Thalía!

In the annals of the pop pantheon, there are countless stories of soap opera actresses turned singers. But a Mexican soap opera star who becomes a successful singer in Spanish and then a purveyor of urban music in English rivals even the most dramatic storylines from the popular TV serials.

Enter Thalía. Once a soap star whose standard role was that of the rags-to-riches princess, she is now living a Cinderella story of her own with the release of her English-language debut.

Released on Virgin Records July 8, "Thalía" (pronounced Ta-LEE-ah)—an album described as urban pop by her label—is off to an auspicious start, thanks to heavy airplay at top 40 and R&B radio of launch single "I Want You," featuring Fat Joe.

"I always like to reinvent myself and create new

tendencies,'' Thalía says. "I thought it would be super interesting to mix two Latin cultures: [Fat Joe's] as a Latino born and raised in New York, and mine as a Latina born and raised in Mexico."

It's still an odd couple, considering that Thalía is a Latin pop star, thanks to her renditions of standard ballads and Mexican music.

But the track was designed to thrust Thalía into the mainstream head-on rather than to initially capitalize on her existing Latin fan base. The Spanish version of the song, in fact, was sent to radio a month after the original English one.

"We wanted to reach a lot of people with this," says Matt Serletic, chairman/CEO of Virgin Records. "Speak to America as it were, and not a segment of America. We weren't going to narrow our focus. It was going to be as diverse as it could be."

Thalía spruced up with a roster of hit-making producers, including Corey Rooney and Steve Morales, and a sound reminiscent of early Jennifer Lopez.

The challenge was that—although a star throughout Latin America—her exposure outside the Latin market was even more limited than that of other crossover predecessors like Ricky Martin, Enrique Iglesias and Shakira.

And yet, Thalía's appeal, Serletic says, is her personality.

The solution?

At a mass level, pair her with a respected urban name for credibility in that market. At a behind-the-scenes level, have the lovely and dynamic Thalía personally meet with those people who could affect her career.

"She comes across as someone you would like to get to know," says manager Randy Hoffman, who used to handle Mariah Carey.

"That's why we've had dinner parties where radio people came to see her," Hoffman adds, speaking of a series of gatherings that took place with radio programmers on both coasts more than a month before the album's release.

The strategy worked. "I Want You" has risen steadily on radio charts nationwide, this week reaching No. 38 on The Billboard Hot 100 and No. 21 on Top 40 Tracks. Coupled with ample press and TV exposure in both languages, the buzz is loud enough that initial shipments of "Thalía" in the U.S. alone totaled more than 400,000 copies, according to Serletic.

MOST AGGRESSIVE PLAN EVER

"It's the most aggressive marketing plan ever done by Thalía," says Jorge Pino, president/chairman of EMI Latin USA, Thalía's Spanish-language label. EMI is partnering with Virgin in the release and marketing of "Thalía" and ensuring the singer's presence in Spanish-language radio, TV and press.

The interest is understandable. A seasoned performer since she was 9 years old, Thalía is a household name, thanks to her membership in teen group Timbiriche and her roles in a series of extremely successful soap operas, where she not only played the lead roles but also sang the theme songs.

Dedicated solely to music for the past few years, Thalía's most recent Spanish-language album, also titled "Thalía," won Latin pop album of the year, female, at this year's Billboard Latin Music Awards. The album also included a couple of English tracks, as a prelude to this year's crossover.

This time around, the new "Thalía" has four Spanish tracks and there's a concerted marketing push aimed at Hispanic buyers, as well.

Beyond the single, with nine successful solo albums and her personality, Thalía has a couple more aces up her sleeve that could garner her the next major Latin crossover hit.

For one, her following, honed during more than two decades of showbiz, is loyal, and, thanks to her soap operas, reaches into nontraditional markets like the Philippines, Russia and the Middle East.

Secondly, Thalía is launching an apparel collection for Kmart in August that coincides with her album release and guarantees major exposure.

Plus, she is married to the well-connected Tommy Mottola, who relaunched Casablanca Records July 8 (see story, page 1). Although the former Sony Music chairman ostensibly doesn't interfere in his wife's career, he is, by all accounts, very much involved every step of the way.

While Mottola can help his wife behind the scenes, the push generated by the Kmart deal, particularly in the Latin market, could be formidable.

According to Abigail Jacobs, brand and product communications manager for Kmart, the Thalía Sodi line (Sodi is Thalía's last name) will include apparel, accessories and lingerie for women and girls. Products will be sold in select stores—initially those serving predominantly Hispanic populations—and the prices will be "value conscious."

Kmart has planned a series of cross-promotions around the album. "Thalía" will be publicized in its weekly circular, which reaches millions of households, and in the chain's Spanish-language publication, La Vida.

An exclusive CD/DVD package will be sold only in Kmart stores, which will have "tons of in-store signage," Jacobs says. In addition, when the Thalía Sodi collection launches in August, Thalía will be in all Kmart advertising outlets and on a national radio and TV campaign, featuring her second single, "Baby, I'm in Love."

Mauro Deceglie, Virgin director of product management/marketing, says he has split Thalía's marketing plan three ways: Teen, gay (targeting her gay fan base) and Latin. "Between all three, we can hopefully hit the mainstream market."