Saluting Hispanic Heritage Month W/ Pop Queen Thalia‘s 10 Best Tunes Via Billboard Charts!
Fresh music, bold entertainment, and men’s fashion—one tight email a week.
“Thalía took her music career to the next level with 1995’s En Éxtasis, her first album in a long partnership with EMI Latin. At the same time,
her telenovela Maria La Del Barrio was a global success in syndication in more than 180 countries. The lead
single for En Éxtasis, “Piel Morena,” was the first of many anthems for Thalía. The proudly
Mexican song on which she highlighted her brown skin peaked at No. 7 on the
Hot Latin Songs chart dated Oct. 7, 1995.
“Piel Morena” marked the first of Thalía’s 26 entries on the Hot Latin Songs
chart and the first of 12 on the chart’s top 10. Of those, four went to No.
1.
In the digital era, she remains a force as the first Mexican female artist
to hit one billion views on YouTube with “No Me Acuerdo,” featuring
Dominican reggaetonera Natti Natasha. Beyond music, Thalía’s brand has
expanded as a hit personality on social media and now the star of her
Facebook Watch reality series, Latin Music Queens.
To celebrate 30 years of Thalía, we look back at her career through 10 of
her biggest hits on Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs chart. What a perfect time
to be doing so, during Hispanic Heritage Month.
“Entre El Mar y Una Estrella”
Thalía first reached No. 1 on the Hot Latin Songs chart dated June 17, 2000
with “Entre El Mar y Una Estrella,” the lead single from Arrasando. “I remember I was screaming and crying from being super excited,” she
told Billboard in a July
interview. “I was like, ‘Wow! What a blessing.’ I was looking for a
different way to portray Latin music.” Thalía achieved that with this
majestic, Lion King-esque ballad
that reigns memorably supreme in her vast discography.
“Tú y Yo”
Thalía reached No. 1 again on the Hot
Latin Songs chart dated July 20, 2002 with “Tú y Yo,” the lead single from
her 2002 self-titled album. Yes, there’s two self-titled albums that exist
in Thalia’s discography. In this first collaboration with Colombian producer
and songwriter Estéfano, she celebrates an against-all-odds relationship in
a fiery performance. The sassy Latin bop was later remixed with a cumbia
version featuring A.B. Quintanilla & the Kumbia Kings.
“No Me Enseñaste”
“No Me Enseñaste” topped the chart Oct.
26, 2002, a one-two punch from her 2002 Thalía album that demonstrated her versatility as an artist who could hit
No. 1 with both a ballad and an uptempo track. Another Estéfano production,
its sweeping melodies and heartbreak lyrics are perfectly suited for
Thalia’s dramatic flair.
“Cerca de Ti”
As if we couldn’t have enough Thalía in our lives, she named her first
English crossover album in 2003 after herself. Keeping count, that’s now
three self-titled albums in total. Thalia included the Spanish version of
“Closer to You” on the album as “Cerca De Ti,” earning her fourth
chart-topper on the Hot Latin Songs chart dated Feb. 28, 2004. She co-wrote
the cute love song that beams with adoration for her man (most likely her
husband Tommy Mottola).
“Amar Sin Ser Amada”
For 2005’s El Sexto Sentido,
Thalía teamed up again with Estéfano, who produced and co-wrote most of the
album. She led with the single “Amar Sin Ser Amada,” which blended a tango
sound with a pop-rock edge. It peaked at No. 2 on the Hot Latin Songs chart;
there’s no way she was letting a toxic ex back into life on this kiss-off
anthem.
“No, No, No”
Thalía’s Latin pop sound was blended
with bachata music on “No, No, No” featuring Aventura frontman Romeo Santos. The duet that was released as a single from El Sexto Sentido Re+Loaded and reached No. 4 on the Hot Latin Songs chart in 2006. The chemistry
between the Mexican icon and the King of Bachata was undeniable. Santos
pines for Thalía’s love as she tries to fend off his advances. “No, No, No”
will always be a “Yes, Yes, Yes” in her songbook.
“Te Perdiste Mi Amor”
After experiencing success in the
bachata market with Romeo Santos, Thalía teamed up with another bachatero,
Dominican-American pop star Prince Royce for “Te Perdiste Mi Amor.” The song was released as a single from
2012’s Habítame Siempre, Thalia’s
first studio album with Sony Music Latin. She once again reached No. 4 on
the Hot Latin Songs chart in 2013. Thalía and Royce proved to be an adorable
duo on this sweet duet.
“Amor a La Mexicana”
Thalía helped globalize and popularize
Mexican culture with her 1997 album Amor a La Mexicana and its title track. On the proudly Mexican-themed anthem, producer
Emilio Estefan, Jr. blended her Latin pop sound with mariachi music. “Amor a
La Mexicana” peaked at No. 6 on the Hot Latin Songs chart. No Hispanic
Heritage Month playlist is complete without this signature Thalía hit.
“¿A Quién Le Importa?”
Thalía strengthened her bond with the
LGBTQ+ community by covering “¿A Quién Le Importa?” on her 2002 self-titled
album. Estéfano helped her reimagine the Alaska y Dinarama classic for the
club scene. The black-and-white music video was shot in a gay club in New
York City and, way ahead of its time, featured transgender icon Amanda
Lepore.
“[The LGBTQ+ community has] always been supportive of my career since the
beginning,” she told Billboard in July. “I’ve stayed true to my message in my fashion, my statements
and my music: to be yourself, to love yourself, to not be afraid to put
yourself out there no matter who judges you and to believe in yourself no
matter the obstacles in the way.” The empowering anthem peaked at No. 9 on
the Hot Latin Songs chart.
“I Want You”
On this list, we give honorable mentions
to “Piel Morena” and the Primera Fila standout “Equivocada.” Those singles peaked at No. 7 and No. 8 on the
Hot Latin Songs chart respectively. We jump ahead to Thalía’s crossover hit
“I Want You,” the lead single from her 2003 English crossover album. She
teamed up with Nuyorican rapper Fat Joe on the breezy bop that famously
sampled Brenda Russell‘s “A Little Bit of Love.” Their collaboration peaked at No. 22 on the Hot
100 chart, while the Spanish version, “Me Pones Sexy,” reached No. 9 on the
Hot Latin Songs chart.” – Billboard.com
