Thalía: 1972—: Singer, Actress

Thalía's versatility increased her appeal in television, stage, comedy, theater, and music. After singing with a derivative little-girl-lost style on stage and in the album Thalía in 1995, she pumped up her mike presence with a more vibrant, mature voice on En Exstasis, her first album on the EMI Latin label. Diverse ballads and dance numbers produced by Emilio Estefan, Oscar Lopez, and Kike Santander proved her capable of variety and vigor, particularly the come-hither cumbia tune "Piel Morena," which was the focus of a spicy video. She also debuted as co-composer of the sincere, tuneful "Lagrimas," reputedly a tribute to Alfredo Diaz, her producer and lover who died of hepatitis. The mix boosted Thalía to the top of the Latin music charts, as the platinum album set sales records in 20 countries.

By 1996 Thalía appeared on the top ten lists in every Latin American nation and increased her popularity among U.S. Latinos. Awards and honors brought her interviews in movie magazines, a presentation as Queen of Telenovelas by Mexico's President Ernesto Zedillo, an appearance before President George W. Bush and his guests to sing Cinco de Mayo folksongs, as well as bookings at Chile's Viña del Mar in Chile, Miami's Calle 8 Festival, Noches de Carnaval, the Fiesta Broadway in Los Angeles, and Peru's Feria la Molina. She performed three songs in Spanish and Portuguese on the animated film Anastasia, which premiered in Mexico on November 20, 1997, complete with star treatment and autographing sessions.

In 1997 the 34-track album Amor a la Mexicana swept to the top. For her success, Billboard reviewer Teresa Aguilera dubbed Thalía "Latin America's Reigning Music Queen." The singer obviously owed much to producers Emilio Estefan, Kike Santander, and Pablo Flores, for skillfully blending salsa, cha cha, rap, reggae, and cumbia, and for depicting her as a proud Latina. Her handlers cleverly booked her for advertisements and banked on the success of spin-offs, notably lingerie, sleepwear, and a Thalía doll that is popular in Brazil.

In 1997 Thalía explored the Filipino market with the smash album, Nandito Ako. Multiple recognition in television, electronic and print ads, stage, and recording brought her honor in Mexico City, where city officials unveiled a wax image of Thalía at the Museo de Cera. On April 25, 1997, citizens of Los Angeles celebrated "Thalía Day." The surge of contracts brought her parts in the feature film Mambo Café (1998), a family comedy set in New York's Spanish Harlem, and, in 1999, the starring role in the soap opera Rosalinda.