Thalia

Mexico, and in turn much of the Spanish-speaking world, knew very few media superstars as illustrious as singer/actress Thalía, whose beauty and celebrity were practically unmatched during her prime. A media darling for most of her life, la mexicana rose to increasing fame throughout the 1990s, starring in popular telenovelas and releasing solo albums that capitalized on her television renown. By the end of the decade, Thalía was a chart-topping recording artist on the brink of extending her reach internationally, to the United States in particular.

Born Ariadna Thalía Sodi Miranda in Mexico City to parents Ernesto Sodi Pallares and Yolanda Miranda Mange on August 26, 1971, the singer/actress was the youngest of five daughters. She lost her father when she was five years old, and the loss had a devastating effect on her. As a youth, Thalía was a good student throughout her school years and studied ballet as well as piano. Even at such an early age, she aspired to be an actress and singer. She began singing professionally at age ten as part of the children's group Din Din, and shortly thereafter, in 1983, she embarked on an acting career, beginning with a TV Christmas special. Her music career was enhanced in 1986 when she replaced group member Sasha Diez Barroso in the popular teen pop act Timbiriche (whose members also included Paulina Rubio). And her acting career was likewise enhanced in 1987 when she joined the cast of the telenovela Pobre Seniorita Limantour, her first of several such roles.

In 1990 Thalía made her solo recording debut with a self-titled album, and in 1992 she began starring in a series of "Maria" telenovelas -- Maria Mercedes, Maria Mar, and Maria la del Barrio -- that earned her the title of la Reina de las Telenovelas (the Queen of the Telenovelas). Her acting certainly didn't hurt her recording career, though she did struggle to take her music to the heights of her acting. All of this began to change in 1995 when she moved from Fonovisa to EMI Latin and released her label debut, En Extasis, which featured her first major international hit, "Piel Morena," as well as her hit theme song, "Maria la del Barrio." Latin pop impresario Emilio Estefan, Jr. produced her next album, Amor a la Mexicana (1997), and it too met international success and was a much stronger album, her first great one. Estefan also produced her follow-up, Arrasando (2000), and it was an even bigger success, spawning five hit singles, one of which ("Entre el Mar y una Estrella") topped Billboard's Hot Latin Tracks chart, her first time doing so. The album also featured the hit theme song from her concurrent telenovela, Rosalinda.