Throughout her illustrious career, Thalia has proudly represented Mexican culture through her music, iconic looks, and unforgettable performances. As Mexicana music goes global, the Mexican pop icon is tapping into the sound of her roots through her new album “A Mucha Honra,” where she pays homage to her country’s music while welcome the new wave of corridors.
“This album is called ‘A Mucha Honra’ because, as a Mexican, I was excited to sing this type of music,” she told PS. “It’s in my DNA. I feel like everything that’s going on with our music on a global level, it makes us very proud. This is a celebration of Mexican music and culture. we.”
Thalia’s career spans five decades since she entered the entertainment industry in the 80s as a member of the Mexican children’s group Timbiriche. In the 90s, she began a solo career, which took her around the world and turned her into a global artist. Among the many genres she explored as a leading Latina pop star, Mexican rhythms like mariachi and ranchera were always present in her biggest hits like the powerful “Piel Morena.” or the seductive “Amor a la Mexicana”. Thalia believes that her lifespan changes over time.
“Watch your pulse,” she says. “Follow your intuition, this intuition will soon guide you to learn different things about yourself. Sing different styles of music. Embrace the things that will help you renew your style and help you grow, change and develop. You must dare to take chances. I believe that has always been the principle in my career.”
“A Mucha Honra” isn’t Thalia’s first rodeo in the world of Mexicana music. In addition to the aforementioned hits, she also released an album of banda music in 2001. “Thalia Con Banda: Grandes Éxitos” includes her classics such as “Arrasando”, “Entre el Mar y una Estrella” and “María la del Barrio,” the theme song for one of her popular television series, was re-recorded in banda style. Thalia shakes off the criticism of those who belittle her past with Mexicana music.
“In my music, I have always sung with Mexican arrangements on different albums throughout my career,” she said. “That’s been a constant in my discography. I have an amazing fan base. My Thali family has been amazing at remembering the things we’ve done together. It’s been great because they have a strong connection to me. This is not something that I’m doing out of the blue.
What’s different about Thalia’s latest exploration of Mexicana music is that she’s using contemporary sounds. What helped the genre go global was the rise of corridos tumbados, or the fusion of trap and traditional Mexican corrido and sierreño. Corridos tumbados were first popularized in 2019 by Mexican singer Natanael Cano and his LA-based record label Rancho Humilde. More Gen Z artists like his labelmates Junior H and Fuerza Regida and Mexican superstar Peso Pluma pushed the tumbados corridor to the top of the charts. Sierreño also made waves thanks to the success of Mexican-American group Eslabon Armado. For “A Mucha Honra,” Thalia chose Rancho Humilde founders Jimmy Humilde and Edgar Rodríguez, who have created hits for this new generation of artists. She seamlessly blends sierreño and pop in the heartbreaking ballad “Bebé, Perdón.”
“[Edgar] There is a Golden Room [recording studio] where all the Mexicana music stars recorded,” she said. “This album was created in the heart of the Mexican takeover movement. It captures the powerful and intense nature of that movement and captures what Jimmy and Edgar do best. The songs and arrangements are breathtaking.”
Men largely dominate the Mexicana music scene. Although there have been patrons like Selena Quintanilla and the late Jenni Rivera in the past, young women are still trying to break out in this latest movement. Thalia uses her platform to highlight women in the genre, like Estilo Sin Limite’s Dania Valenzuela and Ángela Aguilar, daughter of Mexicana music icon Pepe Aguilar. Thalia and Valenzuela told their exes to get lost in the “Choro” kiss hallway, and Aguilar then joined her in singing the love song “Troca” with a tequila kiss.
“I love being able to bring feminine power to Mexicana music,” she says. “It’s good to plant this seed and open that door so that more women can exist in this genre.”
Música Mexicana also has a history of excluding the LGBTQ+ community, who make up a large portion of Thalia’s fan base. When I told her that gay fans were ready to put on their cowboy boots and hoods to enjoy this album, she laughed and said, “I love that!” She added: “The message in my music is always about love. It’s about unity. That’s what I always want to share. It’s a celebration of life. If I can unite hearts heart through my music is the most beautiful gift to me as a singer and artist.”
Thalia continued to grow over the years thanks to her willingness to embrace different genres. She combined reggaeton and pop in the global hits “No Me Acuerdo” with Natti Natasha and “Desde Esa Noche” featuring Maluma, both of which have over a billion views on YouTube. She also looked to the past for inspiration, such as with her last album, “Thalia’s Mixtape”, where she revisited rock music en español with legends of that era. Now Thalia is adding corrida and sierreño to her Mexicana musical palette.
One surprise that all Thalia fans will love on “A Mucha Honra” is her new version of “Amor a la Mexicana”. She re-recorded the 1997 hit with a fiery hallway arrangement. Like throughout much of the album, Thalia digs deep to showcase a more raucous and soulful side to her voice. Nearly 30 years later, she still knows how to serve love fiercely – Mexican style.
“What I can do more to complete this complete moment is to sing a song that has become part of my mark on music,” she said. “That’s where I’ve always sung — Mexico. It just made sense. When I finished recording that new version, I said, ‘Wow! That’s really me now.'”
Lucas Villa is a Mexican-American music journalist who specializes in covering pop and Latin music. For more than 11 years, he has interviewed pop queens and Latin superstars for magazines such as PS, Allure, Elle, Rolling Stone, Billboard, MTV News, Paper, W Magazine, Vibe and LGBTQ Nation.
