Thalía

Thalía
Thalía in 2011.
Background information
Birth name	Ariadna Thalía Sodi Miranda
Origin	Mexico City, Mexico
Genres	pop, Latin pop, dance
Occupation(s)	Singer, songwriter, actress, fashion designer
Instrument	Vocals
Years active	1980–present
Labels	Fonovisa (1985–1994) EMI (1994–2008) Sony Music (2009–present)
Website	[5]

Ariadna Thalía Sodi Miranda (born August 26, 1971), known simply by the mononym Thalía (Spanish pronunciation: [taˈli.a]), is a Mexican singer and actress. She has sold over 40 million albums worldwide. She has sung in Spanish, English, French, Portuguese and Tagalog.

Thalia has been nominated for various Latin Grammy, Billboard and many other awards throughout her career, being considered as one of the best known Latin singers globally.

Apart from her success in music, she also rose to international fame because of her starring in very successful soap operas like Marimar and María la del barrio. Thalia has achieved to maintain her autonomy and her status as a powerful woman within the recording industry because of her multifaceted career in many different fields of art. She is also an occasional author and businesswoman.

Early life

Thalía (known as Tamia) was born in Mexico City on August 26, 1971. She is the daughter 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 is the youngest of five sisters: Laura Zapata, Federica, Gabriela and Ernestina Sodi. When she was five years old, her father died and this loss had a devastating effect on her. As a youth, Thalia was a good student throughout her school years and studied at the prestigious Lycée Franco-Mexicain whose French-Spanish curriculum made her bilingual at an early age. Thalia said that if she were not in show business, she would become a biologist or psychologist.

Music career

1981-89: Career beginnings and Timbiriche

In 1981, Thalía started her music career as a vocalist in the Mexican child group Din Din. She performed in the music festival "Juguemos a Cantar" as a member of the group and later, as a soloist. As a vocalist, she is considered a mezzo-soprano. In 1984, she was cast in the teenage version of the stage production "Grease", being cast in the lead role of Sandy.

In 1986, she became a member of the successful Mexican band, Timbiriche, replacing one of the original female vocalists, Sasha Sokol. Thalía recorded three albums with the band, which were titled Timbiriche VII, Timbiriche VIII y IX and Los Clasicos de Timbiriche. Other members of the band were Paulina Rubio, Erik Rubín, Eduardo Capetillo and Edith Márquez. In 1989, she left Timbiriche and that same year, she traveled to Los Angeles, California to prepare for a solo career.

1990-92: Thalía, Mundo de Cristal and Love

In 1990, Thalía returned to Mexico and released her first solo album, self-titled Thalía. Produced by Alfredo Diaz Ordaz, Thalía released the album through Fonovisa Records. She received a 2× Gold certification the following year in Mexico. The album spawned the singles Un Pacto entre los Dos, Saliva, Amarillo Azul, and Pienso en Ti. This album was highly controversial, especially for the singles "Un Pacto entre los Dos" and "Saliva", which were banned by several radio stations in Mexico, due to their suggestive themes.

In 1991, Thalía traveled to Spain and starred in different television programs, such as VIP de Noche. That same year, she released her second studio album, Mundo de Cristal, produced by Alfredo Diaz Ordaz. The album was certified 2× Gold in Mexico the following year. This album, released by Fonovisa, spawned three Mexican top ten hits, Sudor, En la Intimidad and Fuego Cruzado.

In 1992, Thalía released her third studio album, Love. This album was recorded in Spain and produced by the Spanish producer Luis Carlos Esteban. The record includes the Mexican number one hits Sangre and Love. It also contains the top 10 hit La Vida en Rosa, a Spanish-French adaptation of Édith Piaf's signature song, La Vie en Rose. This album received a Platinum + Gold certification in Mexico.

1995-99: En éxtasis, Nandito Ako and Amor a la Mexicana

Changes came in 1995 when she moved from Fonovisa to EMI Latin and released her label debut, En éxtasis, her fourth studio album and her first record for EMI, featuring 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, being recognized with multiple gold and platinum records.

In 1997, Thalía came back to the Philippines to release her first compilation 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. "Nandito ako" features the Tagalog version of Ramon Orlando' 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 Thalía was going to record many years later.

Latin pop producer Emilio Estefan, Jr., produced Thalía's fifth studio 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, 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.

That same year, Atlantic Records released the soundtrack for the animated feature film Anastasia, which included the Spanish version of "Journey to the Past" as a bonus track and performed by Thalía.

In 1997, 25 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.

In 1999, she starred in Mambo Café, a 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. Thalía has not since acted in a film.

2000-02: Arrasando and Thalía con banda: Grandes éxitos

Emilio Estefan also produced Thalía's follow-up, Arrasando, released on April 25, 2000, which was very successful. 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 potpourri 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.

2002-03: Thalía, Thalía's Hits Remixed and crossover album

One year later, Thalía's seventh studio album, self-titled Thalía, released on May 21, 2002, 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?") (Cover of Alaska y Dinama) this album hit number one for 6 consecutive weeks on the Top Latin Albums chart, reaching number 11 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" is one of her biggest hits to date, receiving many Latin Billboard nominations, many other awards, as well as success. It was #1 in Billboard's Hot Latin Tracks and topped Latin airplays.

On February 25, 2003, she released a remix-album called Thalía's Hits Remixed. This album contains some remixes of many of her hits, such as "Amor a la Mexicana", "Piel Morena", "No Me Enseñaste" and "Tú y Yo." The album contains the English version of "Arrasando", called "It's My Party" that was released only on CD single back in 2001. And includes the previously unreleased medley that Thalía recorded especially for her the 2001 Latin Grammy Awards performance. That later was cancelled, due to the 9/11 attack.

Thalía in the High Voltage Tour Los Angeles concert on May 14, 2004

On July 8, 2003, Thalía released her first album 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)".

2004-05: Greatest Hits and El Sexto Sentido

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".

Her ninth studio album, El Sexto Sentido, was released on July 19, 2005 and recorded mostly in 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 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. The album was also certified gold in Argentina, Greece and Mexico. This album was the beginning of her popularity declining. The album and the singles were not the success that she and her record label thought they would be.

2006-07: El Sexto Sentido Re+Loaded! and The Conexion Thalía Radio Show

In 2006 the album received a reload 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 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.

2008-present: Lunada and Primera Fila

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, the album, "Lunada", which was released on June 24, 2008, debuted at #8 in Mexico and peaked at #10 in the Billboard Top Latin Albums (U.S). Despite the poor promotions of the album, it was the last Thalía studio album 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 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 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. After 13 successful years with 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 36-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.

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.

On July 30, 2009, Thalía recorded her first live album, titled Primera fila, in Miami, Florida at the BankUnited Center. This is her first project under her new record label, Sony Music. Primera Fila was released on December 1, 2009. The album has gone multi-platinum since then, selling more than a million copies. Primera Fila shows Thalía's vocal potential and earned positive critics. The album has reached the number one spot quickly after the official release and remains at #1 in Mexican Top selling albums for more than 41 weeks.

Equivocada is the first single and was released on October 7, 2009. The second single is "Qué será de ti" and was released on February 1, 2010. The third single, "Con la duda", features the Mexican singer-songwriter Joan Sebastian and was released on April 25, 2010.

Both "Enseñame a vivir" and "Estoy enamorado" were released as singles on July 6—09, 2010. The first one was released only in Argentina, Central America and Spain, and the second one was released only in Mexico, the United States and Puerto Rico. "Estoy enamorado" features the Puerto Rican singer Pedro Capó.

Thalia recorded a duet, "Mis Deseos / Feliz Navidad" with singer Michael Bublé on his 2011 album Christmas.

Acting career

Thalia was cast in a supporting role in the 1986 telenovela "Pobre señorita Limantour", beginning her collaboration with Televisa. In 1987, she went on to star in her first major role for Televisa in the 1987 teenage drama Quinceañera, co-starring Adela Noriega, Quinceañera won the "TV y Novelas" award for Best Telenovela of the Year in 1988. In 1989, Thalía got her first lead role in "Luz y Sombra", which was not very successful. In 1992, she starred in "María Mercedes" for which she won a "TV Y Novelas" award as Best Young Actress in 1993. This was also the first in a series of three telenovelas dubbed by the Mexican press as "Las Tres Marias". The second telenovela in the installment was "Marimar" in 1994, followed by the third and final installment in the series "Maria la del barrio" in 1995. In 1999, Thalía starred in her last telenovela, "Rosalinda". All four telenovelas were basically based on the same rags to riches character.

Thalia acted in her first movie as a child in the 1979 film "La Guerra De los Pasteles". She went on to star in her only English language film "Mambo Café", in 1999.

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. On August 13, 2003, a fashion show, "La Gran Noche de Thalía", marked the launch of the new Latin flavored collection at Capitale restaurant in New York City. The Thalía Sodi Collection was a success from the start, and her success was such 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, she has appeared on the front over of magazines such as Bazaar en español, Cosmopolitan en español, Shape en español and Latina, amongst others. People en Español chose her as the most beautiful Latin person for 2003.

Thalía and Kmart also released a successful eyewear collection "Thalía 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). 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.

In November 2004, Thalía Signed on as the First Face of Jeweler Jacob & Co.

In 2006, Thalía was the Face of "Carol's Daughter" Beauty Products. She and her husband Tommy Mottola are partners and investors at the natural beauty products company Carol's Daughter. Thalía 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, now Cumulus Media Networks, to start "The Conexión Thalía Radio Show", where she talks about music, fashion, news and political issues. The Conexión Thalía Radio Show, a two-hour weekly radio program starring superstar Thalía premiered on March 17, 2007.

In September 2007, Thalía also released "Thalía: ¡Belleza!-Lessons in Lipgloss and Happiness". In this, her first book, she delivers the ultimate guide to Latina beauty. The book became a best-seller. She released a new book in June 2009, titled "Thalia: ¡Radiante!-Your Guide to a Fit and a Fabulous Pregnancy".

Personal life

On December 2, 2000, Thalía married music executive Tommy Mottola in New York City at St. Patrick's Cathedral. They have two children: a daughter and a son.

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.

Discography

Main article: Thalía discography

Studio albums

• 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)
• TBA (2012)

Compilation albums

• Nandito Ako (1997)
• Thalía con banda: Grandes éxitos (2001)
• Hits Remixed (2003)
• Greatest Hits (2004)

Live albums

• Primera Fila (2009)

Music groups

• Din Din (1981–83) – (4 albums)
• Timbiriche (1986–89) – (3 albums)

Tours

• High Voltage Tour (2004)

Filmography

Soap operas

• Pobre Señorita Limantour (1987) – Diana
• Quinceañera (1987–88) – Beatriz Villanueva
• Luz y Sombra (1989) – Alma Suárez
• María Mercedes (1992–93) – María Mercedes Muñoz Del Olmo
• Marimar (1994) – Marimar Perez / Bella Aldama
• María la del barrio (1995–96) – María Hernández De la Vega
• Rosalinda (1999) – Rosalinda Perez Romero / Paloma Dorantes

Theater

• Vaselina (1984) – Sandy

Films

• La Guerra de los Pasteles (1979)
• Anastasia (1997) – (soundtrack performer, Spanish version)
• Mambo Café (1999) – Nydia

TV Shows

• VIP de Noche (1991–92)
• Las Aventuras de Eebee y Thalia (2009–10)

Radio Show

• Conexión Thalía Radio Show (2007–11)

Written works

• Thalía: ¡Belleza! Lessons in Lipgloss and Happiness (2007)
• Thalía: ¡Radiante! Your Guide to a Fit and Fabulous Pregnancy (2009)
• Thalía: Growing stronger (2011)

Awards and nominations

Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Thalía

See also

• Sodi family
• Tommy Mottola

References

• TV y Novelas Magazine August 2005
• 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

External links

• Thalia.com — Thalía official website
• Thalía at IMDb