En éxtasis

En éxtasis
Studio album by
Released12 September 1995 (1995-09-12)
Recorded1994–1995
Genre
Length58:56
LabelEMI Latin
Producer
Thalía chronology
Love
(1992)
En éxtasis
(1995)
Nandito Ako
(1997)
Alternative cover
Bailando en éxtasis cover
Singles from En éxtasis
  1. "Piel morena"
    Released: 22 August 1995 (1995-08-22)
  2. "Amándote"
    Released: 21 November 1995 (1995-11-21)
  3. "María la del Barrio"
    Released: 16 January 1996 (1996-01-16)
  4. "Quiero hacerte el amor"
    Released: 12 March 1996 (1996-03-12)
  5. "Gracias a Dios"
    Released: 7 May 1996 (1996-05-07)

En éxtasis (English: In ecstasy) is the fourth studio album by Mexican singer Thalía, released on 12 September 1995, by EMI Latin. The album became a huge success in Latin America and other countries. This is the first album Thalía recorded on the company EMI Music. It was also her first international release.

The album produced five singles, received several certifications and consolidated her career. The lead single, "Piel Morena" was a success in the Latin market and is widely recognized as one of her signature songs, while the single "Maria la del Barrio" was very popular, thanks to the Mexican telenovela of the same name starring Thalía. The album was nominated for Pop Album of the Year at the Lo Nuestro Awards of 1996.[2] According to Billboard magazine, the album is a multimillion seller,[3] it sold around 2 million copies worldwide,[4] becoming one of best-selling "Latin" albums.

Background and development

[edit]

After signing a multimillion-dollar contract in 1994 with the company EMI,[3] Thalía joined Emilio Estefan and other producers like Oscar Lopez and Kike Santander to record the material in Miami and New York.[5]

According to Estefan, the first time he saw Thalia was at an edition of the Acapulco Festival in which "he predicted that he would collaborate with her once". Finally, when Thalía was in Miami in 1994 to promote one of her soap operas Estefan called her by phone to say, "Hey, life brought us together again [...] Gloria and me saw Marimar every night and I have a perfect song for you [come to our studio]". After that, the performer went to the famous Crescent Moon Studios to record some tracks for the album.[6] She confessed that she "felt like the chosen one" since Estefan called her and that after hearing "Piel Morena" she commented that "it was exactly her style".[6]

The album was released on 12 September 1995;[7] it is characterized by including several Latin American genres, such as Latin pop, cumbia and salsa. According to Thalía, En éxtasis is "an intimate moment in which I wanted to mold my feelings on a sheet. [..] They are extreme emotions and situations that are lived in moments of love [and]" in ecstasy".[8]

The number of songs included in En éxtasis was not the same in all the countries where it was released. This is due to the fact that, at the same time the album was being released, Thalía's most successful telenovela, María la del Barrio ("Mary from the Block"), was being broadcast in all Latin America.[9] Even though this contributed to expand Thalía's popularity throughout the Continent, it also made different people enjoy different songs. For example, the Brazilian version of the album features, as bonus tracks, a remixed version of the songs "Amándote" ("Loving you") and "Gracias a Dios" ("Thanks God"), and the soundtrack from "María la del Barrio" ("Mary from the block").[10] However, this version does not include the song "Juana". On the other hand, the Argentinean version of the album features, as a bonus track, only a remixed version of "Piel Morena".[11]

Composition

[edit]

[It represented] a moment of intimacy in which I capture my feelings on a page. It was expressing emotions and situations that are experienced in moments of love [...]

—Thalía, about venturing into composition of some album's tracks.[12]

En éxtasis was produced by the Chilean producer Oscar Lopez, except for the songs "Piel Morena" and "Me Faltas Tú", which were produced by Emilio Estefan and Kike Santander.

The album includes several cover songs: "Gracias a Dios", originally by the Mexican singer Juan Gabriel;[13] "Me Erotizas" ("You turn me on"), originally performed by the French singer Herbert Léonard, under the name "Sur des musiques érotiques" ("About erotic musics") on the 1987 album "Laissez-nous rêver" ("Let us dream"). Thalia wrote a new Spanish lyric for the song; "Fantasía" ("Fantasy"), by Gabriela Anders; "Te Quiero Tanto" ("I love you so much"), originally by Eddie Sierra on the 1990 album "Está todo bien" ("Everything is alright"). The lyric of the song had to undergo some changes, not only because it was a woman who was performing it this time, but also because its author had used some expressions which are typical of the Argentinean Spanish (such as "vos", a way of addressing someone), and referred expressly to Buenos Aires (one of the original verses goes: "estoy atrapado entre la luna y Buenos Aires" -"I am trapped between the moon and Buenos Aires"-; which Thalía changed to "estoy atrapada entre la luna y los mares" -"I am trapped between the moon and the sea"-). "Llévame Contigo" was recorded in 1992 by Argentine singer Guillermo Guido in his album "Llévame Contigo". She also co-wrote "Lágrimas".[14]

Promotion

[edit]

A promotional tour was announced in mid 1995, to start on November that year and finish in February 1996 thorough South America, Spain and the United States.[14] Album's promotion coincided with the promotion of her telenovela, María la del Barrio.[14] Aside her native country, Mexico,[7][15] Thalía visited countries such as Brazil to promote the album.[16] She planned to visit Los Angeles' convention "Radio y Música" but the presentation was cancelled.[17]

Singles

[edit]
  • "Piel Morena": Released as the lead single from the album. The song was Thalia's first proper international single release and became a latin classic, topping the charts in several countries. It is also considered as one of her signature songs. The song's music video, directed by Daniel Grenuer, was shot mostly in black and white. In some scenes, Thalía wears a bra made of faucets and another one that holds candles.
  • "Amándote": Released as the second single from the album, this song went to the latin radios top 5. The music video was shot in Miami and directed by Peter Begman. It depicts Thalía wearing a pink bikini, playing beach volleyball and rollerblading around the city. Then she goes into a retro style and dances with her friends. There is a cameo appearance of the Spanish singer Julio Iglesias. It was the second time that they collaborated appearing in a music video. The song reached number 4 in Mexico City.[18]
  • "Maria la del Barrio": After the huge ratings of the Mexican telenovela of the same name starring Thalía, this song was chosen by the label to receive a proper single release, becoming the third single from the album. The music video consists of scenes from the telenovela.
  • "Quiero hacerte el amor": The ballad was released as the fourth single from the album. Thalia performed the song during her TV appearances and it was in the set-list for her concerts that time. She also performed it on an episode of her telenovela Rosalinda (1999). No music video was released for the song. An English version of the song was included in her album Nandito Ako (1997).
  • "Gracias a Dios": After the success of the previous releases, the song was released as the fifth and final single from the album and became another top 5 hit for Thalía. It was written by Mexican singer-songwriter Juan Gabriel.[19] The song is also known for its provocative music video, directed by Benny Corral. It depicts Thalía wearing a black leather bustier and a black short wig. She shaves a man tied to a chair and wets him with a firehose. An English version of the song was included in her album Nandito Ako (1997).

Promotional singles:

  • "Me Faltas Tú": Released as the first promotional single in countries like Mexico, Argentina and Peru. Written by Kike Santander, the song is a guitar-driven ballad about a person missing someone. Thalia made many performances of the song in TV shows and concerts. She gave a memorable live performance to the song featuring Julio Iglesias, which was considered an iconic act by the Latin community.
  • "Lágrimas": Written by Aureo Baqueiro and Thalía, it was released as the second promotional single from En éxtasis. It is also the last song written by Thalia about body fluids, after "Saliva", "Sudor" and "Sangre". She performed part of the song in a music video wearing a green dress in 1994, as a part of her special in "Chabeli", a Mexican TV program. Thalia performed it a few times and also sang it on an episode of her telenovela, Rosalinda (1999).

In Argentina, "Gracias a Dios" was the soundtrack of the soap opera "María la del Barrio" ("Mary from the block"), starring Thalía, instead of the song with which it was originally released in México (and which also became a hit).

Critical reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
StarPulse[20]
Allmusic[1]

The album received mixed to favorable reviews. Jason Birchmeier of Allmusic gave the album three out of five stars and wrote that "En Extasis is the first album where Thalía gets to sing well-written songs over lively productions" and that "there's some passable material interspersing these standout songs, but for the most part, Thalía gets first-rate songs to sing here and consequently she'd never sounded as good as she does here", he conclude that the album "doesn't neatly fit into any one category such as banda or Latin pop. It's dynamic music propelled with bits of cumbia, bits of pop, bits of salsa, bits of banda -- a bit of most everything great about Latin music, in fact."[1] In his review for Amazon Joey Guerra said that "there are a few limp moments on En Extasis, but Thalia is clearly coming into her own as a singer" he also praised the songs "Piel Morena", "Amandote" and "Gracias a Dios", being the first one his favorite song of the album.[21] Colombian newspaper El Tiempo said that only two tracks of the album are good, "Piel Morena" and "Me faltas tú" "thanks to their lyrics, and especially their catchy rhythms, much like the style of Colombian Kike Santander, the author of these songs".[22]

Commercial performance

[edit]

En éxtasis gave Thalía multiple gold and platinum records and made her win several prizes worldwide. She received a lot of certifications in an only day in 1997, during the inauguration of EMI's Miami office.[23][24] The event received coverage of over 15 different TV channels and music directors from several countries.[23] The album sold a half million copies worldwide up to July 1996.[25] According to Billboard, it became a "multimillion seller" album.[3] Worldwide estimated sales stand at 2 million as of 1997.[4]

In the United States, En éxtasis failed to chart on the Billboard 200. However, it reached number 7 on the Billboard's Latin Pop Albums and number 13 on the Top Latin Albums.[26][27] It was certified Double Platinum (Latin) by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), recognizing 200,000 shipments within the country.[28] In Thalía's home country, Mexico, the album sold between 220,000 and 500,000 copies.[29]

Across South America, the album achieved commercial success.[30] In Argentina, the record became the second best-selling album of 1996 by EMI Music, with over 100,000 units sold that year. En éxtasis also made Thalía the first Mexican female artist to have a Double Platinum award in the territory.[23][31] In Brazil, the record sold 30,000 units during its first 15 days,[32] and was certified Gold by the Associação Brasileira dos Produtores de Discos (ABPD) on 1997, denoting sales of 100,000 units. This led Thalía to became the first Mexican female solo artist to receive a Gold certification in the country, a feat that would not be matched for 12 years until the release of Anahí's album Mi Delirio (2009).[33][34] Actual sales in Brazil stand at between 150,000 and 190,000 units, according to Billboard (1997) and Jornal do Commercio (1998), respectively.[35][36] Thalía also became the biggest-selling Mexican female act in Brazil.[35] Elsewhere, the album reached the number one in Paraguay,[37] and the top ten in Greece and Hungary.[38][39]

Bailando En éxtasis

[edit]

A special edition, titled Bailando en Éxtasis (Dancing in Ecstasy) was released in 1996 by EMI, which contained only the remixed versions of most popular's album track list, and a karaoke version of "Piel Morena". It was a limited edition, not available in Latin American countries such as Argentina, for instance.[40]

Legacy

[edit]

En éxtasis has been noted as the album that launched and boosted Thalía's international music career.[41][42] According to Manila Standard, Marimar and En éxtasis "has managed in so short a time to endear herself to the Filipino public".[43] In 1995, publication Vista called Thalía the most popular hispanic artist by that moment.[44] In 2001, Billboard commented, a string of successful albums, notably En éxtasis, have defined her musically and established her as a force to be reckoned with in the Latin market.[45] Similary, author of Juglares hispanoamericanos: datos breves de autores (2005), wrote that En éxtasis was the confirmation of her talent.[46]

Accolades

[edit]
Award Year Category Result Ref.
Lo Nuestro Awards 1996 Pop Album of the Year Nominated [47]
ACE Award (Argentina) 1997 Latin Tropical — Female Artist Won [48]
New York Latin ACE Awards Female Latin Album Nominated [49]

In 2002, "Piel Morena" won the poll of the best all-time Spanish song in the United States by Univision.[41]

Track listing

[edit]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Piel Morena"Kike Santander4:42
2."Juana"Myra Stella Turner2:49
3."Quiero hacerte el amor"Daniel García, Mario Schajris4:01
4."Amándote"A. B. Quintanilla III, Ricky Vela3:48
5."Llévame Contigo"Adrian Posse, Rolando Hernández3:42
6."Me Erotizas"Vline Buggy, Julien Lepers, Thalía4:59
7."Gracias a Dios"Juan Gabriel4:02
8."Lágrimas"Aureo Baqueiro, Thalía4:30
9."Te Quiero Tanto"Eddie Sierra3:11
10."Te Dejé la Puerta Abierta"Adrian Posee, B.B. Muñoz3:08
11."Fantasía"Gabriela Anders4:17
12."Me Faltas Tú"Santander5:11
13."Piel Morena" (Pablo Flores Remix)Santander6:42
Bonus Track
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
14."María la del Barrio"Viviana Pímstein, Paco Navarrete3:55
Remastered Edition Bonus Tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
15."Piel Morena" (Hitmakers Remix)Kike Santander5:14
16."Piel Morena" (Emilio Mix)Kike Santander4:43
17."Piel Morena" (Instrumental)Kike Santander4:43
Bailando En Éxtasis
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Piel Morena" (Club Remix)Kike Santander6:43
2."Amándote" (House Latino Mix)A. B. Quintanilla III, Ricky Vela7:53
3."Gracias A Dios" (Midi's Club Mix)Juan Gabriel4:00
4."María la del Barrio" (Album Version)Viviana Pímstein, Paco Navarrete3:53
5."Juana" (Album Version)Myra Stella Turner2:49
6."Amándote" (Radio Mix)A. B. Quintanilla III, Ricky Vela3:33
7."Gracias a Dios" (Midi's Radio Mix)Juan Gabriel4:00
8."Amándote" (TapatiMix)A. B. Quintanilla III, Ricky Vela4:41
9."Gracias a Dios" (70's Midi Club Mix)Juan Gabriel6:11

Charts

[edit]

Certifications and sales

[edit]
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Argentina (CAPIF)[55] 2× Platinum 130,000[56]
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[57] Gold 190,000[36]
Chile (IFPI Chile)[23] Gold 15,000[58]
Mexico (AMPROFON)[59] 2× Gold 500,000[29]
Philippines (PARI)[35] Platinum 40,000[35]
United States (RIAA)[28] 2× Platinum (Latin) 300,000[23]
Uruguay (CUD)[23] Gold 3,000[60]
Summaries
Worldwide 2,000,000[4]

Credits

[edit]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c Birchmeier, Jason. "En Extasis". AllMusic. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
  2. ^ "Univision Announces The Nominees For Spanish-Language Music's Highest Honors: Premio Lo Nuestro A La Musica Latina". PR Newswire. March 27, 1996. Archived from the original on December 15, 2013. Retrieved July 11, 2013.
  3. ^ a b c Lannert, John (22 October 2005). "Beyond Glitz, Thalía Blazes Her Own Triade". Billboard. p. 34.
  4. ^ a b c "Thalía le entra a la crítica política, sólo que su canción "Echa pa'lante" no la atribuye a México". Proceso (in Spanish). June 28, 1997. Archived from the original on September 21, 2019. Retrieved September 21, 2019.
  5. ^ "¡Vaya con esa Gente!". La Opinión (in Spanish). July 9, 1995. p. 18. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
  6. ^ a b "Los Producers". Miami Times. Archived from the original on February 21, 2014. Retrieved October 17, 2012.
  7. ^ a b Orso, Felipe (September 13, 1995). "La Farandula". La Opinión (in Spanish). p. 14. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
  8. ^ Epoca de México S. A. (1997). "Epoca: semanario de México". Epoca (309–321). México: 67.
  9. ^ Batanga. Batanga Magazine. 2004. p. 23.
  10. ^ En éxtasis (Media notes). Thalía. EMI. 1997. 856876 2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  11. ^ En éxtasis (Media notes). Thalía. EMI. 1995. 8 35217 2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  12. ^ Pérez Alejos, Verónica (1997). "Thalía y su amor a la Mexicana". Época: Semanario de México (in Spanish): 66. Retrieved March 21, 2024. ... Thalía , incursionar en la composición representó en su anterior disco , En Extasis , " un momento de intimidad en el que plasmo mis sentimientos en una hoja . Fue externar emo- ciones y situaciones que se viven en momentos de amor en ...
  13. ^ Thalía. Grupo Editorial Zero. 1998. p. 32. Gracias a Dios " : una composición del tremendo Juan Gabriel
  14. ^ a b c "¡Vaya con esa Gente!". La Opinión (in Spanish). August 20, 1995. p. 18. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  15. ^ "¡Vaya con esa Gente!". La Opinión (in Spanish). September 20, 1995. p. 14. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  16. ^ "Thalía". Manchete (in Portuguese). 1997. p. 75. Retrieved March 21, 2024. Thalia- esteve no Brasil para vender seu novo CD , En Extasis
  17. ^ "Thalía cancela 'Radio y Música', regresa a México". La Opinión (in Spanish). February 1, 1996. p. 26. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  18. ^ "Discos populares en latinoamérica". El Siglo de Torreón (in Spanish). 11 February 1996. Archived from the original on 10 February 2016. Retrieved 10 February 2016.
  19. ^ Mayfield, Geoff (2 October 1999). "Billboard: Juan Gabriel King of the charts". Billboard. p. 60.
  20. ^ Jason Birchmeier, Rovi. "En Extasis Album Review, Songs, Ratings". starpulse.com. Archived from the original on 17 July 2011. Retrieved 9 August 2011.
  21. ^ Guerra, Joey. "En Extasis (New Version)". Amazon.com.
  22. ^ "Thalia". El Tiempo (in Spanish). October 28, 1995. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
  23. ^ a b c d e f "Thalía volvío a ser reina en Miami: Oro y Platino para una gran estrella". La Onda Network. 8 September 1997. Archived from the original on 23 May 2000. Retrieved February 25, 2016.
  24. ^ Notimex (July 25, 1997). "Thalía". La Opinión (in Spanish). p. 17. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
  25. ^ Baduel, Graciela (July 11, 1996). "Es la protagonista de "Marimar", la tira mexicana que arrasa con los rátings". Clarin. Archived from the original on February 5, 2016. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
  26. ^ a b "Thalia Chart History (Top Latin Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 12, 2016.
  27. ^ a b "Thalia Chart History (Latin Pop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 12, 2016.
  28. ^ a b "American album certifications – Thalia – En Extasis". Recording Industry Association of America.
  29. ^ a b Claimed sales for En Éxtasis in Mexico:
  30. ^ "Thalía". Siempre! (in Spanish). Vol. 43, no. 2251–2257. 1996. p. 80. Retrieved March 21, 2024. su nuevo álbum En éxtasis se ha vendido como pan caliente en América del Sur
  31. ^ Márquez, Pablo (1 February 1997). "Alterna-rock for Chile and Argentina, and Gil goes on the web". Billboard. p. LMQ-6. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
  32. ^ "Thalia, Reina El Éxito". El Tiempo (in Spanish). 11 July 1997. Archived from the original on 25 July 2018. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  33. ^ "Reinventarse y renacer". El Mundo (in Spanish). Uruguay. 3 March 2019. Archived from the original on 24 March 2020. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  34. ^ Franklin, Jonathan. "Popstar - Anahí Ganha seu certificado de Disco de Ouro por 'Mi Delírio' no Brasil". Sistema Brasileiro de Televisão (in Portuguese). Brazil: Grupo Silvio Santos. Archived from the original on 24 June 2012. Retrieved 24 November 2012.
  35. ^ a b c d "Thalia Latin America's Reigning Music Queen". Billboard Magazine. 109 (48): 33. November 29, 1997.
  36. ^ a b Collares, Sandro (March 4, 1998). "Thalia Ariadna arrasou no carnaval caroca". Jornal do Commercio (in Portuguese). Retrieved July 17, 2020. In Brazil, the CD was certified gold in few weeks, with 190,000 copies sold.
  37. ^ "Lo Que Esta Sonando". El Tiempo (in Spanish). 7 February 1997. Retrieved 16 June 2017.
  38. ^ a b Peak positions for Greece:
  39. ^ a b "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 2001. 16. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
  40. ^ "Thalía". Zero (in Spanish). 1998. p. 23. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
  41. ^ a b "Breves: Música". La Opinión (in Spanish). September 18, 2002. p. 7. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
  42. ^ Stavans, Ilan (2014). Latin Music: Musicians, Genres, and Themes. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 7. ISBN 979-8-216-10928-0. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
  43. ^ Cortes, Josep O. (August 19, 1996). "Irresistible". Manila Standard. p. 27B. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
  44. ^ Estefan, Lili (1995). "En Extasis: EMI México". Vista. Vol. 11–12. p. 14. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
  45. ^ "Latin Music 6-Pack: The Billboard Star Award: Thalía". Billboard. April 28, 2001. p. 30. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  46. ^ Torres de la Pava, John Jairo (2005). Teruel Ricardo (in Spanish). Sic Editorial, Proyecto Cultural de Sistemas y Computadores. p. 404. ISBN 978-958-708-154-1. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  47. ^ "Univision Announces The nominess for Spanish-Language Music's Highest Honors: Premio Lo Nuestro A la Musica Latina". Univision. 1996. Archived from the original on December 15, 2013. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
  48. ^ "Cronistas premiaron con ACE lo mejor de la música argentina". La Opinión (in Spanish). March 13, 1997. p. 25. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
  49. ^ "Dominan mexicanos Premios ACE". Reforma (in Spanish). January 13, 1997. p. 3. ProQuest 311335166. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
  50. ^ Lannert, John (23 November 1996). "Billboard:Latin Notas". Billboard. p. 56.
  51. ^ Peak positions for Brazil:
  52. ^ "LO QUE ESTA SONANDO". El Tiempo (in Spanish). 7 February 1997. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  53. ^ "Top Latin Albums". Billboard. 28 December 1996. p. YE-63. Retrieved 17 June 2017.
  54. ^ "MAHASZ TOP 40 Overall results for 2001". Mahasz. Archived from the original on June 14, 2002. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
  55. ^ Gago, Soledad (3 March 2019). "Thalía: Reinventarse y renacer". El país (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 13 May 2020. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  56. ^ "Thalía" (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2021-01-09. Retrieved 2021-01-09.
  57. ^ "Brazilian album certifications – Thalia – En extasis" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil.
  58. ^ Thalía Reina de Viña y Disco de Oro. TV Chile. TV Chile. February 20, 1997. YouTube title: Thalia The Legend - Recibe Disco De Oro - Chile 1997
  59. ^ "Certificaciones" (in Spanish). Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. Type Thalía in the box under the ARTISTA column heading and En extasis in the box under the TÍTULO column heading.
  60. ^ Premios Uruguay