Thalia Isn’t Empowered; She’s Powerful
Written by djfrosty on April 27, 2023
This story is part of Billboard‘s Mujeres Latinas en la Música package.
On a recent Sunday in Miami, Thalia waits for me at the entrance of Sony Music’s 50/20 recording studio, dressed in sweatpants and a T-shirt, with a baseball cap over her almost makeup-free face, to talk about her new project, Thalia’s Mixtape El Soundtrack De Mi Vida.
“You don’t know what this project means!” she tells me, brimming with emotion. “It’s that mixtape back from when I was a teenager! Those songs that were the soundtrack of my life were rock in Spanish.”
With or without makeup, in front of or behind the camera, Thalia always speaks with exclamation points — her voice rises and falls in a narrative arc that keeps her listener in a state of engagement. It is an essential quality that has permeated the work and the very essence of Ariadna Thalia Sodi Miranda, from her days as a child TV actress, to her tenure with pop group Timbiriche in the 1980s, to her rise to queen of soap operas and then, to queen of the Billboard charts. Since her 1995 debut album, En Éxtasis, Thalia has placed 13 top 10 hits on the Top Latin Albums chart, as well as four No. 1s.
Now, she blends visual and musical content, past and present, on the 11-track album Thalia’s Mixtape (out April 28 on Sony Music Latin), for which she covered not only her favorite songs — including Soda Estéreo’s “Persiana Americana,” Aterciopelados’ “Florecita Rockera” and “Duélveveme a Mi Chica” by Hombres G — but also sought out their authors, including Charly Alberti and David Summers, for the recording of both the songs and new music videos. The audiovisual product, Thalia’s Mixtape El Soundtrack De Mi Vida, is available as a three-episode series on Paramount+.
“My great challenge as an artist is to give the best quality to my audience. The experience, the fun, entertaining them, singing for them, expressing myself through all kinds of musical genres is part of the package,” says the artist, who will be honored with the Global Powerhouse award at Billboard‘s inaugural Latin Women In Music event, airing May 7 on Telemundo.
How do you feel about being a part of the first group of Latin Women in Music honored by Billboard?
I feel proud, I feel honored; I feel that I belong to a group of extremely talented, powerful women, full of vigor, full of that strength that is so contagious. It’s that sisterhood, that friendship; it is that family that we have built for years that includes singers, producers and executives.
Who inspired you as a child?
My mother! Yolanda Miranda de Sodi, period. Setting gender aside, that person’s soul was so powerful that she spoke face to face with any man, with a security and strength that at that time, in that patriarchal system, was impossible. And this woman went against the tide. Also, we are five sisters. My father died when I was 6 years old, so I grew up in a matriarchy. Everything was woman power. I tasted it, I lived it in my house. Women first, women above.
Did you feel embraced by her? Empowered?
We have to find a word other than “empowered.” What other word?
Powerful?
A powerful woman! A woman with power! A being with power. That’s it.
You stand out, among other things, for having helped many women in your career by recording with artists on the rise. Why have you done that?
It has always felt good for me to do it. From my perspective, we are better together. If you look good, I will look better. If it’s good for you, it’s good for me too. That’s how I think, and especially when it comes to young, female artists. They go against many prejudices, and in an industry dominated by men it’s important for them to have another woman to support them.
You opened doors that were closed. Was there a particularly difficult moment? I remember reading that when you were a teenager you were scolded by a TV host on-air.
Yes. Just imagine the patriarchal system that we lived in, and that still exists. A girl who had just released her first song, her first album, with stars in her eyes, and suddenly they tell you, live: “You’re ordinary, you’re cheap, how can you wear that makeup?” If something like this happened to you now, you’d say: “Wow, there are millions [of women] behind me, and you stop right there.” But at that time there was a system that allowed everything, and everything was normalized.
You are heavily involved in the production aspect of both music and video. Why?
When I went solo, I became 100% involved in my videos, in the mix, in the composition. Remember, I lived for many years under the telenovela regime: “Stand here, stand there.” I was up to here with instructions. Now I’m the one calling the shots. And I know what my audience wants to see from me, and I have an inkling of what young people want.
What advice do you give up-and-coming artists?
To be themselves. Don’t be afraid of not fitting. It’s OK not to belong, because there is only one person like you on the planet. And we have this society where we’re constantly taught that you have to fit in the pack. I have news for you — you can be yourself and you will find your audience, and you will find your niche, and you will find your expression.
What’s your mantra?
I don’t know if it’s a mantra, but it’s faith. I believe that God is always giving me light. That is my gift.
At the Academy Awards, Michelle Yeoh, at 60, accepted her Oscar for best actress and said: “Ladies, never let anyone tell you you’re past your prime.” What do you think of those words?
One hundred percent! I believe that life is a constant evolution. Everyone is going to die, everyone is going to grow old, we are all going to depend on each other. That’s life. And if you go there, do all you can to enjoy the trip. Do everything that challenges you, do everything that gives you a vision, do everything that you fear.
Are you in your prime?
I am always in my prime! It’s a constant prime state of mind.
Tickets to Billboard‘s Latin Women In Music can be purchased here.