Intimate confessions about the moments that marked her and the evolution that turned her into an icon.
On the Cover
Exclusive, Thalía poses in a dress by Michael Costello, belt by Elie Saab, vintage earrings and bracelet by Alexis Bittar, and rings by Patricia Robalino.
Photo: Gerardo Briseño
THE QUEEN OF MEXICO
Celebrating more than 40 years as a global star, Thalía poses spectacularly in a dress by Michael Costello, belt by Elie Saab, vintage earrings, a bracelet by Alexis Bittar, rings by Patricia Robalino, and sandals by Roberto Cavalli.
Exclusive
Thalía: True To Her Essence
The Mexican singer opens her heart to us in a sincere interview, where she lets us into her childhood memories, her family, her constant reinvention, and a look back at a life worthy of a movie.
By: Alonso Collantes
Photos: Gerardo Briseño
Produced by: Daniela von Wobeser
AMOR A LA MEXICANA (LOVE, MEXICAN STYLE)
The singer and actress returns performing a musical genre that has always been present throughout her career: her new production is called Todo Suena Mejor En Cumbia.
Talking about Thalía is equivalent to referring to the life story of one of the most iconic and beloved figures in Latin entertainment. With more than three decades of career, her name has become synonymous with success and longevity in an industry that is constantly evolving.
From her beginnings in television at just 7 years old, to her famous telenovelas, and eventually her rise as a global music star, Ariadna Thalía Sodi Miranda —her given name— has managed to reinvent herself time and time again. Thanks to this, she has won over multiple generations. Her impact on the Latin community and her love for Mexico are undeniable. Over the years, she has accumulated hits that have defined eras and explored different genres and styles without ever losing her essence. As proof of her great versatility, the singer surprises us with her new production, Todo Suena Mejor En Cumbia, a musical path that is neither random nor new, but rather a genre that has always been present in her history of hits such as Amor a la Mexicana, Piel Morena, and even her iconic María Mercedes, a song that came to life through one of her most memorable characters on television.
This exclusive interview took place at Tequila Town —located in Miami— a sensory experience that transports visitors from the agave fields of Jalisco to the rich history of tequila, as we featured in our lifestyle section. There, we had the opportunity to spend time with an artist capable of adapting to new trends in order to remain relevant in a highly competitive environment: the music industry. Beyond the charts, Thalía has become a source of inspiration within the broader entertainment ecosystem. With an engaging personality, the mother of two brings us closer to her reality by revealing some of the most significant aspects of her career and has allowed us to touch on topics ranging from the professional to the personal and the family.
This 2026, Thalía celebrates more than 40 years as a global star, consolidating a career that has led her to evolve without breaking her connection with the public. In April, she will receive the "Icon Award" from Billboard Women In Music, a recognition that highlights her sustained influence within Latin pop and, in general, her impact on musical culture. In parallel with music, Thalía is part of The CEO Club (Amazon Prime Video), a docu-reality series that follows a group of female leaders as they navigate various challenges and decisions in their lives. The incredible story of our interviewee is proof that talent, when accompanied by vision and passion, can transcend over time, shining with the same intensity.
Thalía, you are releasing a cumbia album. How did this idea come about?
Cumbia has been a constant in my career, directly or indirectly. In my iconic songs, for example, Piel Morena, Amor a la Mexicana, and María Mercedes, cumbia has always been present, it is part of my discography. In addition, it has been a sound with which I feel calm, comfortable, happy. Cumbia unites us, makes us feel free, and transmits a feeling of celebration, of family, of the neighborhood... We feel comfortable, familiar with that sound. Right now I am enjoying my profession and I am at a stage in which I do not have to prove anything to anyone. I have worked many years to be where I am thanks to my audience. I feel that right now it is a time of enjoyment and of doing something that resonates within me, in my cells; something that makes me dance and feel good, proud, and happy.
STYLE AND BEAUTY
Unafraid to stand out, Thalía conveys her radiant personality with printed pants and a corset by Andres Otalora, a necklace and ring by Edgar Navarro Arcila, and shoes by Christian Louboutin.
You started your career very young: at 7 years old you were already on television; at 9 you already had your first long play, with Din Din. You have accumulated more than 35 years of experience and are still relevant. What does all this mean to you?
It's impressive! I am from the generation that would carry the long play under their arm and had to go defend their work at the radio. You practically had to fight, go in person, get into the booth and say: "This is my record, my work." "Play side A, play side B." From there to the present, when in a single day you go global with a post or by uploading your video to YouTube, there is a big difference. I have loved adapting to changes, I have always been very chameleon-like. And I have always had the forensic mind that my father had and that he instilled in me to keep questioning, asking, and preparing the ground, the case. My father was a criminologist and he taught me to develop a case, to uncover it by questioning and asking in order to reach the final conclusion.
Do you apply that mindset in your personal and family life?
Of course! It helps me, in my personal life, as a pillar of the family and to not give up when I think that there is no way out, that the good times are over, that I made a big mistake that cannot be forgiven. It is a matter of getting back up and moving forward. This career demands getting up, it is about endurance.
Have you ever felt defeated at any moment by the weight of fame or by the demands of the industry?
It is normal that I doubt, because I love reinventing myself. There are people for whom it is difficult to doubt; for me, no: in fact, it fascinates me. And the more different something is, the more I like it. The more exotic, eccentric or strange something is, the more it attracts me.
From the new generations, who do you see with that same strength?
There are boys and girls with impressive talent for composition, production, performance. [I am surprised by] the way they create their image and plan their concerts. There are many options to make work go viral, so much happens that the media is saturated. But that does not take away that there is a generation with a lot of talent, with a lot of drive. There are many opportunities for growth, but one must persist in order to endure.
You have surprised us with many Thalias throughout your career, in all their forms and stages. Which one do you keep or feel a special fondness for?
It is not one, but several. I feel that I have an encyclopedia of many volumes... None is better than the other; all of them make up the encyclopedia, this collection that, at the end of the day, is a body of information, a complete body of history. Yes, I feel great love, sweetness, affection and tenderness for the Thalía of Un Pacto Entre Los Dos. That Thalía who dared to record a very controversial album: her first album as a solo artist that broke away from the image of a sweet girl, of a quinceañera, of a teenage pop band performer, to return as a super bold woman, super sexual, super daring when it was not common to show the waist, or to dance on television with the navel exposed, a bra and a lock of hair. That rebellious Thalía stood her ground, even though I was blocked, the song was canceled, doors were closed on me, they called me terrible names and nicknames on television itself. But, suddenly, I kept moving forward. That stage makes me very proud because I did not give up.
How did that affect you?
A lot. It hurt, I collapsed, I cried, I got depressed; but I got up and went back to promoting that album until we got it to number one. It's a Thalía I admire a lot, just like the Thalía from the María la Del Barrio era, because international success came suddenly, out of nowhere: "Go to Greece, all of Greece is waiting for you, and it's outside the television network. Go to the Philippines." The Philippine government itself signed a peace treaty, the "Marimar Treaty" with the internal guerrillas so that I could go there. I went to Brazil in my early twenties, young, incredibly vulnerable, with doubts, fears, insecurities, etc. I love those two Thalías. And, when I need an energy boost today, I think of those Thalías.
In this sense, which decision was the hardest for you to make in the past that you are grateful you made today?
Having dared to accept the invitation as a television actress. It was [a well-made decision] because I always wanted to be only a singer. I became a singer-actress by participating in the stage production of Vaselina in Mexico, when I was about 14 years old. There Carla Estrada saw me, the producer, invited me to take part in a telenovela called Pobre Señorita Limantour. Then Carla asked me: "Do you want to come act?" I had never imagined it, but I dared and I went. And from there everything followed: Quinceañera, Las Marías, etc.
IN CONSTANT EVOLUTION
Our cover star, who this month will be recognized with the Icon Award at Billboard Women In Music, models a dress by Michael Costello, a gold necklace by Nayibe Warchausky, stone necklaces by Edgar Navarro Arcila, shoes by Giuseppe Zanotti, and rings by Patricia Robalino.
THE CHALLENGES OF ACTING
Do you see yourself more as a singer or as an actress?
I love acting, it fascinates me, I enjoy it, I like it. I want to do it again.
And what is holding you back from returning to acting? People would die to see you act again, don't you think?
Emotionally speaking, the way the last telenovelas were filmed broke my mind: everything was very fast-paced, with a lot of pressure to get the episodes on air due to the great success that the Las Marías telenovelas began to have. They were rewritten and aired endlessly: the script would arrive in the morning, I would learn it, act it... and that same night they would edit it and it would go on air. There was no opportunity for me to have a migraine, a tachycardia, or a panic attack; to feel unwell. There was no opportunity for anything: I had to keep going. That pushed me away. I said to myself "No more of this pressure, I can't!" On the other hand, I love that the telenovelas continue to be broadcast and that they keep breaking audience records in this era full of new programming.
Throughout your career you have done almost everything. What is left for you to do?
There are collaborations with some artists with whom you have always dreamed of working. And you tell yourself: "Oh, someday I would love to sing with this or that artist!" They are like those dreams you have at some point in life. In terms of music, it is always so generous that it allows you to keep exploring it and never get tired. Music, at any stage of your life, allows you to express yourself and connect. I see such impressive careers —like those of Cher, Madonna, and Yuri— that endure and continue, explore, change, but do not get tired. That excites me mentally. There is never an expiration date when you dedicate yourself to music.
ELEGANCE WITH A PERSONAL TOUCH
From Tequila Town in Miami, Thalía wears a dress by Silvia Tcherassi and shoes by Giuseppe Zanotti.
Do you feel more empowered today than before?
I try to live my life as Ariadna Thalía, as a normal woman. Sometimes I wake up sore and other times I wake up with all the desire to go out and do many things; sometimes, with the pressure of having to help my children with this or that; sometimes I accompany my husband to do several things... Or sometimes I spend the whole day in work meetings or checking on the companies, those of Thalía Sodi Collection: how we can take it to Central America, to South America, etc. Every day there is always something. But when it comes to connecting with the legacy, the iconic, the history, the name, I try to do it at very specific moments, because I do not want —and I have never wanted— to let it go to my head. I do not know if I am making myself clear... All my life I have fought not to let it go to my head. Even when I did let it go to my head when I was young, my mother brought me down [from the pedestal] in three seconds, almost with a slap. I do not like that. Now, for Billboard Women In Music, where I am going to receive the Icon Award, I am pinching myself, it is incredible! And suddenly I take a moment to reflect and think: "Wow, incredible everything I have lived!".
WITH MEXICO IN MY HEART
What do you remember about that girl from the neighborhood who lived in the "Casa de los perros" (House of Dogs)? How does she live in you today?
I have always been very vocal about where I come from and I have always felt very proud of it. I came from my neighborhood, Santa María la Ribera, from where I feel very proud to have spent my childhood learning to ride a bicycle in the park where the Kiosco Morisco is. I also learned to have my faith around the corner from my block, at the Church of the Sacred Heart. I learned the importance of respecting people at the small market next to my house: I would go to buy vegetables and meat with my mother, to greet the vendor, and to eat quesadillas of 10 centimeters; every weekend, before or after going to church, we would go eat Doña Susanita’s quesadillas. All of that has always been in my music and in my telenovela characters. Those experiences come to the surface at unexpected moments, like now in my cumbia album. For example, right now that all those memories came to me while talking about my neighborhood, [I can say that] cumbia came from my neighborhood, because it is something I grew up with.
Mexico exerts a universal magnetism because it is a beautiful country with a unique strength and identity. What does Mexico mean to you?
What a beautiful question! We Mexicans are loving, festive, celebratory; we always show up, we greet, we introduce ourselves, and then we immediately start talking; the jokes come, and suddenly: "Let's put on this music!" and we stand up to dance. We always celebrate that life. It has been like a center, a crossroads where all musical styles have arrived. All have always arrived and passed through the center of Mexico, as if it were a great train station; they arrive there, to the center, even if it is not the center of Mexico, but the heart of Mexico. We have cumbia, salsa and, obviously, mariachi, boleros... Suddenly the wave of romanticism from Italy arrived, the songs of Italian singers; suddenly that wave of Spanish singers arrived; all those eras... And then, the Latin boom of Gloria Estefan. Mexico has always been a platform for artists. We are great survivors, yes; but we also know how to enjoy life, we live it with passion. That is why it fills me with joy and with a very celebratory spirit to be able to make this album at this moment and to add collaborations that truly excite me. I think, for example, of Mexico and Yuri. The song had been planned not for years, but for decades. We always said: "Flaca, when are we going to sing, güerita?" "Oh, mana, let's do it already!" But it had not happened... until now. Finally it arrived with this track that, in addition, connects with the spirit of Todo Suena Mejor En Cumbia. For me, a key reference was Todo, Todo, Todo, by Daniela Romo. By taking it into the production within the universe of this album —and almost at the end— the producer had the idea to incorporate a nod to the huapango in the middle of the song.
FEMALE INSPIRATION
Thalía is also part of the docuseries The CEO Club, on Prime Video, where she shares the screen with a group of businesswomen and friends.
I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN VERY PRIVATE ABOUT MY FAMILY
Let's talk about your experience in The CEO Club.
It is a very inspirational program that comes out on Prime Video. It is called The CEO Club, where we are a group of businesswomen, of friends, who get to know each other in everyday life. But in this occasion we present everything that being a female leader entails, a woman who inspires and who develops a personal brand. It is very gratifying to have all these women in these episodes. It is not a series of fights or gossip; it is very elegant, very motivational, and people have loved it. The message is to encourage women to take that first step and to seek a team or an accomplice who believes in them and who helps them step by step until they manage to fulfill their dreams.
In the series some of your colleagues present their children, their family, in their day to day. How do you handle that, in that sense, with your children?
In the series some of my colleagues and friends are more open to presenting their children, their baby, etc.; others of us are a little more reserved. I have always been very private regarding my family, because they do not like [being exposed].
Do your children know that their parents are world-class figures?
My children do not understand what their father and I do, they do not understand everything that my work involves. They usually ask me: "Mom, are you going to work today?" But they do not know exactly where I am going or what I do. And they are not interested either.
And you as parents, have you arranged it that way, so that your children do not get involved in the industry?
They already know about the media. There are times when it "hits them more" than others. Very young they set their own boundaries, they themselves started to tell me: "Mom, it really bothers me when they come and chase you with a camera. I do not want to be part of that!", "You chose to be famous; I did not. I want to live my life."
What do you think about your children's decision?
I feel respect for them, they inspire me so much love. I respect them, I love them, and because of that I understand that they are human beings under my care. I must do the best to prepare them and, afterwards, let them live their own lives, because they do not belong to me.
What do they like? Is that something you would like to talk about?
They are very private. We leave it at that.
Did you move to Miami permanently?
No. In fact, we are in Connecticut, that is where we are living. But I work often in Miami. Right now I am finishing some videos and doing other things, for example, the promotion of the album. We are like this: gypsies of the world.
Behind the glamour and fame, is there any pain or fear that you carry in silence and that perhaps is reflected in your day to day life?
No, fears, no. I rebuke them in my mind. If at some point I feel a doubt, a fear that makes noise, I work with my mind: I have the control to make my mind turn it into something physical, a reality in this plane, in this life. Or I can manage it so that what I feel is productive and favors my growth and my optimism. When any doubt or weight arrives, I subdue it, I rebuke it, I grab it and I put it under my feet: "You do not belong to me, you are not welcome in my mind."
How would you like to be remembered?
As a woman who fights and is intense in all aspects: joyful as well as romantic, passionate, full of positivity and, above all, of light. A woman of faith and of love, open to reconciliation, to creation. A transparent woman who was always true to her essence.
Makeup: Claudia Betancur
Hair: Jennifer Matos
Styling: Verónica Porras
Fashion Assistant: Ximena Silva
Beauty Video: Antonio Gómez
BTS Video: Kike Flores
Location: Tequila Town
