Lucas Villa

Throughout her illustrious career, Thalia has proudly represented Mexican culture through her music, iconic looks, and unforgettable performances. With música Mexicana going global, the Mexican pop icon is tapping into the sounds of her roots through her new album "A Mucha Honra," where she pays homage to the music of her country while embracing the new wave of corridos. "This album is called 'A Mucha Honra' because, as a Mexican, it makes me so excited to sing this music," she tells PS. "It's in my DNA. I feel like with everything happening now with our music on a global level, it's made us so proud. This is a celebration of our music and Mexican culture." Thalia's career spans five decades since she entered the scene in the '80s as a member of the Mexican children's group Timbiriche. In the '90s, she launched her solo career, which took her worldwide, transforming her into a global artist. Among the many genres she's explored as a top Latina pop star, Mexican rhythms like mariachi and ranchera have always been present in her biggest hits like the empowering "Piel Morena" or the sultry "Amor a la Mexicana." Thalia credits her longevity to always changing with the times. "Follow your pulse," she says. "Follow your intuition, which will soon guide you in learning different things about yourself. Sing different styles of music. Embrace things that will help you refresh your style and help you grow, change, and evolve. You have to dare yourself to take chances. I believe that's always been a principle of my career." "A Mucha Honra" isn't Thalia's first rodeo in the música Mexicana realm. In addition to her aforementioned hits, she also released a banda music album in 2001. "Thalia Con Banda: Grandes Éxitos" included her classics like "Arrasando," "Entre el Mar y una Estrella," and "María la del Barrio," the theme song to one of her famous telenovelas, which was rerecorded in the banda style. Thalia shakes off the criticisms of people who overlook her past in the música Mexicana genre. "In my music, I've always sung with Mexican arrangements in different albums throughout my career," she says. "It's something that's always been constant within my discography. I have a wonderful fan base. My Thali-familia are incredible for remembering things that we've done together. That's beautiful because they have a strong connection with me. This isn't something that I'm doing out of nowhere. I've always done it." What is different about Thalia's latest exploration of música Mexicana is that she's taking on contemporary sounds. What has helped the genre go global is the rise of corridos tumbados, or the trap-infused take on the traditional Mexican corrido and sierreño. Corridos tumbados were first popularized in 2019 by Mexican singer Natanael Cano and his LA-based label Rancho Humilde. More Gen Z artists like his labelmates Junior H and Fuerza Regida and Mexican superstar Peso Pluma have pushed corridos tumbados to the top of the charts. Sierreño has also made waves thanks to the success of the Mexican American group Eslabon Armado. For "A Mucha Honra," Thalia tapped Rancho Humilde founder Jimmy Humilde and Edgar Rodríguez, who has produced hits for this new generation of artists. She seamlessly blends sierreño and pop in the heartbreaking ballad "Bebé, Perdón." "[Edgar] has the Yellow Room [recording studio] where all the música Mexicana stars have recorded," she says. "This album was created at the center of the Mexican movement that's taking over. It has that strong and intense essence of that movement and captures what Jimmy and Edgar do best. The songs and arrangements are spectacular." Related: Tell Me Más: Bodine Talks New Album "Quemo Lento" and Growing From Hardships Men largely dominate the música Mexicana scene. Though there have been patronas in the past, like the late Selena Quintanilla and Jenni Rivera, young women are still trying to break through in this latest movement. Thalia uses her platform to highlight those women in the genre, like Estilo Sin Limite's Dania Valenzuela and Ángela Aguilar, the daughter of música Mexicana icon Pepe Aguilar. Thalia and Valenzuela tell their exes to get lost in the kiss-off corrido "Choro," and Aguilar later joins her for the tequila-kissed love song "Troca." "I love to be able to bring girl power to música Mexicana," she says. "It's beautiful 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 part of Thalia's fan base. When I tell her that queer fans are ready to put on their cowboy boots and sombreros to enjoy this album, she says with a laugh, "I love that!" She adds, "The message in my music has always been about love. It's about unity. That's what I've always wanted to share. It's a celebration of life. If I can unite hearts through my music, that is the most beautiful gift to me as a singer and artist." Related: Chuwi Is the Voice of a New Puerto Rican Generation Thalia has continued to thrive over the years, thanks to her willingness to embrace different genres. She blended 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 looks to the past for inspiration, such as with her last album, "Thalia's Mixtape," where she revisited rock en español with the legends of that era. Now Thalia is adding corridos and sierreño to her música Mexicana palette. A surprise that all Thalia fans will love on "A Mucha Honra" is her new version of "Amor a la Mexicana." She rerecorded the 1997 hit with a fiery corrido arrangement. Like throughout most of the album, Thalia digs deep to show off a more husky and soulful side to her voice. Nearly 30 years later, she still knows how to fiercely serve up love - Mexican style. "What more I could do to round out this full-circle moment was sing a song that's a part of my stamp on music," she says. "It's what I've always been singing for - Mexico. It's logical. When I finished recording that new version, I said, 'Wow! That's really me now.'" Lucas Villa is a Mexican American music journalist who covers pop and Latin music. Over 11 years, he has interviewed pop queens and Latin music superstars for places like PS, Allure, Elle, Rolling Stone, Billboard, MTV News, Paper, W Magazine, Vibe, and LGBTQ Nation.

Fifty-three years ago today, the world was blessed with the birth of Selena Quintanilla-Pérez, who became an eternal icon in Latin pop culture and music. Selena blazed a trail for the música Mexicana explosion that we're seeing today and the Latina pop stars who have followed in her footsteps. Her impact is often minimized in comparison to the circumstances of her tragic death. However, her music - and how she bridged the gap between her Mexican and American identities - continue to resonate with new generations of Latine fans. Selena Quintanilla was born on April 16, 1971, and grew up in Corpus Christi, TX. She was an Aries, a sign often described as "passionate, brave, and headstrong." Indeed of conforming with the música Mexicana artists of the time, she paved the way for herself by proudly embracing her Chicana identity. With influences like Whitney Houston, Janet Jackson, Jody Watley, and Gloria Estefan, Selena pushed Tejano music forward and made the genre fresh and palatable for listeners beyond Texas. Into the late eighties, the singer became the top Tejano artist in a genre that men previously dominated. At the Tejano Music Awards, she won best female vocalist and female entertainer of the year for 12 years straight. After conquering Texas, Selena was ready to take on the world, and she signed with the label Latin EMI in 1989. From there, she released the most iconic albums of her career, including 1990's "Ven Conmigo," 1992's "Entre a Mi Mundo," and 1993's "Selena Live!," which earned her a Grammy award at the 1994 ceremony. She also became the female Tejano artist to win in the Best Mexican/American Album category. That year, she released the last album of her lifetime, "Amor Prohibido." The LP yielded four No. 1 hits on Billboard's Hot Latin Songs chart. Soon after, she made history as the first Tejano artist to reach the summit of Billboard's Top Latin Albums chart. On March 31, 1995, while Selena was preparing her first English-language album, she was tragically murdered at the age of 23 by Yolanda Saldívar, a close friend of Selena's who ran her fan club. Since then, Selena's family, including her father and manager Abraham Quintanilla, have kept her memory alive through several posthumous projects. In July 1995, the album "Dreaming of You" was released, which included her English classics like the beautiful title track and the haunting "I Could Fall in Love With You." After her death, Selena continued to make history with the first Latin album to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart. In 1997, her family authorized the "Selena" biopic, which featured Jennifer Lopez in the star-making role. Through the endearing movie, the world fell in love with Selena and saw how she was just like any other Mexican American trying to find her place between worlds. It's a story that still resonates with Latine folks in the US today. It's important to note that Selena's music and image belong to her family, and they have a right to celebrate her legacy as they please. In the following years, Selena's family hosted memorial concerts like Selena ¡Vive! in 2005 and Fiesta de la Flor in Corpus Christi, where her fans could unite in her honor. There was the Mirador de la Flor monument of Selena in Corpus Christi and a Netflix series later followed. There were also brand deals that Selena's fan base loved. In 2016, MAC worked closely on a Selena makeup line with her sister, Suzette Quintanilla. Due to a high demand for cosmetics, MAC released a second capsule collection in 2020. While these are great ways to give back to the fans who are keeping her memory alive, Selena's family has also been criticized for cash-grab moments that fans perceived as disrespectful to Selena. For example, in 2022, the family released the remix album "Moonchild Mixes," in which Selena's voice as a child was manipulated through studio technology to sound older. Amidst the discussions of the ethics of creating a project in her name in that way, the L.A. Times' Fidel Martinez called it a "Selena robot album." Related: Bad Bunny's First NYC Show From His Most Wanted Tour Is Proof His Latine Fans Still Come First Thanks to the barriers Selena broke down for Latinas, Mexican Americans, and Mexican culture, her fan base has continued to grow exponentially nearly 30 years after her death. As a Mexican American myself, I've also found solace in her music as a gay man. Her songs like "Como La Flor" and "Amor Prohibido," which detail forbidden romances, have become anthems for the LGBTQ+ community. While promoting "Moonchild Mixes," I interviewed Abraham and Suzette Quintanilla. As much as it was an honor for me to talk with the family of an icon who has meant so much to me, I was a little disappointed when they appeared to brush off my question about Selena's connection to her queer fans by changing the subject about how she connected with "everyone." With Selena's music being performed by drag queens and recently on "Drag Race México," her family could try to understand better everyone who makes up her fan base now. It's not only Selena's family that has been called out for exploitative projects. Back in February, Oxygen released the most disrespectful docuseries since Selena's death, "Selena and Yolanda: The Secrets Between Them." The series is about Yolanda Saldívar, the woman who managed Selena's fan club and who murdered the singer. The show, which was not authorized by Selena's family, attempted to excuse the actions of Saldívar, and it was shameful because this woman would now be eligible to apply for parole next year. Related: How I Got to Talk About Latine Representation in Hollywood on the TEDx Stage The media needs to move on from Selena's death, which also keeps the name of her murderer relevant. Thanks to the barriers she broke down for Latinas, Mexican Americans, and Mexican culture, her fan base has continued to grow exponentially nearly 30 years after her death. As a Mexican American myself, I've also found solace in her music as a gay man. Her songs like "Como La Flor" and "Amor Prohibido," which detail forbidden romances, have become anthems for the LGBTQ+ community. Selena's music has become a staple for Latine drag queens to perform. It made me so happy last year to see "Como La Flor" performed on the first season of "Drag Race México," which was like a collision of my Latine, Mexican, and queer identities. Like how she lived during her lifetime, Selena showed me to embrace everything that makes up who I am. To truly celebrate Selena, it's time to focus on her life and legacy. Karol G recently sported a Selena shirt in the video for her Tejano-inspired song "Mi Ex Tenía Razón." Shakira later paid tribute to Selena by emulating her iconic washing machine spins in "(Entre Paréntesis)" with Texas-based band Grupo Frontera. For Selena's birthday this year, let's create parties in her honor and play her music out loud. Selena's impact will never wilt, thanks to the fans who continue to find joy and inspiration from her story. Lucas Villa is a a Mexican American music journalist who covers pop and Latin music. Over 11 years, he has interviewed pop queens and Latin music superstars for places like PS, Allure, Elle, Rolling Stone, Billboard, MTV News, Paper, W Magazine, Vibe, and LGBTQ Nation.