Belinda Grows Up and Branches Out
Latin pop sensation Belinda’s grandfather, Pierre Schull, was one of the first French matadors in history, becoming famous in his teens in his hometown of Arles, and keeping company with the likes of Pablo Picasso in the 1950s, before moving to Spain and having a glorious career in the ring. The pop star, who moved with her family from Spain to Mexico when she was four years old, has also been familiar with fame since her early years, having been a superstar in Latin America since she was just 10, when she beat out more than 5,000 girls for the title role in the children’s telenovela Amigos X Siempre.
Now 20, Belinda has released her third album, Carpe Diem, which reveals an inquisitive young woman shaped by events in her life, including the death of her grandfather Pierre, natural disasters like the Haiti earthquake and global warming.
“I have matured a lot in terms of my writing,” she says. “I had a lot of strong experiences after [second album] Utopia that have inspired me. [My grandfather] was amazing. He would always play me Edith Piaf, who is my favorite singer of all time. The song ‘Cuida de mi’ is dedicated to him.”
Belinda’s fans have grown with her, and her preeminence in Latin pop culture, especially in Mexico, is visible everywhere. She has starred in countless telenovelas and in the 2002 film Cheetah Girls 2 from director Kenny Ortega. From the time she released her self-titled debut album at 14, Belinda has co-written all of the songs in her albums. After seven years away from TV, Belinda returned to soap operas with last year’s smash hit Camaleones, which should debut in the U.S. this summer. Its theme song, “Sal de mi piel,” is included in Carpe Diem.
The new album has a more vibrant, upbeat sound and steers more towards dance tracks than ballads. In the past, Belinda has also collaborated with urban artists such as Flex in the official remix of his hit “Te Quiero” and she does so again in Carpe Diem’s first single, “Egoista,” featuring Pitbull.
“Belinda is intense and ambitious,” says producer Jimmy Harry. “The first time I worked with her on Utopia, she was 16. This time, she was obviously a woman. It opens up a lot in terms of the stuff you can write and being able to address different things.” Provocative tracks include “Lolita” and “Amor Transgenico,” about gay marriage.
“As artists, we don’t have political or economic power but we do have a voice and our followers,” says Belinda. “I think love has no age or sex, and you shouldn’t judge others. Even though in Mexico City gay marriage is now legal, there are still a lot of people against it.”
This year, Belinda will be on promotion through the U.S., Latin America, Brazil, Spain and Italy. She wrote more than 50 songs for this album, including “Day of the Dead” with No Doubt’s Tony Kanal, which didn’t make the cut. She hopes to build a bigger repertoire so she can offer some of her compositions to other artists.
And she keeps adding goals to her extensive résumé. “My grandfather always told me to never stop being me,” says the starlet. “I would love to write and sing in French, but now it’s not the moment… . You know, record labels don’t work that way. They want you to work certain territories.”
Spoken just like the veteran she is.
Nuria Net is a writer and editor living in New York City and the co-founder of Latin website Remezcla.com.
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