Pop Queen Thalía On Her Groundbreaking Career and Inspiring Latin's Next Generation [Billboard magazine, April 18, 2026 issue]

Nearly four decades into her career, the trailblazing Mexican singer and actor — Billboard's 2026 Women in Music Icon — is still finding new inspiration.

Photographed by Mary Beth Koeth on March 6, 2026 at Shooting Stardust Studios in Miami. Styling by Irma Martinez and David Marquez. Hair by Jennifer Mato. Makeup by Claudia Betancur.

This story appears in the April 18, 2026, issue of Billboard.

By the time she was in her early 20s, Thalía was already a global celebrity. As the lead star of the so-called "María Trilogy" of telenovelas in the '90s — which aired in more than 180 countries to an audience of nearly 2 billion — she found fans wherever she went, no matter how far-flung the locale.

But for Thalía, who started her career as a child and came to fame in the '80s both as an actor and as a member of the influential Mexican pop group Timbiriche, her early-'90s breakout was a period of significant and challenging adjustment.

"It's very intense to think [about] because I was surviving back then," the now 54-year-old recalls, almost in tears. "I never thought back then that I was an example for a little girl looking up at me while I was struggling. I was going through pain. I was going through tears. I was doubting myself. I did not believe in myself. I was just a teenager. I started very, very young, and I never expected to be an example in my worst moments for someone."

But today, the artist born Ariadna Thalía Sodi Miranda is a powerful, resilient and transformed woman. Since 1990, when she launched her solo music career with progressive pop-rock melodies and a flirtatious persona, she's placed 41 entries on Billboard's Latin Pop Airplay chart, the third-most for a woman in the list's history, behind only Shakira (56) and Ednita Nazario (44). She's been a fixture on other Latin charts — 29 entries on Latin Airplay, 26 on Hot Latin Songs, 16 on Top Latin Albums — and has notched seven titles on the all-genre Billboard 200.

And beyond her enduring charts presence, the Queen of Latin Pop and Queen of Telenovelas (as she's known) has bridged generations, supporting and collaborating with emerging Latin acts such as Maluma (Desde Esa Noche), Prince Royce(Te Perdiste Mi Amor), Natti Natasha (No Me Acuerdo), and Lali (Lindo Pero Bruto) early in their careers.

"It's kind of like a mission for me," she explains, recalling how veterans such as Juan Gabriel and Emilio Estefan lent their support when she was a new artist. "It's just something that we have to do in this industry. We have to look [after] each other; we have to protect each other. It's a big family."

"I was just starting out," Prince Royce says of working with Thalía on the 2013 track Te Perdiste Mi Amor, "so having someone as iconic as her believe in the music and want to work with me was definitely an honor." The collaboration reached No. 4 on Hot Latin Songs and topped Latin Airplay. "Every time I see her, she's full of energy and always has a big smile on her face," he adds. "She's passionate about what she does."

Years later, Natti collaborated with Thalía for the cheeky 2018 reggaetón track No Me Acuerdo, which peaked at No. 14 on Hot Latin Songs. "She has managed to reinvent herself over the years without losing her essence — something that is incredibly difficult to achieve," the Dominican singer says. "She boasts an impressive career and has connected with various generations, always representing Latin culture with great strength and elegance. Furthermore, her energy, discipline and love for music have kept her relevant for decades. That is a feat that very few artists manage to accomplish."

At her Women in Music shoot — where she arrives in slouchy jeans and a brown sweater, before changing into a strapless red gown, her signature mane of loose waves draped over her shoulders — she radiates excitement and allure. She's receiving the Icon Award honor, and in just a few days, she'll release Todo Suena Mejor En Cumbia (2026), a new all-cumbia album that includes her Los Ángeles Azules collaboration Yo Me Lo Busqué, which hit No. 1 on the Regional Mexican Airplay chart in May 2025 — and a cumbia cover of ABBA's Dancing Queen.

"I'm very relaxed in my life right now and feel happy in my own skin. I feel that it's a moment of celebration, and cumbia is exactly that," she says. "It's a party, family, memories, roots, neighborhood, and it's just a project that's so dear to my heart. It's part of me growing up in Mexico. Cumbia is a big part of our DNA."

The singer and actor — who's also an entrepreneur, has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and appears as one of the female leaders highlighted in Amazon Prime's docuseries The CEO Club — has no plans of slowing down. When asked what defines an icon, her answer is simple: "I conquer, right?"

Then she elaborates. "I don't take myself too seriously anymore," she explains. "There was a moment when everything was life or death, black or white, now or never. Now, it's just taking it easy. It's OK. I earned my place. When [fans] approach me for a picture, or when they say they were named after me, those moments are when you realize that everything was worth it. All of these years. I always say this is the beginning. An icon is that."

Source: Billboard