Paulina Rubio

Paulina Susana Rubio Dosamantes was born on 17 June 1971 in Mexico City, Mexico.[17] Her father, Enrique Rubio González (1943-2011), was a Spanish-born lawyer; Her mother is Susana Dosamantes, a consecrated Mexican actress.[18] Dosamantes had lived in Guadalajara, Jalisco until adolescence when she decided to become a film actress and, just before Rubio's birth, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1970s in Mexico.[19] Rubio's younger brother, Enrique Rubio Jr., is an important lawyer and socialite, while her half sister Ana Paola Rubio who keeping out of the spotlight. Her musical legacy comes from his grandmother and great-grandmother, who were a mezzo-soprano singer and pianist, respectively.[20] Her great-grandparents were originally from Spain and Portugal, and from a very young age she used to spend two or three months a year in Europe, visiting relatives. The rest of the year she resided in Mexico and Los Angeles.[21]

As Rubio has stated of herself "I have been famous since I was born" and according to her mother, Rubio grew up among the filming locations while she worked. A ten-year-old, accompanied by younger brother Enrique Jr. they got a minor role in film El Día del Compadre (1983), filmed in early 1980s. Rubio was taking singing, acting, jazz, painting, and dance lessons while enrolled at what is now the Centro de Educación Artística (CEA) in Mexico.[22] After two years there, Rubio's parents were contacted by Julisa and Guillermo del Bosque for approval of Rubio's joining a band that would be formed by children from the center.

The Spanish singer Miguel Bosé was Timbiriche's official godfather.

The name of musical group Timbiriche was inspired by a table game known in the United States as Dots and Boxes. The idea of naming the musical group comes in response to the Spanish children's musical group Parchís. Timbiriche was created by Victor Hugo O'Farril, Luis de Llano Macedo and María Eugenia "La Gorda" Galindo. Rubio began her singing career Timbiriche made its official debut on 30 April 1982 on the Mexican television show Siempre en Domingo, featuring Spanish singer Miguel Bosé as its godfather.[23] The original band had seven members: Alix Bauer, Benny Ibarra, Diego Schoening, Mariana Garza, Paulina Rubio, Sasha Sökol, and Erik Rubín (who joined a year later). After the success of his first homonymous albums, Timbiriche and La Banda Timbiriche, both from 1982, the following year he released a live album that led the group to recognition throughout Latin America. En Concierto was also a hit with hits covers by Anglo-Saxon artists, including "Mickey" by Toni Basil[24] that the group reinterpreted in Spanish dedicated especially to Miguel Bosé as a way of thanking him for his sponsorship.

In 1984, Timbiriche participated in the musical Vaselina (Spanish adaptation of the American musical Grease) and edit the album Timbiriche Vaselina. At that time the group began to internationalize in Latin America with hits such as "Soy Un Desastre", "Corro, Vuelo, Me Acelero", "Teléfono" and "Me Plantó" that were consecrated as their first number one singles hits in Mexico. The singles mentioned belonged to the album Timbiriche Rock Show which received platinum disc for 500,000 copies sold.[25] Also, new members join Timbiriche as Eduardo Capetillo, Thalía and Edith Márquez.

Timbiriche's musical evolution took a turn "from children to teenagers" and is reflected in the hit albums Timbiriche VII and Timbiriche VIII & IX that sold 800,000[26][27] and 500,000[28] copies in Mexico, respectively. These albums are considered Timbiriche's greatest commercial achievements and have been included in the best-selling albums in Latin America.[29] At that time, Rubio began to excel as one of the most notorious members and her voice excels in songs such as "Rompecabezas", "Persecución en la Ciudad", "Acelerar" and "Me Estoy Volviendo Loca". At the same time of developing as a singer, Rubio begins to receive other proposals in the artistic field and she landed her first role in 1988 as the villain Paulina Montenegro in the telenovela Pasión y Poder.

The tenth and last album that Paulina Rubio recorded as a member of Timbiriche was released in 1990 (Timbiriche X) and despite the fact that she was already the leader of the group, in 1991 Rubio left Timbiriche to focus on a solo career, and moved to Spain to begin work on her first album.

In early 1992, Rubio participated in the soap opera Baila Conmigo, based in the late 50s and early 60s at the time of Rock and Roll. She played the role of Andrea de la Reguera, a rich and capricious girl who was used to having everything at her disposal. Her leading role as an antagonist turned out to be very convincing to the press and audience, earning positive reviews for her performance.[30] The soap opera producer was Luis de Llano, who recruited a cast of youth stars who were just beginning their solo career in music and acting.[31] and gave continuity to the genre of youth musical telenovelas.

The success of Baila Conmigo gave the protagonists the possibility of recording a special album and received 9 nominations for the 1993 TVyNovelas Awards, including "Actress Revelation" for Rubio, but lost to Yolanda Andrade.[32] Also a soundtrack was released under the Fonovisa Records label of ten songs in some Latin American countries. Rubio along with the cast of the telenovela appeared in different television shows to promote the album.

This was a boost and enrichment for Paulina Rubio's career as a solo artist and part of the concept of her debut album is influenced by the same concept of the soap opera.

Rubio traveled to Spain to record the songs of what would be her first solo album. These recording studio sessions ran from December 1991 to February 1992. After her returned to Mexico, she embarked on a promotional campaign to promote her upcoming debut album. Her show was a six-song set and she was accompanied by back-up dancers. In June 1992, Rubio signed to a recording contract with Capitol Latin. Her first single, "Mío", spent several weeks at number one on the Mexican singles charts and became one of the country's highest-selling single in the 1990s and was certified gold.[33] In United States "Mío" reached number three on the Billboard's Hot Latin Tracks chart. Its success resulted in Rubio becoming Timbiriche's first solo singer to enter Billboard charts with great success and repeated the formula at the release of her debut album La Chica Dorada, who released in October 1992 and peak at number three on the Billboard Top Latin Albums chart on the week of 26 June 1993.[34]

Three days before the official release of the album, Rubio appeared on the legendary TV show Siempre en Domingo with Raúl Velasco to publicize his new stage in the music industry. The famous television host commented that "it was a great privilege to have presented Paulina as a solo singer". At the beginning of her solo career, the press and critics were very hard on Paulina Rubio, and many pronounced her as an "Madonna wannabe" due to the great influence of the young artist with the American entertainer, but with the success from their first single and the album sales, the tabloids considered it as the new youth pop icon in Mexico.

In 1993, she released her sophomore effort, 24 Kilates, which sold 150,000 copies in two weeks of its release. The album peaked at No. 1 in Mexico. "Nieva, Nieva" was released as the first single which reached No. 27 on the Hot Latin Tracks and became Paulina's first No. 1 single in Mexico. "Él Me Engañó" and "Asunto de Dos" were released in Mexico and peaked at No. 1 and No. 5 respectively. The same year, Rubio received two nominations for the 1993 Premio Lo Nuestro Awards for the categories Female Pop Artist and New Pop Artist of the Year.[35]

In 1995, El Tiempo Es Oro was released. It included the hits "Te Daría Mi Vida" and "Nada de Ti" which peaked at number one in Mexico while "Hoy Te Dejé De Amar" peaked at number nine. Also included on the album was the theme song and title-track to the 1994 Mexican film Bésame En La Boca, in which she also starred as the lead role. In 1996, she released her last album under EMI Latin, Planeta Paulina, which included the hit single "Enamorada" which peaked at No. 2 in Mexico. "Pobre Niña Rica" was featured as the theme song of the 1995 telenovela in which she also starred as Alma, Pobre Niña Rica. Rubio also recorded English versions of several songs which did not appear on the album. Some of these songs were released years later on the hits compilation I'm So in Love: Grandes Éxitos. The first single off the album "Siempre Tuya Desde La Raíz" peaked at No. 1 in Mexico while "Sólo Por Ti" peaked at #7.

EMI declined to release Paulina's first English crossover album, which was supposed to be the English version of the Planeta Paulina album due to weak sales of the Spanish version. Because of that, Rubio got in a legal battle against EMI for not fulfilling what they had already planned. She eventually had to pay money so EMI could let her leave the record company.[36]

After the release of Planeta Paulina, Rubio took a break on her career. Except for her participation in 1998's successful Reencuentro Tour with Timbiriche, Rubio was absent from the music scene for nearly four years.

Paulina Rubio in July 2000

Paulina's return to the music scene began in the summer of 1999 when she recorded Richard Daniel Roman's "Vive El Verano", the theme song to a summer TV show where she was the host of in Spain. On 23 May 2000, Rubio released her fifth album, Paulina, her first release under Universal Music Latino; she was given complete control over the album.[37] It was nominated three times at the second annual Latin Grammy Awards for "Album of the Year", "Song of the Year", and "Best Female Pop Vocal Album"; she became the winner of multiple prestigious awards. It became Rubio's first number-one album on Billboard's Top Latin Albums chart, and number 156 on the US Billboard 200, and was on the charts for more than two years. Paulina was the best selling Latin album in the United States in 2001,[38] selling over 1 million copies in the US alone.[39] Paulina has sold more than 2 million copies.[40][41][42] The album's singles, "Lo Haré Por Ti", "El Último Adiós", "Y Yo Sigo Aquí", and "Yo No Soy Esa Mujer", peaked at numbers 13, 18, three and seven respectively on Billboard's Hot Latin Tracks chart. Other releases include "Sexi Dance" and "Tal Vez, Quizá" which peaked at numbers thirty-four and forty-two on the same chart. All singles have peaked inside the top ten in Mexico. She then embarked on a tour across North America and Europe to promote Paulina.[43]

On 18 June 2002, Rubio's sixth album Border Girl, her first foray into English-language pop, was released. The album peaked at number five in Mexico, number 14 in Spain, and number nine in Canada. In the US, the album debuted at number eleven on the Billboard 200 albums chart and was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipments of 500,000 copies in the country. The first single "Don't Say Goodbye" peaked at number 41 position on the US Billboard Hot 100, while the Spanish version reached number five on the Hot Latin Tracks. "The One You Love" was released as the second single reaching number 98 on the Hot 100 while the Spanish version, "Todo Mi Amor", reached number five on the Hot Latin Tracks chart, becoming her second top five hit from the album. Also, the Spanish version of the single "Casanova" reached number 37 on the Hot Latin Tracks. On 21 June 2002, the Houston, Texas radio station 104.1 KRBE declared 21 June "Paulina Day" in Houston. In the fall of 2002, Rubio toured and performed material from Border Girl as the opening act for fellow Latin pop star Enrique Iglesias.[44]

Rubio performing on the ASICS Music Festival in Barcelona, 2007

Rubio's seventh studio album, Pau-Latina, was released in 2004. It became her second album to debut at the top of the Top Latin Albums chart, and peaked at number 105 on the Billboard 200. The album's first single, "Te Quise Tanto", became her biggest single to date, becoming her first single to reach the top position on the Billboard Hot Latin Tracks chart for six non-consecutive weeks. Its third single, "Dame Otro Tequila", also reached number-one. Other releases included "Algo Tienes" and "Mía", both which made the Billboard's Hot Latin Tracks top ten, reaching numbers four and eight respectively. The same year, she hosted the MTV Video Music Awards Latinoamérica 2004, becoming the first time ever a female artist hosted the event.[45] There she performed a mix of "Dame Otro Tequila" and Pitbull's "Culo".[46] Rubio was also named People en Español's 2005 Star of the Year.[47] Rubio attended the 2004 and 2005 Billboard Latin Music Awards, performing "Te Quise Tanto" and "Algo Tienes", respectively.[48][49] Pau-Latina won several awards during the year and was nominated for a Latin Grammy for "Best Pop Female Vocal Album" in 2004. In 2005, she was nominated for a Grammy Award for "Best Latin Pop Vocal Album." She was the only female nominated in that category. She began her second solo tour and first solo world tour, called the Pau-Latina Tour in 2005 through 2006.[50]

Paulina Rubio in Reventon Superestrella 2004 at the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim.

Rubio released her eighth album Ananda on 19 September 2006.[51] It reached number 25 on US Billboard 200 albums chart, and the number-one spot on Top Latin Albums.[52] Ananda was certified and given a multi-platinum award for album sales of 250,000 in the US and Puerto Rico. Its first single, "Ni Una Sola Palabra", reached number 98 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and was Rubio's third song to top both the Hot Latin Songs and Pop Latin Songs. It additionally won a Billboard Award in 2007. "Nada Puede Cambiarme" was released as the second single from the album, and had moderate success peaking at number 21 on the Hot Latin Songs and reached number 10 on the Mexican chart. The music video as well as the song features American guitarist Slash.[53] The third single released from Ananda was "Ayúdame". It had a lower success, reaching numbers 36 on the Hot Latin Songs and 12 in Mexico. Rubio performed at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Oslo, Norway, alongside Rihanna, John Legend, and Lionel Richie, who also lined up to honor the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize recipient, Muhammad Yunus.[54]

In 2007, Rubio recorded the song "Nena" as a duet with singer Miguel Bosé, from his album Papito.[55] "Nena" became a major hit in Mexico, peaking at number two for several weeks. It was also nominated for "Record of the Year" at the 8th Annual Latin Grammys. Rubio embarked on her second world tour Amor, Luz Y Sonido in 2007. In October, the Spanish edition of Cosmopolitan magazine featured her apparently naked underneath a red, white, and green sheet. A government probe was open about whether or not she had desecrated Mexico's flag. The Mexican government said she may have violated an article in the National Flag, Shield and Anthem Law, which states that "private individuals will give the appropriate respect to the national symbol and handle it with care". The offense can be punished by fines ranging from $45,000 to $50,000 MXN (Mexican pesos) and jail time of up to 36 hours.[56] However, in a published report, her mother, Susana Dosamantes, said that the artist did not authorize such photos. In 2008, Rubio participated in the mega event ALAS, developed simultaneously in Mexico and Argentina. Rubio performed in Buenos Aires in front of 180,000 people, along with Shakira, Calle 13, Mercedes Sosa, Alejandro Sanz and Gustavo Cerati.[57]

Rubio released the album Gran City Pop on 23 June 2009, and was met with both critical acclaim and commercial success. The first single off the new album was called "Causa y Efecto". Speaking to a Mexican radio program, the "Golden Girl" said that the new material presented many changes, while also explaining: "At the same time I remain very loyal to my music – my rancheras, boleros with my... ...those rhythms with children – those children songs with such simple rhythms." The production has songs by Mario Domm, the leader of Camila, and Estéfano. She later continued: "There are some songs of mine with Coti; this is an album to get out the child from within us". It also includes work by Los Rabanes and Jeremías.

The album sold 10,788 copies in its first week of release in the United States. Gran City Pop has been awarded a platinum award for shipments of over 300,000 copies worldwide after one month of release.[58][59] With the success of Gran City Pop, Rubio performed at many award shows. Rubio's big comeback took place in the month of April at the 2009 Latin Billboard Music Awards, where Rubio performed the lead single "Causa y Efecto" for the first time. Rubio performed live at Univision's Premios Juventud, singing "Causa y Efecto" with a different musical arrangement and choreography.

Rubio appeared at Los Premios MTV Latinoamérica 2009 on 15 October along with Cobra Starship, performing "Good Girls Go Bad" and "Ni Rosas Ni Juguetes". She was the female performer with the most nominations (and second most overall): Video of the Year, Best Artist, Best Pop Artist, Best Solo Act and Artist of the Year, winning Best Solo Act and Best Live Performance for her performance with Cobra Starship. Paulina began her Gran City Pop Tour, her third international trek, in September 2009.[60] The album's first single, "Causa y Efecto", was released with incredible success, topping the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart for 5 consecutive weeks, as well as topping the charts for several weeks in Mexico. It became Paulina's fourth No. 1 on the Hot Latin Songs chart. The song also had success in Spain, where it topped the airplay charts for several weeks and peaked at No. 7 on the official chart, while topping the charts in several Latin American countries.

The second single released from Gran City Pop was "Ni Rosas Ni Juguetes", which peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart and No. 5 on the Latin Pop chart. It is described as being ranchera/pop with a hip hop beat. The music video was directed by acclaimed director, Jessy Terrero. On 11 November 2009 she released the official remix of "Ni Rosas Ni Juguetes" with a new video and it featured the Cuban rapper Pitbull. The Mr. and Mrs. Smith themed video was premiered to the world in early 2010. Gran City Pop received a Grammy nomination at the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards for "Best Latin Pop Album". The third single from the album was "Algo De Ti", which was released to radio on 22 March 2010 in Spain and on 19 May 2010 in the U.S. However, Universal Music Latino later declined to continue promotion of "Algo De Ti" to radio outlets, as a result it was unable to chart. It received radio support only from the Los Angeles-based KSSE 107.1 FM Súper Estrella station.

In February 2010, Paulina participated in a charity song for the people of Haiti, a cover of "We Are The World" in Spanish, titled "Somos El Mundo".[61] Later on, Paulina announced via Twitter that a duet with a talented English singer would be released soon.[62] A few weeks later, a duet featuring Paulina and English singer Taio Cruz leaked to the Internet, which later turned out to be a Spanglish version of Cruz's single "Dirty Picture". The collaboration was released on the Spanish edition of his album Rokstarr. In February 2011, it was confirmed that Paulina would participate on MTV Unplugged: Los Tigres del Norte and Friends, a live album by Los Tigres del Norte.[63] Paulina and the band performed "Golpes en el Corazón", which was released as the first single off the album on 23 May 2011. Paulina was also featured in Gloria Trevi's album, Gloria, on the track "No Al Alguacil." The song was expected as the third single off Trevi's album, but failed to get a release.[64]

Paulina Rubio at New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival in 2012

Work on Rubio's tenth studio album, Brava!, started in 2010. At the time, she was writing songs with Nelly Furtado and Cobra Starship, while also working with Moroccan producer RedOne.[65] She said that the reason she wanted to do a Spanglish album is that she wanted to mix the language of her home Mexico and the United States. "I grew up in Mexico, but I've always been between the United States and my country. This is all done with a wink and a nod to 'Spanglish' culture, which continues to grow and has a foot in both worlds", the singer said.[66] She stated in a radio interview that this album would be different from all her other albums because being a mother and the death of her father had inspired her tremendously. She also said that 70% of the album's songs would be in Spanish, while only 30% in English.[67]

Brava! was released on 15 November 2011, with 10 tracks, seven of which were in Spanish, while three in English.[68] "Me Gustas Tanto", the lead single, was to be released on 13 September 2011, but was released a week prior.[69][70] "Me voy" was released as the album's second official single in Latin America on 14 February 2012,[71] with a re-worked version featuring the Mexican singer-songwriter Espinoza Paz. A new English song titled "Boys Will Be Boys" was released in Europe on 24 March 2012. The song was released as the first single from Brava! Reload, an EP which included eight songs in English produced by RedOne. The song was also produced by RedOne, who also produced the music video of the single.[72] The video was filmed in London.[73] In 2012, two editions of the album were released and they included all the songs Paulina worked on with RedOne. Europe's edition was titled Brava! Reload and it was released on 24 July 2012, while the Latin American edition was called Bravísima! and was released on 18 September 2012 and the US edition on 22 October.

Rubio participated as a coach on the second season of La Voz... México along with Jenni Rivera, Miguel Bosè and Beto Cuevas. The second season premiered in Mexico on 9 September 2012.[74] Rubio was also one of the three coaches for La Voz Kids, the singing competition for kids from seven to fourteen years old on Telemundo. Although she was initially slated to return for the series' second season in 2014, on 23 December 2013, Telemundo announced that Rubio would be replaced by singer Natalia Jiménez. In January 2014, Rubio then sued Telemundo for alleged breach of contract.[75] In May 2013, it was confirmed that Rubio would become a new judge replacing Britney Spears for season three of the American version of The X Factor alongside Simon Cowell, Demi Lovato and fellow new judge Kelly Rowland (who replaced LA Reid).[76] In December 2014, Rubio guest starred as herself on The CW series, Jane the Virgin.[77]

Rubio first teased a new single on Valentine's Day in 2014, playing a "La Bomba"-esque song "Cuanto Te Quiero" with producers in the studio. Even though she performed it live several times, the song's release as the album lead single was cancelled. In February 2015, Rubio's single "Mi Nuevo Vicio" featuring Colombian group Morat was released. It reached number one in Spain,[78] and number 16 in Mexico.[79] It additionally attained a 2x Platinum certification in Spain for sales of 80,000 copies.[80]

In December 2016, she confirmed that the new album will feature contributions by DJ Snake and Selena Gomez, stating: "My new album is like another member of the team, or the family. It will be a true warrior, has something from all genres, from banda to pop, collaborations with DJ Snake and Selena Gomez. I tried to keep a key element: that the music is danceable".[81] Gomez representatives later denied that she worked with Rubio.

Rubio then continued to release multiple singles "Si Te Vas (Paulina Rubio song)", "Me Quema" and " Desire (Me Tienes Loquita)" before revealing the title and release date of her new album, Deseo, announcing it would be released on 14 September 2018. The first official single off the album is titled "Suave Y Sutil" and was released on 7 September 2018. The song features a return to her pop sound being a departure from the reggaeton oriented singles that preceded. The single was produced by Andrés Torres and Mauricio Rengifo responsible for productions of Latin hits like "Despacito" and "Echame La Culpa" from Luis Fonsi.

Rubio has been inspired by and compared to Madonna and Marilyn Monroe throughout her career. She received negative comments when she posted a post on Instagram where she sported the same look from the movie Gentlemen Prefer Blondes that starred Monroe in 1953 and later Madonna recreated in the video for her single "Material Girl" in 1985.[84] Writing the review of Rubio's 2004 show at the Auditorio Nacional (Mexico) of his Pau-Latina World Tour, Spanish journalist Jesús Quintero suggested that like Madonna Rubio overflows with sensuality on stage "always in ménage à trois."[85] The American media has cited Madonna as being major Rubio's influence in her career, specially for her imagen and tours concepts.[86] In a HuffPost Live interview in 2014, Alyona Minkovski asked him what he thought about the media and fans calling her "Latin Madonna", Rubio replied "I love Madonna [...] she is strong, she is a warrior and she is a inspiration."[87] However, Rubio has formed her own identity and musical style throughout her career.

The Inflooenz website has cited several female artists who have influenced Rubio's music as Ana Gabriel, Gloria Estefan, Selena, Lucía Méndez, Verónica Castro, María del Sol and Janet Jackson.[88]

In 2007, Paulina joined the Latino Commission on AIDS, an organization in the fight against the spread HIV/AIDS in the Latino community. Paulina became the first "Mexican Madrina" to partner with the organization. Paulina stated, "It is important to make our voice heard and try to bring back some of the care that the community shares each day".[110] On 17 May 2008, Paulina performed at the ALAS concert (América Latina en Acción Solidaria). The organization's mission is to strengthen and expand public and private sector support for Early Childhood Development in Latin America.[111] In 2009, the singer received recognition from the American Heart Association for her work with the organization. Rubio also performed at the event to raise funds.[112]

On 3 December 2009, Paulina held a press conference announcing the creation of an organization in partnership with the Lili Claire Foundation to provide assistance to children living with neurological disorders and their families.[113] Fundación Paulina Rubio is a project inspired by children in anguish as a result of homelessness, birth defects, and lack of education among other pernicious plights that many face today. By directing funds through other pre-existing organizations, such as The Lili Claire Foundation, children will receive a unique and comprehensive blend of support services including medical and behavioral genetics clinics, psychosocial counseling, advocacy services, information libraries, and community outreach that will ultimately help improve the lives of families and children living with neurogenetic disorders.[114]

In 2010, Rubio hosted the Paulina & Friends exclusive benefit concert for The Lili Claire Foundation which showcased musicians such as Luis Fonsi, Aleks Syntek, Noel Schajris, Reik and Fanny Lú. The purpose of the event was to raise funds to build a family resource center. "My friends mean everything to me and I am happy to have the opportunity to share the stage with them to support this great cause. All of them are excellent musicians and I know that as always, they’ll do their best to make this an unforgettable night", said the singer. Jeff Simmons, community relations manager for The Lili Claire Foundation said, "I'm really surprised to see the number of artists who continue to join in on this great event, it's truly a blessing. Their contribution to the Paulina & Friends concert is spectacular and the Lili Claire Foundation will be forever grateful".[115]

In 2018, Rubio appeared in a PETA video reminding people not to leave animals or children in parked cars.[116]