the Latino community in the United States.
Thalia's explosion in fame coincided with the worldwide broadcast of the soap operas she starred. During the decade of the 90s, she was highly promoted by television, achieving in this way to establish herself as an ultimate television phenomenon. Thalia's soap operas were viewed in more than 180 countries by almost 2 billion viewers, giving her the opportunity to mark history in television and become one of the most successful television icons ever. After her achieving growing popularity, she took advantage of her fame in order to promote her music and try to open new markets with Spanish hits that entered the music charts of many countries. When in 1999, she starred in her last soap opera, Rosalinda, she abandoned the field of television in order to focus more in her music projects. In the 2000s, she gained commercial and critical recognition for her music projects, while she also entered the business market, by launching several products under her brand name, and dominated the editorial business by writing and releasing three books, that became bestsellers.
It has been announced that in 2013, she will receive her own star in the Hollywood Walk of Fame as a recognition to her versatile trajectory and her legacy in the world of music and entertainment.
Discography
Thalía (1990)
Mundo de Cristal (1991)
Love (1992)
En éxtasis (1995)
Amor a la Mexicana (1997)
Arrasando (2000)
Thalía (2002)
Thalía (English) (2003)
El Sexto Sentido (2005)
Lunada (2008)
Primera Fila (2009)
Habítame siempre (2012)
Awards and nominations
Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Thalía
Tours
High Voltage Tour (2004)
The VIVA! Tour (2013)
Filmography
Soap operas
Pobre Señorita Limantour (1986)
Quinceañera (1987)
Luz y Sombra (1989)
María Mercedes (1992)
Marimar (1994)
María la del barrio (1995)
Rosalinda (1999)
Theater
Vaselina (1984)
Films
La Guerra de los Pasteles (1979)
Mambo Café (1999)
TV shows
VIP de Noche (1991–1992)
Las Aventuras de Eebee y Thalia (2009–2010)Dora the Explorer: Dora's Rescue in Mermaid Kingdom (2012)
Radio show
Conexión Thalía Radio Show (2007–2013)
Collaborations with other artists
1995 : Solamente una vez, feat. Julio Iglesias
2002 : Dance Dance (The Mexican), feat. Marc Anthony
2002 : Tu y yo (Remix), feat. Kumbia Kings
2003 : I want you, feat. Fat Joe
2006 : No no no, feat. Aventura
2008 : Ten paciencia (remix), feat. Daddy Yankee
2008 : Aventureto, feat. Nubawn
2008 : Isla para dos, feat. Joselito
2009 : Estoy Enamorado, feat. Pedro Capó
2009 : Con la duda, feat. Joan Sebastian
2010 : Love me tender, technical duet with Elvis Presley †
2010 : De que manera te olvido, technical duet with Rocío Dúrcal †
2011 : Feliz Navidad, feat. Michael Bublé
2012 : Con los años que me quedan, feat. Samo, Jesus Navarro and Leonel García
2012 : Te quiero dijiste, feat. Robbie Williams
2012 : Besame mucho, feat. Michael Bublé
2012 : Dime si ahora, feat. Gilberto Santa Rosa
2012 : Te perdiste mi amor, feat. Prince Royce
2012 : La apuesta, feat. Erik Rubin
2012 : The way you look tonight, feat. Tony Bennett
2013 : Estoy Enamorado, feat. Gerardo Ortiz
Bibliography
Thalía (September 6, 2007). Thalía : ¡Belleza! Lessons in Lipgloss and Happiness. Chronicle Books.
Thalía (April 1, 2009). Thalía: ¡Radiante! Your Guide to a Fit and Fabulous Pregnancy. Chronicle Books. .
Thalía (November 1, 2011). Growing Stronger. Penguin Books. .
Mottola, Tommy (January 29, 2013). Hitmaker: The Man and His Music. Grand Central Publishing..
In 1994, during the successful transmission of Marimar, Thalía signed a contract with the record label EMI in order to prepare her fourth studio album that was entitled En éxtasis. The album was released in October 1995. En éxtasis was produced with the aid of celebrated producers such as Emilio Estefan, Jr. (husband of the famous Cuban singer Gloria Estefan) and Óscar López. The album spawned a total of 7 singles including "Piel morena", "Amándote", "María la del barrio", "Quiero hacerte el amor", "Gracias a Dios, "Me Faltas Tú" and "Lágrimas".
Piel morena became a huge international hit apart from being voted as the best Spanish song ever in the United States from a poll relaized by mass media company Univision. It must also be added that Thalía was more oriented to the latin pop music genre in that album, even though it was influenced by various music genres.
The broadcast of the telenovelas "María Mercedes", "Marimar" and "María la del barrio" had already converted Thalía to a global television phenomenon by the end of 1996. In January 1997, she released her her first compilation album entitled Nandito Ako, which contains four songs recorded in Tagalog, the official language in Philippines, five English versions from various tracks from the album En éxtasis and a Spanish remix of the song Amándote. The only single that was released from this album was «Nandito Ako». The album became a commercial success in the Philippines as a result of Thalía's growing popularity and fame explosion, reaching platinum status by the Philippine Association of the Record Industry.
In July 1997, Thalía's fifth studio album was released, under the title Amor a la mexicana, produced again by Emilio Estefan, and including songs that became classic over the years like «Mujer Latina», «De dónde soy», «Por amor», «Noches sin luna» and «Amor a la mexicana». The album became a pure commercial success, while the first single of the album ("Amor a la mexicana") became a number one hit in 14 countries. With Amor a la mexicana, Thalía was able to bring her music and establish her projects in difficult markets like those of France, Belgium, Switzerland, Greece, Hungary, Turkey, Poland, Portugal, Italy and all the Spanish-speaking countries.
After the success of Amor a la mexicana, Thalía recorded the Spanish and Portuguese versions of the song «Journey to the Past», produced by Atlantic Records, as a part of the soundtrack of the Fox Animation Studios movie Anastasia (1997).
In the following year, Thalía starred for the first time in a movie in English, named "Mambo Café", written and directed by Reuben González. Mambo Café premiered in January 2000 in Mexico, Greece and Russia, distributed by Kushner Locke Entertainment.
In 1999, after Mambo Café, Thalía returned in television with telenovela Rosalinda. "Rosalinda" was considered to be Televisa's most expensive production ever by that time, as well as the most exported in foreign countries, as it was sold in over 180 countries. In an interview of that period Thalía commented: «The telenovelas are the ones that opened the doors of the world for me, because the audience of telenovelas is much more passionate than the audience of cinema. What's more, television is free».
2000–2005: Marriage, crossover and first tour in the United States
Emilio Estefan also produced Thalía's sixth studio album, Arrasando, released on April 25, 2000, which was very successful. It spawned the singles "Entre el mar y una estrella", "Regresa a mí", "Arrasando" and "Reencarnación". Thalía was nominated in the Latin Grammy category as the "Best Female Pop Artist of the Year". The album received one Latin Grammy nomination and it won in its category as the "Best Sound Engineered Album of the year". The singles of this album were huge hits. In 2001 she was nominated for her record Arrasando and won a Lo Nuestro award in the category of People's Prize, and was the first artist to whom an innovative award from Billboard Awards for Latin Music was given, the "Star Award".
On May 4, 2001, the President of the United States, George W. Bush, invited her to a party celebrating Cinco de mayo organized at the White House, where she interpreted a medley of popular Mexican songs with a Mexican mariachi orchestra.
On August 28, 2001, expressing her love for her country of birth, Mexico, she released her album Con Banda: Grandes Éxitos: a "greatest hits" album, but recorded with the typical Mexican "banda" sound. "Amor a la Mexicana" banda version was released as a single. The album was nominated for a Latin Grammy for "Best Banda Album" at the 3rd Annual Latin Grammy Awards in 2002.
Her seventh studio album, self-titled Thalía, was released on May 21, 2002. It was largely written and produced by Estéfano. Buoyed by a pair of chart-topping singles ("Tú y Yo" and "No me enseñaste") and a top-ten hit ("¿A quién le importa?") (cover of Alaska y Dinarama), this album hit number one for 6 consecutive weeks on the Top Latin Albums chart, reaching number eleven on the Billboard 200 chart and 4x Multi-Platinum status with sales 800,000 copies. It was nominated in one Latin Grammy category – "Female Pop Vocal Album", and in four Latin Billboard categories – "Pop Track Female" and "Tropical Track Female" for "No Me Enseñaste", "Your World Award", and "Female Pop Album", for Thalía, winning the last two awards. "No Me Enseñaste" reached at #1 in Billboard's Hot Latin Tracks chart.
On February 25, 2003, she released her first remix album, Thalía's Hits Remixed. This album contains some remixes of her EMI era hits, such as "Amor a la Mexicana", "Piel Morena", "No Me Enseñaste" and "Tú y Yo." It also contains the English version of "Arrasando", called "It's My Party". Furthermore, it includes the previously unreleased medley that Thalía had recorded especially for her 2001 Latin Grammy Awards performance, but was later cancelled, due to the September 11 attacks.
Thalía in the High Voltage Tour Los Angeles concert on May 14, 2004
On July 8, 2003, Thalía released her eighth studio album and the first one in English, the self-titled Thalía, featuring the rapper Fat Joe in "I Want You/Me Pones Sexy". "Baby, I'm in Love/Alguien Real", "Don't Look Back" and "Cerca De Ti" were singles too. The album sold over 150,000 within the first weeks in the United States (52,000 in the first week, landing at #11 in The Billboard 200), it also earned the general gold status in the U.S. for sales of over 500,000. The song "I Want You" entered the American Top 40 with Ryan Seacrest and even reached the top 10 during that year. The song also entered the American Billboard Top 100 Singles Charts that year. She won an International Dance Music Award for her club-hit "Dance Dance (The Mexican)".
On February 10, 2004, Thalía released her first official Greatest Hits album, and "Cerca de ti" and "Acción y Reacción" were the singles from this album. In April and May, she toured USA and Mexico with her "High Voltage Tour".
Her ninth studio album, El Sexto Sentido, was released on July 19, 2005 and recorded mostly in Spanish, but with a few of the songs sung in English as well. It was reported to be the most expensive music album produced in Latin America in 2005. It had mild success, although the sound and the overall result make it one of her most integrated projects. "Amar sin ser amada" was the first single of the album and is considered as an infectious rock-edged tango-based song. "Un alma sentenciada", the second single of the album, is a feverish and, at points, hyperdramatic ballad. The explosive "Seducción" ("Seduction") and "Olvidame" were also releases as singles, gaining considerable success. The album was also certified gold in Argentina, Greece and Mexico and double platinum in the United States.
2006–2008: The Conexión Thalía Radio Show, first pregnancy, Lyme disease and Lunada
In 2006, the album received a reloaded version, El Sexto Sentido: Re+Loaded. Thalía was the 'godmother' of Cantando Por Un Sueño, a Mexican TV reality show. It was rumored she got paid 1 million dollars to perform. Thalía recorded the title song of the show, and it was included in the album. It was released in Mexico on February 13, 2006 (U.S. June 6, Spain May 29) and features four new songs, including a duet with the group Aventura, "No, No, No" which become a massive hit. "El Sexto Sentido" was nominated for one Latin Grammy as "Best Female Pop Vocal Album", it was also nominated in one Latin Billboard category – "Pop Female Album" and in eight Premios Juventud categories.
In 2006, Thalía became a U.S. citizen at a swearing-in ceremony in New York, where she resides with her husband. Under Mexican law she is allowed to retain her Mexican citizenship.
In March 2007, Thalía also joined ABC Radio to start The Conexión Thalía Radio Show, where she talks about music, fashion, news and political issues.
Afterwards, she was named one of the 50 Most Beautiful People in People en Español 2008 for a record-breaking seventh time where they called her their "Queen". She was once again featured in the 2010 edition for an eighth time.
In May 2008, Thalía's single "Ten Paciencia", was premiered on the internet. Although, the single received a lukewarm response and did not perform well in the U.S. charts and Top 20 hits in Mexico, it was #1 in several countries of Latin America. Furthermore, her tenth studio album Lunada, was released on June 24, 2008 and debuted at number eight in Mexico and peaked at number ten on the Billboard Top Latin Albums (U.S). Despite the poor promotions of the album, it was the last Thalía's studio album released by EMI.
Thalía later appeared on El Show De Cristina, aired in late July by Univision's Spanish network to promote the said album. According to Univision network, her appearance on the said show, that day, received huge ratings success, reaching #1 in both Chicago and Miami beating the ratings of such huge worldwide networks as CBS, NBC and ABC. The show was viewed by over 87 million people as a result from showing it in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami and San Antonio, without even considering her home country Mexico which proves that the public still have not lost interest in her.
"Será porque te amo", the second single, received no promotion and became another failed single. It is a Spanish language cover version of the Italian hit "Sarà perché ti amo", performed originally by the group Ricchi e Poveri.
On October 23, it was announced that Thalía was suffering from Lyme disease, which is transmitted by ticks. Fortunately, it was discovered quickly, and the singer, as well as her mother, Yolanda Miranda, were able to receive antibiotics in time. On November 18, Thalía announced the end of her collaboration with EMI Music.
Despite Lunada being a commercial disappointment, it was named as the "Best Album of the Year" by ¡Hola! readers. The latest work of the Mexican singer achieved 8,750 votes beating artists, such as Luis Miguel, Britney Spears, Mariah Carey, Beyoncé and Madonna.
2009–2011: Success of Primera Fila and Growing Stronger
On July 30, 2009, Thalía recorded her acoustic album, Primera fila, her first album after she signed with Sony Music Entertainment. In October, Thalía performed at the White House, along with other Latin singers, in an event organized by President Barack Obama that celebrated Hispanic heritage. Thalía's performance was iconic and historic, as she was the first celebrity to publicly invite a United States President to dance.
In October of the same year, she released the first single from Primera fila, a song named Equivocada. In December Thalía released her album, which contained duets with Joan Sebastian and Pedro Capó and various other songs, that became huge radio hits in the following months. The production received critical accept and very positive reviews, while Jason Birchmeier stated that "Primera Fila" was one of the best albums Thalía has released in her whole career, and definitely the one with the most surprises. As for Thalía, she considered Primera Fila as "the most personal album" in her career.
Regarding to the album's commercial performance, Primera fila received diamond and triple platinum sales certifications in Mexico, where it was announced by the end of 2011 that the album had sold over 500,000 copies according to AMPROFON. Primera fila was the best selling album in Mexico in 2010, where it topped the charts for 55 non-consecutive weeks, the most weeks ever in Mexico's recorded music chart history. In Greece and Spain, the album reached the positions #6 and #32, respectively, while it initially reached #1 in both Billboard's top Latin Albums and Latin Pop Albums charts, but the sales of the standard edition and the Walmart edition were divided later. Primera fila peaked at #167, which was moved to #198 after dividing the sales on the Billboard 200 albums chart. Until the month of October 2012, Primera fila had sold over 1,5 million copies worldwide.
In September 2010, Thalía released a special anniversary edition of the album under the title Primera fila... Un año después, which included 8 songs from the original album, as well as 2 never-released before songs, 2 remixes and a dvd with a documentary of the recording process of the album. In October 2010, Michael Bublé invited her to record a song with him in his holiday album Christmas. Together they recorded the bilingual song «Feliz navidad (Mis deseos)» and their collaboration received very positive reviews.
2012–present: Habitame Siempre and the VIVA! Tour
Thalía had a collaboration with American music veteran Tony Bennett for his "Viva:Duets" album, which was released on October 22, 2012. Together they performed live the classic song "The way you look tonight" in Today's show and the Katie Couric's show.
During the past months, she had announced that she was recording her eleventh studio album, Habítame siempre. On September 21, 2012, Thalía gave a private concert in New York City at Hammerstein Ballroom as a preview of the upcoming album. The album's lead single, "Manías", was released on October 8, 2012.
Habítame siempre was released in November 19, 2012 in the United States and Latin America under the label of Sony Music Latin, while in Europe it is set to be released in 2013 by BMG Music. The album contains collaborations with Robbie Williams, Michael Bublé, Prince Royce and Gilberto Santa Rosa, among others and immensely after its release, it received mostly positive reviews.
"Habitame Siempre" was certified triple platinum in Mexico for sales of more than 180,000 copies, gold in the United States for shipments exceeding 50,000 copies and platinum in Venezuela for over 10,000 copies shipped.
In March 24, 2013 Thalía launched her VIVA! Tour in support of Habítame Siempre. The VIVA! Tour marks Thalía's first tour in a decade and consists of a series of intimate concerts in the United States and Latin America. Thalía stated in an interview that she also plans to expand the tour to Europe and Asia if it meets positive commercial reception.
Acting career
María la del barrio, Thalía's 1995 record-setting telenovela that was broadcast in more than 180 countries.
Thalia was cast in a supporting role in the 1986 telenovela "Pobre señorita Limantour", with which she began her collaboration with Televisa, the largest mass media company in the Spanish-speaking world. In 1987, she went on to star in her first major role for Televisa in the 1987 teenage drama series Quinceañera, along with Mexican actress Adela Noriega. "Quinceañera" won the "TV y Novelas" award for Best Telenovela of the Year 1988. In 1989, she got her first lead role in "Luz y Sombra", which was less successful.
However, Thalía's explosion in popularity came in 1992, when she starred in "María Mercedes" for which she won a "TV Y Novelas" award as Best Young Actress in 1993. This series was the first of three telenovelas, named by the Mexican press as "Las Tres Marias" ("The Three Marías"), because the name of the heroine in all of these telenovelas was María. The second telenovela of the trilogy was "Marimar" in 1994, and the third and final was "Maria la del Barrio" in 1995. In 1999, Thalía starred in her latest telenovela, "Rosalinda". All four telenovelas were basically based on the same rags to riches character. With these telenovelas, Thalía became famous worldwide and was consolidated as a television phenomenon, because of the extremely high ratings her TV series achieved in more than 180 countries.
Although Thalía's presence in television is legendary, her presence in cinema is less important. She appeared for the first time in a movie when she was still a child in the 1979 film "La Guerra De los Pasteles" ("The War of the Cakes"). Furthermore, in 1999, she starred in "Mambo Café", a modest indie film production that had a poor reception from critics, as it was a low budget film.
Cultural impact of telenovelas
Thalía has been labeled by various mass media companies as the "queen of soap operas", because her presence in television during the decade of the 90s was phenomenal. She starred in Mexico's highest-rated telenovelas ever that were exported in over 180 countries and viewed by more than 2 billion people. It is stated by media experts that at some point at the midst of the telenovela craze, Thalía's name even became synonymous with her native country, Mexico.
According to the newspaper "Ivoir'Soir": "At 7.30 sharp in the evening, when Marimar comes on, everything stops in Cote d'Ivoire". It is also mentioned that "Marimar" could attract more local fans than the 1998 World Cup, and that the program arrived in Africa after being a phenomenal rating hit in Indonesia and the Philippines, where in 1997, Thalía was received in Manila like a foreign head of state.
Thalía stated in her autobiography regarding to the impact of her telenovelas: "Soap operas made a lot of history; just look at the report by UNESCO, where it was noted that "in the Ivory Coast in Africa and in Paris (France), people stopped the daily course of their lives just to watch a soap opera. I never expected that kind of success [...] Whenever I arrived anywhere, I was treated like royalty; even the press in some of these countries referred to me as the Aztec Queen, the Mexican Queen, or the ambassador of Mexico, and like a proud peacock, I always brought my country's flag with me wherever I went to represent my motherland. I was in the clouds at the pinnacle of my career [...] During my visit at the Philippines, the organizers informed me that the last time so many people gathered in the streets for a person was when Pope John Paul the Second came to visit on January fourteenth, 1995 [...] In the Philippines, the country that probably felt the greatest impact from Marimar, the show was more widely promoted than the 1998 World Cup and more highly rated than the Super Bowl or the Grammys. In fact while I was visiting the country, the people and the media were so enthralled to see Marimar in the flesh that a historic peace treaty between the government and the querillas and the centennial celebrations of the Philippine Revolutions that were happening at the same time were pushed aside in the midst of Marimar fever. As a result, the archipelago was temporarily dubbed "Republica de MariMar."
The phenomenon of Thalía's telenovelas also became visible in countries like Indonesia, Turkey, Greece, Hungary, Poland, Russia, Brazil, Lebanon, France, Egypt, Portugal and of course the majority of Spanish-speaking countries around the world.
Business activities
In 2002, Thalía signed a deal with Kmart in order to release her own clothing collection for women, as well as accessories and home products. In the middle of 2003, the "Thalía Sodi" collection was officially available in the US market in over 2,000 stores. Thalía commented: «My collection is a dream that came through. I'm so happy to have created a clothe line inspired by my culture, trying to show the colors and the passion of our culture, that captures also a big part of my personal style». Thalía became the first Mexican woman to launch a clothing brand in the US.
Simultaneously, Thalía debuted her eyewear collection under the brand name "Thalía Eyewear Collection" in association with Kenmark Optical. In 2005, the line also became available in Mexico's market as Thalía signed a deal with "Devlyn" company. Up to 2007 Thalía had generated 100 million $US from the sales of «Thalía Eyewear», with more than 1 million products sold. Precisely in 2007 Thalía presented a new eyewear collection in New York, and the brand was exported to over eighty countries around the world.
In April 2004, Thalía entered the editorial market by releasing her own magazine Thalía in US, produced by American Media and oriented to the female Latin youth. The magazine included consultation and reports about themes like health, fashion and beauty secrets. Some months later, in September, Thalía became the face of jewels' company Jacob & Co.
In 2004, Thalía signed a contract with Hershey's with which she released her chocolate and candy brand. In 2005 Thalía designed a summer clothe line, and in the following year, she was converted into the face of "Carol’s Daughter" company, specialized in beauty products, while in 2007 she launched her perfume, produced by "Fuller Cosmetics" company. In 2007, she joined ABC Radio and started her own radio show known as "The Conexión Thalía Radio Show", in which she discusses about music, fashion, news and political issues, and invites various people to talk with her on different issues. The program, that is weekly and lasts two hours premiered on March 17, 2007 and still goes on, while it has expanded to over 70 radio stations through the US.
In September 2007, she released "Thalía: ¡Belleza!-Lessons in Lipgloss and Happiness" while in June 2009, she released her second book entitled "Thalia: ¡Radiante!-Your Guide to a Fit and a Fabulous Pregnancy". In May 2010, Thalía revealed new accessories and jewels available via her website, apart from a new clothing line in association with multinational company C&A. In February 2011, she became the new face of Head & Shoulders and in November, she released her third book, which is her autobiography and named "Growing Stronger". Thalía has also been the public face of various advertisements, like Dr Pepper in 2001 or Victoria's Secret in 2005. According to Mira! magazine, in 2008 it was estimated that Thalía was one of the most wealthy Mexican businesswomen with a net worth of over 100 million $US. In April 2012, she inaugurated her own yoga center in New York.
Personal life
Thalía was married to music executive Tommy Mottola in New York City at St. Patrick's Cathedral on December 2, 2000. Since then, she has been living in Connecticut with her husband and their two children, a daughter named Sabrina Sakae and a son named Matthew Alejandro.
Thalía has stated in her autobiography and in various of her interviews, that she has a deep connection with religion, and believes profoundly in God. She also began studying Kabbalah in 2002, while she used many of its symbols in the artwork of her album El Sexto Sentido.
In September 2002, Thalía's sisters, Laura Zapata and Ernestina Sodi, were kidnapped in Mexico City. Zapata was released 18 days after her kidnapping, and her sister Ernestina was released on the 36th day. Thalía has had a series of familial conflicts, especially with her sister Laura Zapata. However, she has opted to keep her point of view regarding to her familial issues in privacy, despite the attacks she has received from her elder sister. In a press interview, Thalía stated that her familial problems with her sister are "just a dark cloud in a shiny sky".
In 2008, Thalía was affected by Lyme disease, an emerging infectious disease caused by at least three species of bacteria belonging to the genus "Borrelia" and transmitted to humans by the bite of infected ticks belonging to a few species of the genus "Ixodes". Thalía's illness prevented her from promoting her album Lunada, while it functioned as a motivation for her to have a totally different perspective towards life. In reference to her illness, Thalia stated in her autobiography : “I would sweat profusely, soaking my pajamas, the sheets and even the mattress; everything hurt, even my hair, which, by the way, started to fall out. At times it felt as if my head were going to burst, as if there were lead inside of it; my eyes ached in their sockets….the hypersensitivity of my skin was so severe that sometimes I couldn’t even handle the bed sheets.”
Humanitarian work
Thalía has participated in various humanitarian campaigns. Since 2004, she has been an official celebrity ambassador and volunteer of March of Dimes, in order to support national fundraising and awareness campaigns. March of Dimes is a United States nonprofit organization that works to improve the health of mothers and babies.Through various public service campaigns and through her own media channels, Thalia has been a strong voice for March of Dimes Prematurity Campaign. She also is featured in March of Dimes Education and Health Promotion materials in English and Spanish, while she has helped to raise awareness and critical funds for the March of Dimes year-round. Furthermore, she supports March for Babies and works to find ongoing opportunities for March of Dimes strategic alliances and media promotions.
In 2006, Thalía along with her husband attended the event A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To Cure Parkinson's with the aim to economically support the foundation The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research of Michael J. Fox.
In May 2009, Thalía and Tommy Mottola were recognized from St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Miami for their support in children in need. In 2010, she reunited with other recording artists, performers and actors like Sharon Stone, Michael Douglas, Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony between others, in order to raise funds for the "Foundation of the New York's police department", which works for better urban security. In 2011, she attended a beneficial event in New York, organized by the Robin Hood Foundation with the aim to raise money for homeless youth. In the same year, she closed the Mexican Teleton by offering a live concert.
Thalía is also a member of "ALAS Foundation", which is a non-profit organization that strives to launch a new social movement that will generate a collective commitment to comprehensive Early Childhood Development programs for the children in Latin America.
In November 2012, Thalía took humanitarian aid and comfort to compatriots of her in New York that were affected by Hurricane Sandy. She stated : “When I started seeing the destruction of Sandy I thought it was incredible, but, when I saw my Mexican brothers and sisters I felt the need to try and do something for them” in front of a group of families gathered at the Staten Island Immigrant Information Center in one of the most devastated by the storm areas. She went on to say that in times like this an artist should use the reach of the media to collect aid for the victims, and at the same time she called on the public to deposit money in the account opened by the Mexican Consulate for that purpose.
Influences and legacy
Thalía invites United States President Barack Obama to dance with her while performing her signature hit "Amor a la mexicana" at the "In Performance at the White House: Fiesta Latina".
According to Thalia herself, her major personal influence was her mother, who was a motivating manager for Thalia from the very beginning of her career until 2000. As for her artistic influences, Thalia's work is mostly influenced by Gloria Estefan, Celine Dion, Sade, Billie Holiday, Frank Sinatra, The Doors, Michael Jackson and Kylie Minogue, while she has stated that she always admired Marilyn Monroe and Madonna. Thalia's first idol, according to her, was athlete Nadia Comaneci. She has even stated that her record-breaking performance was a huge motivation for her to follow a career in entertainment. Thalia has been also an influential artist for almost every Latin pop singer, while Julio Iglesias, Tony Bennett, Juan Luis Guerra, Gloria Estefan, Ricky Martin, Carlos Vives, Tiziano Ferro, Michael Bublé, Shakira, Lindsay Lohan, Anahi, Espinoza Paz, Gloria Trevi, Inna, Erik Rubin, Pedro Capó and many other artists have expressed their admiration towards her talent and charisma.
Univision Networks included her in their list of "25 most influential Mexican musicians", while she holds a record for appearing the most times in People en Español's annual list of the most beautiful Latin celebrities. The same magazine chose her in 2011 as one of the most powerful Latin women. The British tabloid "The Sun" declared Thalia as the 25th female singer who will never be forgotten. In 1998, French company Louis Vuitton invited her to appear in Rebonds publication, being at the time the first Latin celebrity to appear in such an important book. In 1997, 25 April was declared by the government of Los Angeles, as Thalia's National Day, because of her growing popularity among the Latino community in the United States.
Thalia's explosion in fame coincided with the worldwide broadcast of the soap operas she starred. During the decade of the 90s, she was highly promoted by television, achieving in this way to establish herself as an ultimate television phenomenon. Thalia's soap operas were viewed in more than 180 countries by almost 2 billion viewers, giving her the opportunity to mark history in television and become one of the most successful television icons ever. After her achieving growing popularity, she took advantage of her fame in order to promote her music and try to open new markets with Spanish hits that entered the music charts of many countries. When in 1999, she starred in her last soap opera, Rosalinda, she abandoned the field of television in order to focus more in her music projects. In the 2000s, she gained commercial and critical recognition for her music projects, while she also entered the business market, by launching several products under her brand name, and dominated the editorial business by writing and releasing three books, that became bestsellers.
It has been announced that in 2013, she will receive her own star in the Hollywood Walk of Fame as a recognition to her versatile trajectory and her legacy in the world of music and entertainment.
Discography
Thalía (1990)
Mundo de Cristal (1991)
Love (1992)
En éxtasis (1995)
Amor a la Mexicana (1997)
Arrasando (2000)
Thalía (2002)
Thalía (English) (2003)
El Sexto Sentido (2005)
Lunada (2008)
Primera Fila (2009)
Habítame siempre (2012)
Awards and nominations
Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Thalía
Tours
High Voltage Tour (2004)
The VIVA! Tour (2013)
Filmography
Soap operas
Pobre Señorita Limantour (1986)
Quinceañera (1987)
Luz y Sombra (1989)
María Mercedes (1992)
Marimar (1994)
María la del barrio (1995)
Rosalinda (1999)
Theater
Vaselina (1984)
Films
La Guerra de los Pasteles (1979)
Mambo Café (1999)
TV shows
VIP de Noche (1991–1992)
Las Aventuras de Eebee y Thalia (2009–2010)Dora the Explorer: Dora's Rescue in Mermaid Kingdom (2012)
Radio show
Conexión Thalía Radio Show (2007–2013)
Collaborations with other artists
1995 : Solamente una vez, feat. Julio Iglesias
2002 : Dance Dance (The Mexican), feat. Marc Anthony
2002 : Tu y yo (Remix), feat. Kumbia Kings
2003 : I want you, feat. Fat Joe
2006 : No no no, feat. Aventura
2008 : Ten paciencia (remix), feat. Daddy Yankee
2008 : Aventureto, feat. Nubawn
2008 : Isla para dos, feat. Joselito
2009 : Estoy Enamorado, feat. Pedro Capó
2009 : Con la duda, feat. Joan Sebastian
2010 : Love me tender, technical duet with Elvis Presley †
2010 : De que manera te olvido, technical duet with Rocío Dúrcal †
2011 : Feliz Navidad, feat. Michael Bublé
2012 : Con los años que me quedan, feat. Samo, Jesus Navarro and Leonel García
2012 : Te quiero dijiste, feat. Robbie Williams
2012 : Besame mucho, feat. Michael Bublé
2012 : Dime si ahora, feat. Gilberto Santa Rosa
2012 : Te perdiste mi amor, feat. Prince Royce
2012 : La apuesta, feat. Erik Rubin
2012 : The way you look tonight, feat. Tony Bennett
2013 : Estoy Enamorado, feat. Gerardo Ortiz
Bibliography
Thalía (September 6, 2007). Thalía : ¡Belleza! Lessons in Lipgloss and Happiness. Chronicle Books.
Thalía (April 1, 2009). Thalía: ¡Radiante! Your Guide to a Fit and Fabulous Pregnancy. Chronicle Books. .
Thalía (November 1, 2011). Growing Stronger. Penguin Books. .
Mottola, Tommy (January 29, 2013). Hitmaker: The Man and His Music. Grand Central Publishing..
Barbara Mori: Ready To Fly
Indian film producer Rakesh Roshan has recently signed Mexican model Barbara Mori as the leading lady for his upcoming Bollywood movie Kites opposite his son Hrithik Roshan.
Indian film producer Rakesh Roshan has recently signed Mexican model Barbara Mori as the leading lady for his upcoming Bollywood movie Kites opposite his son Hrithik Roshan.
READ MORE - Barbara Mori: Ready To Fly
Indian film producer Rakesh Roshan has recently signed Mexican model Barbara Mori as the leading lady for his upcoming Bollywood movie Kites opposite his son Hrithik Roshan.
Barbara Mori: Provogue Photoshoot
Mexican model and actress Barbara Mori done a photo shoot along with Hrithik Roshan for the summer collection of Provogue. It is the special “Kites Collection” shoot.
Barbara Mori: Max Magazine October 2005
Mexican actress Barbara Mori once done a beautiful photo shoot that was published in men’s magazine Max Mexico in which shows that attribute does not lack for attention. Now, she is all set to take Bollywood by storm with her upcoming movie, Kites with superstar Hrithik Roshan.
Barbara Mori: Profile - Biografi
Name: Barbara Mori Ochoa
Date of Birth: February 2, 1978 (age 35)
Place of Birth: Montevideo, Uruguay
Nationality: Uruguayan-Mexican
Occupation: Actress, model
Bárbara Mori Ochoa (born February 2, 1978) is an Uruguayan-Mexican actress and model.
Mori started work modeling and later became a telenovela actress with TV Azteca, when she starred in the soap opera Azul Tequila. Her big break came in 2004, with the telenovela Rubí (a remake of the 1968 series) by rival network Televisa, in which she played the main character.
Bárbara Mori Ochoa was born on 2 February 1978. She is of Uruguayan-Japanese heritage. Her Japanese ancestry is from her paternal grandfather. She has two siblings, actress Kenya Mori and brother Kintaró Mori. Her parents Yuyi Mori and Rosario Ochoa divorced when she was three years of age. Mori spent her early childhood between Mexico and Uruguay and finally settled in Mexico City at the age of twelve.
One day, while working as a waitress at the age of fourteen, fashion designer Marcos Toledo invited her to work as a model. She became independent by the age of seventeen and went to live with her cousins. At nineteen she met actor Sergio Mayer, who would later become father to their son Sergio, born in 1998. They never married.
She later studied acting in El Centro de Estudios de Formación Actoral. She made her acting debut in the Mexican telenovela Al norte del corazón. She then participated in the comedy series Tric Tac and Mirada de mujer the following year. She obtained her first TVyNovelas Award for her role in Mirada de mujer for Best New Actress.
In 1998, Bárbara Mori got her first leading role as "Azul" in the series Azul Tequila, co-starring with Mauricio Ochmann. A year later she filmed the series Me muero por tí in Miami, with Peruvian actor Christian Meier. She participated in her first film in 2000, in the Mexican comedy Inspiración. Later, she acted in various other telenovelas, including the Telemundo telenovela Amor descarado and the highly–rated Mexican soap opera, Rubí, which earned her another TVyNovelas Award.
In 2005 she obtained the starring role in the blockbuster film La mujer de mi hermano as Zoe, and her husband was portrayed by Christian Meier, with whom she had previously co-starred in Me muero por tí. She also won the leading role in "Pretendiendo", a Chilean/Mexican-backed movie which was critically panned.[citation needed]
Indian film producer Rakesh Roshan signed her as the leading lady for his movie Kites opposite his son, Bollywood star Hrithik Roshan. It was shot in New Mexico, Las Vegas and Los Angeles, it went into production by the end of July 2008, and was released on May 21, 2010.
Mori was diagnosed with early stage cancer and is now a proud survivor. She talks about her journey in UniGlobe Entertainment's docu-drama titled 1 a Minute, scheduled for release on 6 October 2010 in the USA and 29 October 2010 in India.[6] The documentary is being made by actress Namrata Singh Gujral and will also feature cancer survivors Olivia Newton-John, Diahann Carroll, Melissa Etheridge, Namrata Singh Gujral, Mumtaz and Jaclyn Smith as well as William Baldwin, Daniel Baldwin and Priya Dutt, whose lives have been touched by cancer. The feature is narrated by Kelly McGillis. The film will also star Lisa Ray, Deepak Chopra and Morgan Brittany.
Films
Viento en Contra (2011) Luisa Braniff
1 a Minute (2010/2011) Star
Kites (2010) as Natasha/Linda
Spanish Beauty (2010)
Violanchelo "Amor, dolor y viceversa" (2009) as Consuelo
Cosas insignificantes (2008) as Paola
Por siempre (2007)
Robots (2005) as Cappy (Spanish language version)
La mujer de mi hermano ("The wife of my brother") (2005) as Zoe
Pretendiendo ("Pretending") (2005) as Helena/Amanda
Inspiración (2000)
Telenovelas
Rubí (2004) as Rubí Perez de Ferrer/Fernanda Rivera Perez
Amor Descarado (2003) as Fernanda Lira
Mirada de mujer: El regreso (2003)
Súbete A Mi Moto (2002) as Nelly
Amor es... querer con alevosía (2001) as Carolina
Me muero por ti (1999)
Azul Tequila (1998) as Azul
Mirada de mujer (1998) as Mónica San Millán
Al norte del corazón (1997)
Date of Birth: February 2, 1978 (age 35)
Place of Birth: Montevideo, Uruguay
Nationality: Uruguayan-Mexican
Occupation: Actress, model
Bárbara Mori Ochoa (born February 2, 1978) is an Uruguayan-Mexican actress and model.
Mori started work modeling and later became a telenovela actress with TV Azteca, when she starred in the soap opera Azul Tequila. Her big break came in 2004, with the telenovela Rubí (a remake of the 1968 series) by rival network Televisa, in which she played the main character.
Bárbara Mori Ochoa was born on 2 February 1978. She is of Uruguayan-Japanese heritage. Her Japanese ancestry is from her paternal grandfather. She has two siblings, actress Kenya Mori and brother Kintaró Mori. Her parents Yuyi Mori and Rosario Ochoa divorced when she was three years of age. Mori spent her early childhood between Mexico and Uruguay and finally settled in Mexico City at the age of twelve.
One day, while working as a waitress at the age of fourteen, fashion designer Marcos Toledo invited her to work as a model. She became independent by the age of seventeen and went to live with her cousins. At nineteen she met actor Sergio Mayer, who would later become father to their son Sergio, born in 1998. They never married.
She later studied acting in El Centro de Estudios de Formación Actoral. She made her acting debut in the Mexican telenovela Al norte del corazón. She then participated in the comedy series Tric Tac and Mirada de mujer the following year. She obtained her first TVyNovelas Award for her role in Mirada de mujer for Best New Actress.
In 1998, Bárbara Mori got her first leading role as "Azul" in the series Azul Tequila, co-starring with Mauricio Ochmann. A year later she filmed the series Me muero por tí in Miami, with Peruvian actor Christian Meier. She participated in her first film in 2000, in the Mexican comedy Inspiración. Later, she acted in various other telenovelas, including the Telemundo telenovela Amor descarado and the highly–rated Mexican soap opera, Rubí, which earned her another TVyNovelas Award.
In 2005 she obtained the starring role in the blockbuster film La mujer de mi hermano as Zoe, and her husband was portrayed by Christian Meier, with whom she had previously co-starred in Me muero por tí. She also won the leading role in "Pretendiendo", a Chilean/Mexican-backed movie which was critically panned.[citation needed]
Indian film producer Rakesh Roshan signed her as the leading lady for his movie Kites opposite his son, Bollywood star Hrithik Roshan. It was shot in New Mexico, Las Vegas and Los Angeles, it went into production by the end of July 2008, and was released on May 21, 2010.
Mori was diagnosed with early stage cancer and is now a proud survivor. She talks about her journey in UniGlobe Entertainment's docu-drama titled 1 a Minute, scheduled for release on 6 October 2010 in the USA and 29 October 2010 in India.[6] The documentary is being made by actress Namrata Singh Gujral and will also feature cancer survivors Olivia Newton-John, Diahann Carroll, Melissa Etheridge, Namrata Singh Gujral, Mumtaz and Jaclyn Smith as well as William Baldwin, Daniel Baldwin and Priya Dutt, whose lives have been touched by cancer. The feature is narrated by Kelly McGillis. The film will also star Lisa Ray, Deepak Chopra and Morgan Brittany.
Films
Viento en Contra (2011) Luisa Braniff
1 a Minute (2010/2011) Star
Kites (2010) as Natasha/Linda
Spanish Beauty (2010)
Violanchelo "Amor, dolor y viceversa" (2009) as Consuelo
Cosas insignificantes (2008) as Paola
Por siempre (2007)
Robots (2005) as Cappy (Spanish language version)
La mujer de mi hermano ("The wife of my brother") (2005) as Zoe
Pretendiendo ("Pretending") (2005) as Helena/Amanda
Inspiración (2000)
Telenovelas
Rubí (2004) as Rubí Perez de Ferrer/Fernanda Rivera Perez
Amor Descarado (2003) as Fernanda Lira
Mirada de mujer: El regreso (2003)
Súbete A Mi Moto (2002) as Nelly
Amor es... querer con alevosía (2001) as Carolina
Me muero por ti (1999)
Azul Tequila (1998) as Azul
Mirada de mujer (1998) as Mónica San Millán
Al norte del corazón (1997)
La que no podía amar Photo Gallery
La que no podía amar (The one that could not love) is a Mexican telenovela produced by José Alberto Castro for Televisa. The original story is written by Delia Fiallo and the adaptation made by Ximena Suarez. The show stars Ana Brenda Contreras, Jorge Salinas, and Jose Ron as the main protagonists. Mar Contreras, Julián Gil and Susana González star as the main antagonists.
Here's the photo gallery from La que no podía amar, the popular telenovela in 2011.
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