Heat Of The Moments

Alejandro Sanz, Spain's top-selling pop star, is working the U.S. market with the impetus of a brand-new act. And he is seeing results.

"With Alejandro, we've been constantly growing his superstar status in the United States, and it's finally paying off," says Gabriela Martínez, Warner Latin VP of marketing. "The results, even without the album out yet, are obvious."

"A la Primera Persona," the first single off Sanz's upcoming set, "El Tren de los Momentos," debuted at No. 4 on Billboard's Hot Latin Songs chart, the highest debut for a Sanz single in his nearly 10-year radio chart history in this country.

In the Latin world, from Madrid to Buenos Aires, Sanz is a superstar and a creative artist's artist whose music is elaborate and complex, and whose record sales always top the million-unit mark worldwide. "Más," from 1997, has sold 5 million copies globally.

In the United States, his artistry has been rewarded with 15 Latin Grammy Awards, more than any other artist. But his sales, while strong, have not been commensurate with his international success, and most of his U.S. albums hover around the 200,000-unit mark, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Now, those numbers should change. For the past three months, Sanz has been on a train of nonstop promotion far more intense than any he has done before.

In turn, Warner has put in place what Martínez says is an unprecedented retail campaign for Sanz that includes not only positioning but also multiple cross-promotions with digital and mobile services. Two weeks prior to release, "El Tren de los Momentos" sat at No. 1 on iTunes' Latin sales chart, based on preorders alone.

Sanz is no doubt benefiting from the success of "La Tortura," the Shakira/Sanz single that spent a record 25 weeks at No. 1 on Billboard's Hot Latin Songs chart.

"That duet broadened his audience and reached urban listeners thanks to the reggaetón version," says Pedro Javier González, regional PD for Univision Radio. "A la Primera Persona," which was also recorded in a reggaetón version with Boy Wonder, is also getting airplay on tropical and rhythmic stations, but beyond that, González says, "it breaks with traditional formulas."

The title of "Tren de los Momentos" (Train of Moments) refers to key times in the past 18 months of Sanz's life. Sanz composed the blend of pop, flamenco and hip-hop in a nontraditional manner, improvising most of the melodies and lyrics over basslines and drum loops.

"Musicians tend to overdo things," Sanz says. "Many don't realize that rests are as important as the notes themselves, and the arrangements often become a kind of cushion where everything sounds the same. Here, every instrument, every note is at the service of the song."

Full of star power, the album features collaborations with Shakira (on "Te lo Agradezco Pero No"), Juanes (playing guitar on "La Peleita") and Calle 13 (rapping on "La Peleita"). In addition, the video of "A la Primera Persona," directed by Jaume de Laiguana (who also directed Shakira's "Don't Bother" and "Dia de Enero," features actress Paz Vega ("Lost in Translation").

The collaborations, Sanz says, "are a very natural way to share music. What you most feel with these is that there isn't a commercial impetus behind them."

The Juanes intervention, for example, came about after the two rehearsed for a concert in Sanz's house. Shakira, a close friend, asked to sing on the album as well, sounding nothing like she does on her own.

Even as he works the United States, Sanz's management, RLM, has negotiated a deal with mobile phone carrier Movistar to provide exclusive content to users and to sponsor the album's release in Spain. Movistar will also sponsor Sanz's 12-country Latin American tour, which kicks off in March. Tour sponsorships for the States and Spain are under discussion.

As for Sanz's long-awaited English album, it will see the light of day once "El Tren" finishes its journey. An homage to American music, it will include touches of blues, jazz and funk, but Sanz says he will clearly sound like a foreigner, down to his accent and simple lyrics.

"It will be one of the leitmotifs of the album, the fact that I'm not from here," he says. "I want people to listen to the soul more than the brain."