Ariadna Thalia Sodi Miranda, commonly known as Thalia, (born August 26, 1971 in Mexico City) is a Mexican pop singer and actress. Her name is linked to popular soap operas (or telenovelas) who made her famous worldwide. She began her musical career at the age of 9 years old. She has sold around 25 million records worldwide[1] [2] as a solo artist and her soap operas have been watched by over one billion people.She is a multi-platinum recording artist and married to the music executive Tommy Mottola. Amor a la mexicana, is considered to be Thalia's best-selling album. Thalia is considered Mexico's greatest female singer of all time.
Biography
Thalía's complete name is Thalía Ariadna Sodi y Miranda. She was born on August 26, 1971 in the Spanish Hospital in Mexico City, being the fifth and last child of Ernesto Sodi Pallares; a scientist, doctor of pathology, criminologist and writer, and Yolanda Miranda Mange, a painter and Thalía's manager from 1980 to 1999. She has four sisters. By the time she was one year old, she had already appeared on television in a soft drink advertisement. Thalia lost her father when she was only five years old. Following his death, she spoke hardly a word for an entire year.[3]
Thalía was a good student throughout her school years and studied at the prestigious Liceo Franco Mexicano (Lycee Franco-Mexican) whose half-Spanish and half-French curriculum made her bilingual at an early age.[citation needed] Thalia said that if she were not in show business, she would have become a biologist or psychologist.[citation needed]She participated in different children programs, and drawing contests. At age 6, Thalia studied classical ballet at Academia de Nellie Happee. She also studied gymnastics during that time. Thalia took piano lessons at Instituto Mexicano de Musica.[4]
Timbiriche (1986-1989)
In 1986 she became a member of a successful band Timbiriche, taking the place of the popular Sasha Sokol. Here she met with future rival Paulina Rubio, who would become a little star compared to Thalia's enourmous success. In 1987 she achieved success with Timbiriche, recording four albums. She appeared in magazines, and was the winner of a fitness contest. She left Timbiriche to follow a career as solo artist.
Early albums
In January, 1990 she traveled to the United States for a year. At the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) she learned the English language, took classes in singing, piano, bass, physical culture, jazz and modern dance, acting, diction, aesthetics and dance. She learned to play the saxophone and piano. With a new image (which was criticized by many) she returned to Mexico, launching the first record carrying her name, Thalía, which she accomplished with Alfredo Díaz Ordaz. Her introductory album, which received much criticism following the tradition of Timbiriche, represented the pop-rock style."Un Pacto Entre Los Dos" was her first single.
In 1991, she traveled to Spain and starred in different television programs like Vip de Noche and also released her second album Mundo de Cristal, which went gold.
In 1992, her third album Love went platinum. It includes hits like "Sangre", "El Bronceador" and "Love" and established her as a singer in Mexico.
En Éxtasis (1995)
Changes came in 1995, after a three-year pause, when she moved from Fonovisa to EMI Latin and released her label debut, En Éxtasis, her first record for EMI, featured her first major international hit, "Piel Morena". The album was produced with the aid of celebrated producers such as Emilio Estefan (husband of the famous Cuban singer Gloria Estefan) and Óscar López. The album became her first international success, and has been sold in across Latin America, the United States, Europe and Asia. It has sold more than 3 million copies worldwide, and has been recognized with multiple gold and platinum records.
Manila Live Concert (1996)
Thalia's telenovelas Marimar became a phenomenal success in the Philippines in 1996 and so, she was invited to visit the country in that year. Being a singer, she had a major live concert at both the Folk Arts Theater which filled up the SRO total seat capacity and at the Araneta Coliseum which filled up to its SRO 25,000 thousand seat capacity.
Nandito Ako (1997)
In 1997, Thalía came back to the Philippines to release her album Nandito Ako, also the cd single. She also gave two major live concerts that year, both at the Araneta Coliseum. The album is mostly recorded in Tagalog and English. This was Thalia´s actual "cross over", and she did it before becoming a huge success worldwide and before many other Latin American singers started to sing in English, including Ricky Martin, Shakira or Paulina Rubio. "Nandito ako" features the Tagalog version of Wilfrido Vargas' popular merengue song "El Venao", whose title in the album is "Chika Lang". The cd was re-edited in 2007 by EMI, to commemorate the 10 years of its release. This later version features different pictures from the original album, all of them taken from the cd "El sexto sentido", which Thalia was going to record many years later.
Anastasia soundtrack (1997)
In 1997 Atlantic Records released the soundtrack for the animated feature film Anastasia, which included as a bonus track the Spanish version of "Journey to the Past", performed by Thalía. Also in that year, she traveled back to the Philippines and had a major concert at the Araneta Coliseum.
Amor a la Mexicana ERA (1997)
Latin pop producer Emilio Estefan, Jr. produced her next album, Amor a la Mexicana in which—returning to her Latin roots—includes rhythms with a Mexican-Cuban flavor in the lead single. Amor a la Mexicana met international success and was a much stronger album, her first great one, which featured hits such as "Amor A La Mexicana", "Por Amor" or "Mujer Latina". This album established her as a Latin Pop diva around the world. In the Wax Museum of Mexico City, they unveiled her statue in life size.
In 1997, 21 April was declared the "Day of Thalía" in Los Angeles. She has a broad fan base around the world, through her music and telenovelas. She has been named one of the "25 most beautiful people" by the magazine People en Español many times. She has been a guest on television programs, including Hard Copy, Entertainment Tonight, El Show de Cristina and The Rosie O'Donnell Show.
She also starred in Mambo Café,[5] a modest Hollywood production in which she played a young Puerto Rican girl alongside Danny Aiello and Rosanna de Soto with Paul Rodriguez as her father. The movie received poor reviews and went straight to video. After the failure of this movie, Thalia has not acted in a film.
On December 2, 2000, Thalía married the former Sony Music president, Tommy Mottola, ex-husband of the singer Mariah Carey), who is 22 years her senior, at St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York, in a three-million dollar ceremony and reception. They currently live in New York City.
Arrasando (2000)
Emilio Estefan also produced her follow-up, Arrasando, which was very successful. Thalia was nominated in the Latin Grammy category as the "Best Female Pop Artist of the Year". The album also 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 ("Arrasando/It's My Party", "Entre El Mar Y Una Estrella", "Regresa a Mi" and "Reencarnación") were great hits too. 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". Sales of the album have exceeded 10 million copies on the international level.
On May 5 — a Mexican National Holiday — the President of the United States, George W. Bush, invited her to a party organized at the White House, and she interpreted a potpourri of popular Mexican songs with a Mexican mariachi orchestra.
Con Banda: Grandes Éxitos (2001)
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.
Thalia (2002)
Two years later, Thalía's next album, Thalía, was largely written and produced by Estéfano. Buoyed by a pair of chart-topping singles ("No Me Enseñaste" and "Tú y Yo") and a top-ten hit ("¿A Quién Le Importa?") this album hit number one for 6 consecutive weeks on the Top Latin Albums chart, reaching number 22 on the Billboard 200 chart, reaching 4x Multiplatinum 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 (2002 album), winning the last two awards. "No me enseñaste" is probably her biggest hit to date, receiving many Latin Billboard nominations, many other awards, as well as chart-topping success. It was #1 in Billboard's Hot Latin Tracks. It topped Latin airplays and was #1.
- On February 25, 2003, she released a remix-album "Thalia's Hits Remixed".
Thalía (English album) (2003)
Thalía in the
High Voltage Tour Los Angeles concert on May 14, 2004
In 2003 Thalía released her first English language album, the self-titled Thalía (English), featuring the rapper Fat Joe in "I Want You/Me Pones Sexy", "Baby, I'm in Love/Alguien Real" and "Don't Look Back" were singles too. Even though it was not the crossover everybody[who?] hoped it would be, it 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). This album introduced her to the music market of Japan, where she sold more than 420,000 copies and became a celebrity.[citation needed] 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.[6] She won an International Dance Music Award for her club-hit "Dance Dance (The Mexican)".
Greatest Hits (2004)
On February 10, 2004 she 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". It was the first time she was touring in the United States.
El Sexto Sentido (2005)
Her next album El Sexto Sentido was released July 19, 2005 and was recorded mostly in the Spanish, but with a few of the cuts sung in English as well. It was the most expensive CD produced in Latin America in 2005. It has had mild success so far, though the sound and the overall result make it one of her most integrated projects. "Amar Sin Ser Amada" (and its English version "You Know He Never Loved You") was the first single of the album (featuring Héctor "El Bambino" only in the Reggaeton version). It is an infectious rock-edged tango-based song. "Un Alma Sentenciada", the second single, is a feverish and, at points, hyperdramatic ballad. The explosive "Seducción" ("Seduction") was the third single. El Sexto Sentido debuted in at #63 in The Billboard 200 selling 25,000 copies in the first week. It went on to sell more than 1,500,000 copies and was certified platinum. The album was also certified gold in Argentina, Greece and Mexico.
El Sexto Sentido Re+Loaded! (2006)
In 2006, Because of the failure of El Sexto Sentido and its singles, EMI felt the need to revive the album, so they created El Sexto Sentido Reloaded. 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 El Sexto Sentido Re+Loaded (a re-released version of Thalia's current 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 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. Thalia also joined ABC Radio to start The Conexión Thalía Radio Show, where she talks about music, fashion, news and political issues.
On June 12, 2007, according to news released on the website of Hello! magazine, in an exclusive interview for the Mexican edition of ¡Hola!, she announced that she was pregnant. The issue was a top seller where it dethroned Luis Miguel's son's picture (the best seller) moving to #2 after Thalia's issue managed to be Hola's Top-selling issue of its history selling over 2.1 million units in just 4 days in Mexico and Spain alone.[7]
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".
Lunada (2008)
In May 2008, Thalía's single "Ten paciencia", was premiered on the internet.[8] Although, the single received a lukewarm response and didn't perform well in the U.S. charts and Top 20 hits in Mexico, it was #1 in several countries of latin america. Furthermore, The album debuted at #8 in Mexico, peaked at #10 in the Billboard Top Latin Albums (U.S). Despite the poor promotions the album The Lunada album was leaked through the internet four days before its official release and the carrier single "Ten Paciencia"'s music video was released just about a week from the album. Lunada plummeted Thalia's fame and success, who by now was considered a has been by the critics and the public, while rival Paulina Rubio and Colombia's Shakira continued to hold their own as Latin Pop Queens.
Thalia 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.[9]
At 2008 Premios Juventud (Youth Awards), Thalia was given A "Diva Award" from her enormous achievements during her 18-year career. Last October 2, she won a "El Premio del Publico 2008 (The Audience Award) award en la categoría Trayectoria Latina" at Orgullosamente Latino ("Proudly Latin") 2008.[10][11]
"Será porque te amo", the second single, received no promotion and become 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 14, 2008, "Casita Maria" (charitable organization) awarded Thalia with the Gold Medal of Honour for her outstanding humanitarian, philanthropic and cultural contibutions to the community at large and to the Hispanic community in particular, at its 75th Annual Fiesta Gala at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in New York City.[12] The same day Thalia was the guest of honor (invited by Police Commissioner Ray Kelly) at an event that is held every year by the New York Police Department (NYPD) at its headquarters in 1 Police Plaza to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, where she also received an award.[13]
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.[14]
On November 18, Thalia announced the end of her collaboration with EMI Music. After 13 successful years with EMI Music (the singer recorded 12 albums and sold nearly 30 million copies while under EMI music), "the Mexican singer says goodbye to the music label and plans on recording her next album in English." With the recent release of her album Lunada, the 37-year-old singer ended her contract with EMI Music, who recognized that the album was not successful as it was not well promoted since it coincided with the months after her pregnancy when she contracted Lyme disease.
Thalia is now ready to come back with her own material under Casablanca Records (a part of Universal Motown Records Group), owned by her husband, Tommy Mottola. The new album will be in English and will include a duet with singer Robbie Williams.[15]
Despite Lunada being a commercial disappointment, it was named as the "Best Album of the Year" by ¡Hola! readers.[16] The latest work of the Mexican singer achieved 8,750 votes beating arists like Luis Miguel, Britney Spears, Mariah Carey, Beyoncé and Madonna.[17]
On March 4 2009, it has been confirmed by Al Braik Investments LLC and AEG Live that Thalia is currently in talks to perform in Dubai later this year. Dubai, a city in the United Arab Emirates, has been known throughout the world for hosting singers such as Kylie Minogue, Janet Jackson, Christina Aguilera, Alicia Keys and Mariah Carey.[18]
Business
In 2003 launched a successful clothing line,exclusively available in Kmart, under the name "Thalía Sodi Collection". With huge success, her clothing line went from 300 Kmart stores to 1,500.[19] On August 13, 2003, a fashion show, "La Gran Noche de Thalia", marked the launch of the new Latin flavored collection at Capitale restaurant in New York City. The Thalia Sodi Collection was a total hot from the start, and her success has been so imminent that newspapers and magazines such as The New York Times, The New York Post and Fortune Magazine positively compared her to brand powerhouses Oprah and Martha Stewart. In addition, magazines such as Bazaar en español, Cosmopolitan en español, Shape en español and Latina, amongst others, adorned their covers with the beautiful singer, while People en Español chose her as the most beautiful Latin person for 2003. Her success as well as her beauty turned Thalia into a fashion icon around the world.
Thalía signing autographs at the presentation of her eyewear collection at Vision Expo,
New York City, March 23, 2007
Thalia and Kmart also released a successful eyewear collection "Thalia eyewear". Kenmark group is thrilled to have sold over 1 million units in its Thalía Eyewear collection, said John Justice, VP of International Sales ("Designing an eyewear collection with Thalía has been amazing. Only Thalía could bring such fun and unique styles to eyewear with her festive Latina flair and passion for life"). Building on the success of Thalía Eyewear, Kenmark launched an extension of the collection named "Thalía Girls" in March 2004. Thalía Girls features trendy shapes, colorful accents and sparkling rhinestone frames for girls ages 7–14 who love fashion and fun. Both collections have achieved phenomenal success in the optical industry by filling a void for the Hispanic market in women's eyewear.
In 2004, Thalía later signed a contract with the American chocolate company, Hershey's. She appears in the company's Spanish-language advertisements and sells her own branch of Hershey's products called "La Dulcería Thalía" (The Thalía Candy Shop).[20] Hershey is also sponsored Thalía's "High Voltage" concert tour. The variety of sweets inspired by Thalía for the Latin community has been so well-received by the public, that Hershey's sales in the United States have notably gone up, especially in relation to the products promoted by Thalía.
On November 2004, Thalia Signed on as the First Face of Jeweler Jacob & Co.[21]
In 2006, Thalia was the Face of "Carol's Daughter" Beauty Products. She and her husband Tommy Mottola are partners/investors at the natural beauty products company Carol's Daughter. Thalia, who has always been at the forefront of beauty, represented Latin women as one of the faces of "Carol's Daughter" products. Thalia and her husband Tommy Mottola, along with personalities such as Will Smith, Jada Pinkett-Smith, Jay-Z, Beyonce and Steve Stoute, presented natural beauty products "Carol's Daughter - Beauty by Nature" at a press conference in New York City.
In 2007, Thalía, who became a US citizen in January 2006, joined ABC Radio to start "The Conexión Thalía Radio Show", where she talks about music, fashion, news and political issues.[22] The Conexión Thalía Radio Show, a two-hour weekly radio program starring superstar Thalía premiered on March 17, 2007.
On September 2007, Thalia also released "Thalia: ¡Belleza!-Lessons in Lipgloss and Happiness".[23] In this, her first book, she delivers the ultimate guide to Latin beauty.The book became a best-seller. A new book is planned to be released on "Mother's Day" 2009 which will be pregnancy guide.
Discography
- 1 Only in these albums was Thalía featured.
Filmography
Books
- 2007: Thalia: ¡Belleza! Lessons in Lipgloss and Happiness
- 2009: Thalia: ¡Radiante! Your Guide to a Fit and Fabulous Pregnancy
References
- ^ "Thalia: Biography". United States: EMI. http://www.emi.com/page/emi/Biography_US/0,,12641~574992,00.html. Retrieved on 2009-06-29. "With worldwide sales approaching ten million albums, and legions of followers from the Americas to Europe to Asia and the Far East, Thalia is a reigning force in Latin music."
- ^ EMI
- ^ TV y Novelas magazine 2005
- ^ Biography Source TV y Novelas Magazine
- ^ >"Mambo Café". http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0199744/.
- ^ "Billboard.com Thalia Hits Billboard". http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/retrieve_chart_history.do?model.vnuArtistId=25164&model.vnuAlbumId=1145123 Billboard.com.
- ^ "People: Thalía is pregnant!". http://www.peopleenespanol.com/pespanol/en/articles/0,22490,1722075_1632035,00.html.
- ^ "ON SALE TODAY!! THALIA “LUNADA”(EMI)". http://www.emitelevisa.com/portal/hgxpp001.aspx?11,8,263,O,E,0,PAG;CONC;23;21;D;1793342;1;PAG;MNU;E;72;220;MNU;,.
- ^ "Thalia and the Cristina Show scored major TV ratings !". http://thalia3arabia.blogspot.com/2008/08/thalia-and-cristina-show-scored-major.html.
- ^ ""Orgullosamente Latino" Awards 2008". http://www.orgullosamentelatino.com/art_fans_2008.htm.
- ^ "Thalía supports the arts in impoverished schools". http://www.peopleenespanol.com/pespanol/en/galleries/0,22491,1850660,00.html.
- ^ "Casita Maria honored Thalia". http://www.casita.us/.
- ^ "Thalía visits New York's finest". http://www.peopleenespanol.com/pespanol/en/articles/0,22490,1850686,00.html.
- ^ "Thalía is suffering from Lyme disease". http://www.peopleenespanol.com/pespanol/en/articles/0,22490,1853205,00.html.
- ^ "Thalía drops her label, and plans to record in English". http://www.peopleenespanol.com/pespanol/en/articles/0,22490,1860339,00.html.
- ^ "'LUNADA', DE THALÍA, ELEGIDO MEJOR DISCO DE 2008". http://www.hola.com/musica/2008/12/13/mejor-disco-2008/.
- ^ "‘Lunada’ named as Best Album of the Year by Hola readers". http://nuestrathalia.com/2008/12/15/lunada-named-as-best-album-of-the-year-by-hola-readers/.
- ^ "Thalia Concert in Dubai". http://www.albraik.ae.
- ^ "Kmart launches Thalia Sodi Collection". http://www.bizjournals.com/southflorida/stories/2003/08/04/daily28.html.
- ^ "La Dulcería Thalía". http://www.hersheys.com/latino/.
- ^ "Singing Superstar Thalia Signs on as the First Face of Jacob&Co" (PDF). http://www.jacobandco.com/thalia04a.pdf.
- ^ "The Conexión Thalía Radio Show". http://abcradionetworks.com/Article.asp?id=416838.
- ^ "Thalia: ¡Belleza!-Lessons in Lipgloss and Happiness". http://www.chroniclebooks.com/index/main,book-info/store,books/products_id,6716/.
Biography Source or Reference
- TV y Novelas Magazine August 2005
Artistic Career Source or Reference
- TV y Novelas Magazine August 2005
- Furia Musical Magazine Mexico edition September 2001
- İQué Pegue! Especial Magazine October 2000
- TV y Novelas Magazine 1998
- Mundo De Cristal-Biography
Folk Arts Theater and Araneta Coliseum SRO attendance
- Philippine Star Newspaper August 1996
- Manila Bulletin Newspaper August 1996
- Philippine Daily Inquirer Newspaper 1996
- RPN 9 TV News 1996 and 1997
See also
External links
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