Thalía
Thalía (born Ariadna Thalía Sodi Miranda, August 26, 1972 in Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico) is a Mexican actress, singer, and businesswoman. She is considered one of the most important and representantive singers of Latin pop.
Biography
In 1981, Thalía began her career as a child with the national group Din Din and perfomed in the music festival Juguemos a Cantar, first as a member of the group and then as a soloist. In 1984 she was cast in the teenage version of the stage production Grease, ending up with the lead as Sandy. She later replaced one of the female vocalists of Timbiriche in 1986, making the band's fame skyrocket. That same year she was cast in her first soap opera Pobre Señorita Limantour. A year later, she starred in the Mexican telenovela Quinceañera after which she went to Los Angeles, California to prepare herself to pursue a solo career.
In 1990, she released her first album earning a gold record the following year. She later traveled to Spain and starred in different television programs and also released her second album, which also went gold. By 1993 her third album Love went platinum. The year 1992 was also the beginning of a successful acting career in México. She starred in Televisa's telenovela María Mercedes, following a series of others like Marimar, María La Del Barrio and later on Rosalinda. These became a huge success, not only in Mexico, but also in countries like USA, Indonesia, Portugal, the Dominican Republic, Germany, Peru, Senegal, China, Greece, Philippines, Brazil and have been sold in over 180 countries. Her telenovelas are simple stories and all are based on adaptations to the well-known Cinderella story, the main caracter is born in poverty and then meets a wealthy young man and later they get married.
In 1997 Atlantic Records released the soundtrack for the animated feauture Anastasia, which included as a bonus track the Spanish version of "Journey to the Past", performed by Thalía. Also in that year, she traveled to the Philippines and had a major concert at the Araneta Coliseum and filled almost 15,000 thousand capacity. Thalía released her only Philippine album entitled Nandito Ako, her also carrier single. She also did the Tagalog version of Wilfrido Vargas' popular merengue song called "El Venao" whose title in Tagalog was "Chika Lang". She recorded that particular album mostly in Tagalog and English language.
She has been a guest on television programs like Hard Copy, Entertainment Tonight, El Show de Cristina and The Rosie O'Donnell Show. She also starred in Mambo Café, 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.
On December 2, 2000, Thalía married the former Sony Music president, Tommy Mottola (ex-husband of the American superstar singer Mariah Carey) at St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York, in a three-million dollar ceremony and reception. They currently live in New York City.
In 2003 Thalía released her first self-titled English language album Thalía, featuring the rapper Fat Joe in one of the tracks. She also released a successful clothing line, exclusively available in Kmart, under the name Thalía Sodi Collection.
It was also around this time that a rumor began circulating about the quality of her voice. After a moderate performance that she gave at an award show, while having a sore throat, there were people that doubted she could truly sing. However, she seemed to have redeemed herself after another live performance. There were even more to come. Recently though, at the tribute concert to Selena, Thalía gave another unsatisfactory performance of Selena's classic hit "Amor Prohibido" (though the audience gave her a big round of applause). Thalía has also been critized for her manufacturing of other consumer goods, something her rival Paulina Rubio, who is also a famous Mexican singer, pointed out in an interview. Loved or hated, always to the utmost, she is undoubtedly a persona that can not go unnoticed.
Thalía later signed a contract with the 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).
Her latest 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 mild success so far, mostly because of lack of enough promotion. Though the sound and the overall result is one of her most integrated projects. "Amar Sin Ser Amada" (To love Without being loved) was the first single of the album. It is an infectious rock-edged tango-based song. "Un Alma Sentenciada" (A Sentenced Soul), the second single, is a feverish and, at points, hyperdramatic ballad that is fairly good but seems that it will not attain the success of "No Me Enseñaste" (You Did Not Teach Me}.
"No Me Enseñaste", another ballad, is probably her best hit to date, receiving many Latin Grammy nominees, many other awards, as well as, chart-topping success. Three years ago and for a series of weeks it was #1 in Billboard's Hot Latin Tracks. It also topped Latin airplays and was #1 for the year 2002.
In the summer of 2005, Thalía's multi-million dollar contract with Televisa was canceled, due to her not wanting to star in a soap opera or a show with the company. After several notices the head of Televisa Emilio Azcárraga Jean, decided to cancel her contract after several attempts to make her go back into telenovelas. The contract was made for three telenovelas and only one was made, Rosalinda (1999). Thalia was payed $75,000 U.S dollars a month for the contract.
The 21st of April has been declared "Day of Thalía" in Los Angeles. She has a broad fan base around the world and has allegedly accessed people's houses in over one hundred countries, thanks to her famous "telenovelas". Her face is familiar among millions, and has been named one of the "25 most beautiful people" by reputable magazine People en Español many times.
Filmography
Telenovelas
- Pobre Señorita Limantour (1987)
- Quinceañera (1988)
- Luz y sombra (1989)
- María Mercedes (1992)
- Marimar (1994)
- Maria la del barrio (1995)
- Rosalinda (1999)
Films
- Mambo Café (1999)
Discography
Albums and their singles
| Album information |
|---|
Thalía
|
Mundo de Cristal
|
Love
|
En Extasis
|
Nandito Ako
|
Amor a la Mexicana
|
Arrasando
|
Thalía
|
Thalía (English)
|
Greatest Hits
|
| El Sexto Sentido |
Compilations and other releases
- Grandes Exitos (1994)
- 20 Kiliates Musicales (1996)
- Anastasia Soundtrack (1997) 100.000 copies
- Nandito Ako (Philippines release only) (1997) 200.000 copies
- Jugo de Exitos (1998)
- Mis Mejores Momentos Para Coleccionistas (1998)
- Serie Milennium 21 (1999)
- La Sensacion de Thalia Serie Sensacional (2000)
- Con Banda Grandes Exitos (2001) 650.000 copies
- Serie 32" (2001)
- Escenciales: The Ultimate Collection (2002)
- EdicionLimitada (15 Exitos Special Edition) (2002)
- 15 Exitos (2002)
- Oro: Grandes Exitos (South America release) (2002)
- Thalía's Hits Remixed (Two different versions) (2003) 300.000 copies
- Grandes Exitos (CD/DVD) (Mexico release) (2004)
- Greatest Hits (CD/DVD) (2004) 350,000 copies
- The Sixth Sense (CD/DVD) (2005)
- El Sexto Sentido Re-Loaded (2006)