Gran City Pop
Gran City Pop | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | June 23, 2009 | |||
Recorded | January 2008–2009 | |||
Studio |
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Genre | ||||
Length | 35:14 (Standard 10-track Edition) 46:49 (U.S. Deluxe Edition) | |||
Label | Universal Music Latino | |||
Producer |
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Paulina Rubio chronology | ||||
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Singles from Gran City Pop | ||||
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Gran City Pop is the ninth studio album by Mexican singer Paulina Rubio released by Universal Music Group on June 23, 2009. The album expanded the Rubio's stylistic palette by combining elements of genres such as ranchera, hip-hop, eurodisco or arena rock, and she became more involved in songwriting and creative elaboration, extracting influences from various dance-pop-based genres including electropop, synth-pop and eighties British pop.
In 2008, Rubio began working again with Argentinian music producer Cachorro López, who served as the executive producer of her previous album Ananda (2006). The two collaborated with various producers and writers on the album, including Lester Méndez, Mario Domm, Noel Schajris, Gianmarco and Fernando Osorio. And She returns to collaborate with Colombian songwriter Estéfano after six years, and other songwriters and producers with whom she previously collaborated such as Coti, Chris Rodriguez and Fernando Montesinos.
Gran City Pop received acclaimed reviews from music critics, many of whom complimented it as a return fresh sounds, and received a Grammy Award for Best Latin Pop Album. In Mexico, Gran City Pop peaked at number two on the Mexican Albums Chart, and was certified gold by the Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas (AMPROFON). In the United States, the album debuted at number forty four on the Billboard 200, with first-week sales of over 9,400 copies, while it debuted at number two on the Top Latin Albums chart and number one on the Latin Pop Albums chart. Additionally, it sold 100,000 copies in United States and Puerto Rico, and manage to sell 300,000 copies worldwide.
Three singles were released from Gran City Pop. The lead single, "Causa Y Efecto", peaked at number one in the United States latin charts, Mexico general chart and Spain airplay chart. Subsequent single "Ni Rosas Ni Juguetes" also was a sucess in Latin America, and "Algo De Ti" generally underperformed on the charts, but the music video was a hit in the television. To further promote the album, Rubio embarked on the Gran City Pop Tour in 2009.
Background
"Gran City Pop is a city where people speak Spanglish, where freedom reigns and where love prospers and there is no violence, [...] The city itself was inspired by several places, including Mexico, which is my homeland; Madrid, Spain; and Miami in the U.S.[1]
— Paulina Rubio talking about the inspiration behind "Gran City Pop"
Production
The production features compositions by Estéfano, Los Rabanes, Jeremías, Noel Schajris, Gian Marco Zignago, Lester Méndez, and Mario Domm. Paulina prepared her album with her own songs with the help of Coti, who had a big influence in the writing of the album. Speaking to a Mexican radio program, the "Golden Girl" said that the new material presented many changes. She explained: "[...] at the same time I remain very loyal to my music; my rancheras, boleros, and simple rhythms like the songs we used to listen to as children". She also added: "This new production will have songs by Mario Domm, the leader of Camila, and Estéfano, but there are some songs of mine with Coti; it's an album to get out the child within us".
Content
According to her web site, the idea of Gran City Pop is "an imaginary and enormous city where Paulina groups in one vision, some of the life and musical experiences lived during the last years in many cities of the world; experiences that have marked her life forever and now she wants to share in ten songs with influences that enrich this new stage of her career. In the album she collaborates with Estéfano, Chris Rodríguez, Cachorro López, Léster Méndez and Coti".[2]
Rubio started working on Gran City Pop in her Miami house studio in 2008 as a follow-up to her eighth album Ananda, released in 2006. The album includes a variety of styles, which took months of recording.
On iTunes, those that pre-ordered the album got two bonus tracks: an acoustic version of "Causa y Efecto" and a bonus song called "El Tren de La Vida."
First confirmed by Amazon, a special edition including a DVD was available to pre-order.[3] Both versions, the regular edition and the special edition, were released on June 23, 2009.
Promotion
Paulina's big comeback took place in the month of April at the 2009 Billboard Latin Music Awards, where Rubio performed her lead single "Causa y Efecto" for the first time. Paulina also performed live at Univision's Premios Juventud. Rubio made a private concert at Gotham Hall in New York City on May 11 to promote Gran City Pop. The concert was presented by Univision Radio.[4] During her stay in New York, she visited the MTV Tr3s Studios, she taped the show ESL, and presented fans the single "Causa y Efecto". The performance was aired on May 14.[5] Paulina appeared at Los Premios MTV Latinoamérica 2009 on October 15 along with Cobra Starship performing "Good Girls Go Bad" and "Ni Rosas Ni Juguetes". She was the female performer with the most nominations (and second most overall): "Video of the Year", "Best Artist", "Best Pop Artist", "Best Solo Artist" and "Artist of the Year". She won "Best Solo Artist", which became her first award. Rubio and Cobra Starship won an MTV Award for "Best Live Performance at Los Premios 2009", as voted by the public, beating artists such as Shakira, Nelly Furtado, and Wisin & Yandel. On November 1, Paulina performed "Ni Rosas Ni Juguetes" on ¡Viva el Sueño!, a reality competition show similar to American Idol. On November 12, Paulina performed at the 2009 Premios Telehit in Mexico and was given the award for being the Mexican female artist with most international fame. Paulina performed at the Miss Colombia 2009 ceremony on November 16. Paulina performed at Premios Oye! and won the "Audience Award", given to her by her mother Susana Dosamantes. On February 5, 2010, Paulina performed at the 2010 Pepsi Super Bowl Fan Jam. On February 18, Paulina performed at the Premios Lo Nuestro 2010. Lastly, Paulina performed "Algo De Ti" for the first time at the 2010 Billboard Latin Music Awards on April 29 as a duet with rapper/singer Wyclef Jean.
Tour
In September 2009, Rubio started her the third solo concert tour, the Gran City Pop Tour, in support of this album.
Singles
- "Causa y Efecto", the first single from Gran City Pop was released to U.S. radio on March 30, 2009 and worldwide on April 1. The song was well received by critics and fans. The music video for this song was released on May 6 by Universal Music Spain. "Causa y Efecto" has been successful, reaching #1 on the U.S. Hot Latin Songs chart, becoming Rubio's fourth #1 on the chart. It peaked at #7 in Spain.
- "Ni Rosas Ni Juguetes" was released as the second single from Gran City Pop.[6] The music video was directed by Jessy Terrero on August 26 in New York. The video premiered on October 8.[7] "Ni Rosas Ni Juguetes" has so far peaked at number 9 on the Hot Latin Songs chart, becoming her second top ten hit from the album. The song also peaked at number 5 on the U.S. Latin Pop Songs chart. On October 21, it entered the Spanish Top 50 Songs at number 37 and peaked at number 3, becoming her first top five hit from the album in Spain and second top ten hit from the album overall.[8]
- "Algo De Ti" was released as the third single from Gran City Pop. Paulina filmed the music video on February 26, 2010 in Miami. The director was Steven Oritt and was produced by Jessy Terrero, who filmed both video versions of "Ni Rosas Ni Juguetes".[9] The video premiered on April 30. "Algo De Ti" debuted at number 50 in Spain on the issue of week 17; the song later reached a peak of 48.
Critica reception
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Allmusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The album received positive reviews from music critics, who stated that Gran City Pop is a great pop album. Phil Freeman, from Allmusic, gave a positive review, giving it 4 out of 5 stars, saying:
"Paulina Rubio's giddy, silly personality bubbles forth all over this album; she sounds like she's having a blast on every song, even the ones that are about the pitfalls of love...".[10] Rachel Devitt, from Rhapsody.com, gave a positive, though not rated, review, saying:
"Rubio's flexible voice and diva charisma allow her to carry off each style with attitude and flair. It's a potent reminder of why she is such a mega-star in the Latin pop world, and poses the question of when the English-speaking pop world is going to wake up and take notice."[11] Jesús Rodríguez de El País considers Gran City Pop as a "party and romance tailor's drawer; pop rhythms, Latin airs, rock guitars, rancheras and tequila, melodic song and disco sound packaged under the concept of the three cities that have marked her life: Mexico City, Madrid and Miami. "[12]
Dan Kimpel from Broadcast Music, Inc. praised the sound of the album and said that "the sonic scope of the songs and the production is vast and varied". He also highlighted Rubio's versatility as a songwriter and singer.[13]
Commercial performance
Gran City Pop debuted at number forty four on the US Billboard 200, with first-week sales of over 9,400 copies. It debuted at number two on the US Billboard Latin Albums chart and number one on the Latin Pop Albums chart. The album sold over 100,000 copies in the United States and Puerto Rico.[14]
The album debuted at number two on the Mexican Albums Chart where received the Gold certification there for over 40,000 units in its first week.[15] On the Spain Albums Chart, Gran City Pop debuted at number three. In Colombia, the album was certified Gold denoting 10,000 copies sold there.[16] This album also earned Paulina five nominations to the MTV Awards.[17]
The album sold over 300,000 copies all around the world.[14]
Track listing
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Causa y Efecto" |
| Cachorro López | 3:25 |
2. | "La Danza Del Escorpión" |
| Fernando Montesinos | 3:11 |
3. | "Enséñame" |
| Chris Rodríguez | 3:39 |
4. | "Melodía De Tu Alma" |
| Rodríguez | 3:58 |
5. | "Más Que Amigo" |
| Rodríguez | 3:43 |
6. | "Ni Rosas Ni Juguetes" | Cachorro López | 3:15 | |
7. | "Amanecí Sin Ti" |
| López | 3:30 |
8. | "Algo De Ti" |
| Lester Méndez | 4:05 |
9. | "A Contraluz" |
| Méndez | 3:58 |
10. | "Escaleras De Arena" |
| Méndez | 2:41 |
Total length: | 35:27 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
11. | "Causa Y Efecto" (Acustic Version) |
| López | 3:48 |
Total length: | 39:35 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
11. | "El Tren De La Vida" |
| Rodriguez | 3:05 |
Total length: | 39:02 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
11. | "Amanecí Sin Ti" (Motor City Version) |
|
| 4:17 |
Total length: | 40:04 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
11. | "Ya Fue" | Coti | 3:00 | |
12. | "Causa y Efecto" (Banda Version) |
| Alberto "Lion King" De León | 3:35 |
13. | "Causa y Efecto" (DJ George Figares Club Mix Radio Edit) |
| 4:49 | |
14. | "El Tren de la Vida" |
| Rodriguez | 3:05 |
15. | "Días de trabajo en Gran City Pop" (Video) | 16:33 | ||
16. | "Causa Y Efecto" (Music video) | 3:24 | ||
17. | "Behind the scenes: Photoshoot" (Video) | 3:29 | ||
Total length: | 72:28 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
11. | "Ya Fue" | Coti | 3:00 | |
12. | "Causa y Efecto" (Banda Version) |
| Alberto "Lion King" De León | 3:35 |
13. | "Causa y Efecto" (DJ George Figares Club Mix Radio Edit) |
| 4:49 | |
Total length: | 46:49 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Días de trabajo en Gran City Pop" | 16:33 |
2. | "Causa y Efecto" (Music video) | 3:24 |
3. | "Behind the scenes" (Photoshoot) | 3:29 |
4. | "Photo Gallery" | |
Total length: | 23:33 |
Charts
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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Certifications and sales
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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Colombia[16] | Gold | 10,000 |
Mexico (AMPROFON)[26] | Gold | 40,000^ |
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[27] | Gold | 30,000^ |
United States | — | 100,000[14] |
Summaries | ||
Worldwide | — | 300,000[14] |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
Credits
- Executive Producer: Paulina Rubio
- Art Direction: Eli Tersse
- Design: Pon un Diseñador Gráfico en tu Vida (www.ponlo.es)[28]
- Photography: Gustavo López-Mañas (www.glm-studio.com)
- Hairstyling: Tony Lucha
- Stylist: Cristina Cellini
- Makeup: Jennifer Daranyi using Dior
- Engineer: Enrique Larreal
References
- ^ Gonzalez, Lisa (June 10, 2009). "Paulina Rubio Inspired by Miami for New Album and Video". MTV. mtv.com. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
- ^ The City Pop of Paulina Rubio
- ^ "Amazon.com: Gran City Pop [CD/DVD]: Paulina Rubio: Music"
- ^ "Paulina Rubio causes effect at the Big Apple". Archived from the original on 2009-05-15. Retrieved 2009-05-12.
- ^ "Paulina Rubio rocked the house Monday night in New York City with her first live performance with Gran City Pop" Archived 2016-01-27 at the Wayback Machine Universal Music Latin.
- ^ "Paulina Rubio will release Ni Rosas Ni Juguetes"
- ^ mundoSIX (2009-10-07). "Paulina Rubio No Quiere "Rosas, Ni Juguetes"". Mundosix.com. Archived from the original on 2011-07-14. Retrieved 2009-12-10.
- ^ [1][dead link]
- ^ http://www.zannel.com/viewupdate.htm?id=PD49OA[permanent dead link]
- ^ a b Freeman, Phil. Gran City Pop at AllMusic. Retrieved 2009-12-10.
- ^ "Gran City Pop by Paulina Rubio - Rhapsody Music". Rhapsody.com. Retrieved 2009-12-10.
- ^ Rodríguez, Jesús. "Soy una empresa que escribe y canta canciones". El País. Retrieved 6 October 2019.
- ^ Kimpel, Dan. "Paulina Rubio's Gran City Pop". bmi.com. Broadcast Music, Inc. Retrieved 27 October 2020.
- ^ a b c d Mo, Zayra (July 1, 2009). "Paulina Rubio, la reina de la cultura pop". El Espectador. Fidel Cano Correa. Retrieved 2009-12-10.
- ^ "Recibe Paulina Rubio Disco de Oro". La voz del sandinismo (in Spanish). June 7, 2009. Retrieved September 30, 2020.
- ^ a b Paulina Rubio arransa en Colombia con su Gran City Tour. 30 August 2010. Archived from the original on 29 February 2016. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
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ignored (help) - ^ Paulina Rubio interesada en rutas turísticas peruanas
- ^ "European Top 100 Albums". Billboard. Lynne Segall. 2009. Retrieved 30 December 2009.
- ^ "Mexican Top Albums Chart". www.mexicancharts.com. 2006. Archived from the original on 31 January 2012. Retrieved February 16, 2013.
- ^ "Spanishcharts.com – Paulina Rubio – Gran City Pop". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 12, 2016.
- ^ "Paulina Rubio Chart History (Top Latin Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 12, 2016.
- ^ "Paulina Rubio Chart History (Latin Pop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 12, 2016.
- ^ "Paulina Rubio Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved June 12, 2016.
- ^ "Top 100 Albums Mexico 2009 (Amprofon)" (PDF). Amprofon. 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 15, 2010. Retrieved December 31, 2009.
- ^ "Top Latin Albums (Year end) - Paulina Rubio". Billboard. Lynne Segall. 2009. Retrieved 30 December 2009.
- ^ "Certificaciones" (in Spanish). Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. Type Paulina Rubio in the box under the ARTISTA column heading and Gran City Pop in the box under the TÍTULO column heading.
- ^ "Spanish album certifications" (in Spanish). Productores de Música de España. Select Álbumes under "Categoría", select 2010 under "Año". Select 20 under "Semana". Click on "BUSCAR LISTA".
- ^ "Pon un Diseñador Gráfico en tu Vida"