A video greeting of Thalía, 47 years old, turned into teasing, parodies and a new musical success. Genuine act or calculation? We chatted with her about the pop effect in the middle of viral.
It is not hard to imagine that, at dawn, sleepless, more than one artist who embraced fame decades ago think deeply about something: How do I return to grab headlines? Why I let myself fall behind by Luis Miguel and not proposed a series about my life?
But there are other ways to flirt with new audiences in this virtual age of multiple platforms. One of them is joining the wave of reggaeton and urban rhythms. Another way calls on the language of the viral, driven by genuine expressions or by calculation. Is it possible to find pop substance in the middle of memes, jokes and parodies? Thalía, 47, has just survived the inclement digital vertigo: she is monopolizing attention with her new single Me oyen, me escuchan. Pop and viral have something in common: when they have grace or some striking feature, they stay in one's head. And they become popular.
The story of Thalía's new song began several weeks ago. The Mexican made a live video greeting her audience halfway between the tenderness, the hallucination, the euphoria and the kitsch. She asked: "¿Están ahí, mis vidas? ¿Me oyen, me escuchan, me sienten? Yo estoy feliz, feliz, feliz... feliz de que los tengo. ¡Gracias, los amo! Tikitiki".
Teasing erupted on the spot, as did the imitations that took the name #ThaliaChallenge. She was a trend. And I was happy.
Mexican producer Chuy Núñez saw an opportunity there: he refined and edited the viral audio. He added harmonies and rhythms. Thus was born the catchy song Me oyen, me escuchan. Thalía loved the subject. To Sony Music, too (Chuy Núñez has already signed with the label).
Thalía talks by phone with El Comercio.
What makes you the most commented woman of the moment, either positively or negatively?
[Laughs]. I am having fun and very happy. One of the things that I will always say in all my interviews, so spend a thousand years, is that my great goal in life is to get a smile from someone, even if it is one person, it does not matter. Whoever listens to my music, who goes to my concerts, who follows me for my performance or, simply, watch a story of mine on Instagram. The contagious joy, happiness, desire and desire to live is my mission in this life. Besides singing, which is what I do, of course. The fact that a moment in which only I was myself goes viral is something that makes me very funny.
Each publication or movement you make on social networks is watched by millions of Internet users. Are you careful with what you publish? Do you think about touching other topics?
No, I have always been very honest and direct with everything I publish. The followers that I have all of my life they know exactly how I am. The message that went viral on my Facebook page is one of the hundreds of thousands that I have been sending for years, like when I took Thalia.com, an era in which there was no Instagram, Facebook or Twitter. There was nothing. I have always been in direct contact with my people, with my tribe. They understand that, in addition to my romantic songs, I am comical and, most importantly, sincere. I had a very striking dress that invited me to move and do that 'tikitiki' [laughs]. That, added to the sunset and the joy that at that moment my song No me acuerdo [reggaeton song in collaboration with Natti Natasha] already exceeded 200 million views. It was a video with joy and that was what drew so much attention. It went viral because of that. From there, thousands of versions came out and I've heard those of all genres: in salsa, reggaeton, until I found the one I liked the most and contacted the young man who made it directly and said "Are we serious?". To which we replied: "Of course she is serious, whatever you want". Then, I recorded it in my studio and decided to release it for fun and gratitude.
No one can escape this 'challenge'.
I see videos of children and entire families who sing it. Groups of friends, old people, weddings, everywhere. That is something that will never stop me from cheering up.
You just turned 47 years old and you showed that an artist can stay current in the industry if she wants to. Various figures of Hollywood and music assure that, when women pass the 40-year barrier, they tend to underestimate or disregard certain projects. Is this your way of empowering other women?
It's that age does not exist for me. It's a number that has always been non-existent in my universe. Actually, I feel and behave energetically as if I were 25 years old. I love being on the move all the time, going up and down, going from one place to another, exercising. Experience new emotions and things, as if you never stop learning. I am very risky, I like mountaineering, I love the things that suddenly make me feel adrenaline. I think it's an attitude to face life. Enjoy every moment that God gives us because we do not know until when we will continue here. I get up with all the enthusiasm and I think that is reflected in what I publish. For me, every day is an opportunity to reinvent myself. Life is about that. Be yourself and live your life without changing your way of being to please certain groups of people or belong to groups. Living in this way infects others.
