The telenovela superstar opens up about personal challenges

As an international star of music and television, Thalía is beloved the world over. In Growing Stronger she shares the moving story of her struggle against personal tragedy. Here’s an excerpt.

(Note: The following is the complete prelude from Thalía’s autobiography Growing Stronger (Cada día más fuerte)

PRELUDE

Growing Stronger emerged from a need to relate my life experiences as well as my constant struggle to prevail each day, and as a reminder to myself of the importance of never giving up. There are moments that are decisive and transcendental, which have in some way impacted me deeply, a path that I had to chart, no matter how or where I was. The important thing was the desire and decision to do so—to conquer it, to walk it, to experience it, take it in, and most of all, to live it fully.

As I wrote this book, I also lived through two critical and transformative events: my second pregnancy, the announcement of a new life that I will soon hold in my arms, inviting joy to knock on my door once again; and the death of my beloved mother, the single most important person in my life, whose total devotion, support, direction, excellent counsel and unconditional love armed me with the tools to face this moment of joy that came with the arrival of our family’s newest member, but also the total devastation of her sudden loss.

I started the book during a time when I felt that I had found myself, existing on a plane of optimal and harmonious balance regarding my thoughts and feelings alike, having made peace with my past—and I finished the book with a sense of fullness and liberation that I, in turn, wanted to share with you.

But God had other plans, and because the book was already in production, I decided to include and share the latest of my great tests—the irreparable loss of my mother, who is the most cherished person in my life.

One week prior to her death, my mother—such the enthusiast about everything—held this finalized manuscript, which she not only read twice, but also edited, adding her comments where necessary and making revisions that we instantly addressed in the book.

Since I was a little girl, I have witnessed the strength and courage that energized my mother, who left every sorrow and pain in the past, who would work unyieldingly to obtain her goals, who was the great warrior from whom I learned all the values that are today fundamental pillars of my every day.

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We caught up with Thalía, who just released a new memoir, Growing Stronger, and she dished on everything from how it feels to have her second baby to how she managed to handle the death of her mother—and as it turns out, writing this book was a big part of her recovery.

Growing Stronger touches on a lot of personal aspects in your life like losing your mother and welcoming your second child. What inspired you to write this memoir?

It was really born out a strong need to release my emotions and share it with all of my fans. My life has had many transformations so I wanted to express that to the world. I have been blessed with many great life experiences, but also some really heartbreaking ones. I try to inspire my readers to strive to become better people no matter what tough situation they are going through.

How do you think your experiences will influence your readers?

The biggest gift that I can receive for writing this book is that in some way my stories will inspire people to overcome their challenges, push forward in life, and continue trying new things. I hope that once people read my stories they can walk away feeling more empowered.

You talk about being bullied as a child and living a pretty isolated childhood. What was the transition like between being a loner to a child star?

It really was one of my first grand challenges in life. I was a very private child and all of a sudden I was exposed to the world. All of a sudden you are surrounded by people who adore you and people who critique you. Those parallels helped me mature quickly, but it was also very difficult for me.

You talk a lot about how you met Tommy and reveal that Emilio Estefan helped create the love connection. Are you still thanking Emilio for playing cupid?

Of course! That’s why I dedicated a whole chapter to him. He helped set everything up and we are family now. Emilio and Gloria have shared so many moments of joy and sorrow in my life. They are more than friends – they are family.

How do you feel about being a mom for the second time?

His birth is a blessing and I am completely in love! It has also been very emotional. With the lose of my Mami and the birth of Matthew Alejandro I feel like those two extremes had me going through a lot of strong emotions. One is so painful that I can barely bring myself to talk about it and the other is so miraculous. I try to find the positive side to things and grow stronger from all of the pain. It’s an indescribable and glorious experience to have the life of a child in your hands.

What is Sabrina like as an older sister?

She is obsessed with her baby. Yes, it is her baby. [Laughs] She plays with him, spoils him, and sings to him. She really is convinced it’s her baby! [Laughs]

How would you feel if one of your children told you they want to have a career in the entertainment industry?

I would prefer for them to be engineers, doctors, or psychologists. I would really prefer anything else! I rather them sing and act as a hobby or an escape. I say that because the entertainment industry is very hard. I started very young so I wouldn’t want them to suffer and go through the hard parts of it. If they really were serious about it, then yes Mami would be there to support them. Sabrina does have a great voice and she loves to sing. She is incredible.

Source: Latina

New York, Nov 2 (EFE) – Mexican singer Thalía released her autobiography Cada día más fuerte (Growing Stronger), in which she speaks about her best life experiences, but also about very bitter times.

“Thank you very much for coming here. I dedicate this book to you for loving me so much,” said Thalía, dressed in a green blouse, black pants and a white hat, upon her arrival at a New York bookstore on Tuesday, November 1, where dozens of fans were waiting for her to sign copies of the book.

The first in line was Nauro Medeiros, a 28-year-old Brazilian who traveled from London to New York to be able to fulfill his dream of seeing his idol in person.

“I like everything about her: the soap operas, the music,” Medeiros told EFE, adding that Thalía’s work “has always helped me in my life. I’ve gone through bad times, and her music has given me strength when I needed it”.

Also awaiting the star in her wheelchair was Yesenia Torres, 38, who said that she was hoping to find in the book “new things to be able to know her and her family better”.

Medeiros and Torres waited for several hours to be the first to have the 40-year-old artist – who came to the store accompanied by her husband, music mogul Tommy Mottola – sign their copies of her book.

Source: EFE

In her new book, Growing Stronger, international singer and telenovela star Thalía writes movingly about her whirlwind life and career.

The Mexican-born superstar, who has sold more than 40 million albums worldwide, is happily married to Sony executive Tommy Mottola — Mariah Carey’s ex-husband — and is the mother of two children. But getting to this happy point in her life didn’t come without its terrifying moments.

She talked to The Huffington Post about some of her personal struggles, including having to deal with her sisters’ kidnapping, her fight with Lyme disease and facing infertility.

You were a huge international star in the ’90s and ’00s. Which country’s fans blew you away the most when you were touring?

I think it’s between Brazil, the Philippines and Greece. People were very passionate and over the top about showing me their love and affection and they memorized my songs in Spanish. All of that was unbelievable to me.

Your mom was also your manager.

She was by my side since the beginning, taking care of everything for my career, but she also protected me like no one else — like a lioness protects its cubs. She was very powerful and very loving, but also a very smart businesswoman.

Two of your sisters, Laura and Ernestina, were kidnapped in Mexico City in 2002, and were released after over a month. How did you deal with such a scary situation?

I received a phone call saying, “We’ve got your sisters, they’ve been kidnapped.” It was a shock, just going through the process. That experience was very tough for my family. Not just them being kidnapped, but all of us. It was kind of a feeling that all of us were in a bad position. We didn’t know exactly how to overcome that. That’s why I include this story [in "Growing Stronger"] because I want readers to be inspired. Everybody has their own story, everybody has their own journey. In this book, I’m portraying a journey of perseverance and empowerment and everybody can grow stronger from a bad moment in their life.

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