We caught up with Thalía, who just released a new memoir, Growing Stronger, and she dished on everything from how it feels to have her second baby to how she managed to handle the death of her mother—and as it turns out, writing this book was a big part of her recovery.
Growing Stronger touches on a lot of personal aspects in your life like losing your mother and welcoming your second child. What inspired you to write this memoir?
It was really born out a strong need to release my emotions and share it with all of my fans. My life has had many transformations so I wanted to express that to the world. I have been blessed with many great life experiences, but also some really heartbreaking ones. I try to inspire my readers to strive to become better people no matter what tough situation they are going through.
How do you think your experiences will influence your readers?
The biggest gift that I can receive for writing this book is that in some way my stories will inspire people to overcome their challenges, push forward in life, and continue trying new things. I hope that once people read my stories they can walk away feeling more empowered.
You talk about being bullied as a child and living a pretty isolated childhood. What was the transition like between being a loner to a child star?
It really was one of my first grand challenges in life. I was a very private child and all of a sudden I was exposed to the world. All of a sudden you are surrounded by people who adore you and people who critique you. Those parallels helped me mature quickly, but it was also very difficult for me.
You talk a lot about how you met Tommy and reveal that Emilio Estefan helped create the love connection. Are you still thanking Emilio for playing cupid?
Of course! That’s why I dedicated a whole chapter to him. He helped set everything up and we are family now. Emilio and Gloria have shared so many moments of joy and sorrow in my life. They are more than friends – they are family.
How do you feel about being a mom for the second time?
His birth is a blessing and I am completely in love! It has also been very emotional. With the lose of my Mami and the birth of Matthew Alejandro I feel like those two extremes had me going through a lot of strong emotions. One is so painful that I can barely bring myself to talk about it and the other is so miraculous. I try to find the positive side to things and grow stronger from all of the pain. It’s an indescribable and glorious experience to have the life of a child in your hands.
What is Sabrina like as an older sister?
She is obsessed with her baby. Yes, it is her baby. [Laughs] She plays with him, spoils him, and sings to him. She really is convinced it’s her baby! [Laughs]
How would you feel if one of your children told you they want to have a career in the entertainment industry?
I would prefer for them to be engineers, doctors, or psychologists. I would really prefer anything else! I rather them sing and act as a hobby or an escape. I say that because the entertainment industry is very hard. I started very young so I wouldn’t want them to suffer and go through the hard parts of it. If they really were serious about it, then yes Mami would be there to support them. Sabrina does have a great voice and she loves to sing. She is incredible.
