Belinda Reclaims Her Energy As She Returns To Music

Belinda has confirmed that she’s going to all the time make her mark in Latin pop music. Following a prolonged hiatus from music, the Spanish-Mexican icon returned this yr with a trilogy of hits that seamlessly blended pop with música Mexicana. Whereas tapping into corridos tumbados, Belinda can be discovering therapeutic by means of her most private songs but.

“It’s an period about taking dangers,” Belinda says. “I’m working more durable than ever. I like that lots of people are connecting with these songs. I really like this period and I consider it’s a vital one for me.”

Although Belinda was born in Madrid, she grew up and first cultivated her profession in Mexico Metropolis. After starring in kids’s telenovelas, she launched her Latin pop profession in 2003 together with her self-titled debut album. Within the decade that adopted, Belinda scored a number of hits with songs that embraced pop-rock, electro-pop, and EDM. After her 2013 album, Catarsis, she largely centered on collaborations that put a pop twist on reggaeton and cumbia. Belinda’s hiatus lastly ended final October when she signed with Warner. This previous yr, she has taken on the Mexican corrido together with her pop-infused hits “Cactus” and “300 Noches.”

Like Shakira and Karol G earlier than her, Belinda has opened up about her previous relationships in her latest songs. She additionally hit again at her critics within the last music of the trilogy, the empowering “La Mala.” Although Belinda made headlines final week on a runway in Paris, she is taking the autumn in stride as one other second of resilience in her 20-plus yr profession. Over Zoom, Belinda caught up with Uproxx about her musical comeback, her upcoming single with Kenia Os, and what to anticipate from her new album that’s due out subsequent yr.

How do you are feeling about returning to music and the songs that you just launched this yr?

I really feel very grateful. I really feel very completely satisfied and fortunate to do what I like to do. I’m working rather a lot. I’m attempting to remain true to myself by way of the music. I don’t wish to permit myself to be caught in the identical place by way of music, performing, and serving seems. I’m in a chapter of my profession the place I’m having fun with this journey and course of a lot.

Within the music “Cactus,” you speak about music being a type of remedy for you. How would you describe the expertise of discovering therapeutic by means of your new songs?

Clearly, it’s an ideal type of remedy for me as a result of I all the time write my songs. I all the time let loose what I wish to say by means of the lyrics and music. I’m tremendous related with all the things that I’m writing and with every music. Music is one hundred pc my finest type of remedy.

The place did the concept come from to combine Mexican corridos with pop in your songs?

I needed for corridos to not solely be seen as violent songs. I wish to deliver that fashion of music to a different stage that’s extra pop. I needed to create a fusion of sounds. With that in thoughts, I made “Cactus,” “300 Noches,” and “La Mala,” which simply got here out. I needed to fuse música Mexicana with kinds of music which can be tremendous pop.

Natanael Cano is a pioneer of corridos tumbados. What was the expertise prefer to work with him on “300 Noches”?

I liked it! I like Nata a lot. He’s an ideal artist. He was the primary one to take corridos tumbados to a different stage. He was the primary individual I noticed making corridos. It was a shock that he needed to do this music with me. It was like, “Wow! I can’t consider he loves ‘300 Noches.’” Now we’re on the Billboard charts along with that music.

How did you are feeling to reclaim your story and handle your critics with the music “La Mala”?

I really like that this music is entice blended corridos. I really feel prefer it’s very cool, completely different, and particular. I prefer it as a result of it’s an anthem for ladies. It doesn’t need to essentially be based mostly on one thing that’s actual. Merely put, all us girls typically like to decorate up like a mala [bad girl] by placing on an attractive outfit and dancing and strolling feeling fierce, highly effective, and exquisite. Once we’re feeling attacked, inferior, or unappreciated, we have now the power to maintain going ahead. An important factor I realized is to by no means take all the things private. Earlier than this music, I’d all the time take all the things private. I used to be like, “It’s me! Oh my God! It’s me!” This music is for them to know to not take something private, and so they’ll be a lot happier. It’s certainly one of my favorites from the album.

The Latinx Web lit up while you have been singing alongside to “La Mala” with Danna in a video on TikTok.

That was very cool! We’re mates and colleagues. We’ve seen one another a couple of occasions, however I respect her and I like her. As a girl, I consider that we have now to assist one another.

What are you able to inform us about your upcoming single with Kenia Os?

My subsequent single is tremendous girly pop with Kenia Os. I consider she’s the primary feminine Mexican artist that I’m doing a music with. That is the primary time that I’m singing with a Mexicana colleague of mine. I really like her a lot. She’s a really hard-working lady. When there’s a will, there’s a means. It’s going to come back out in October. We’re going to document the music video this week. I’m certain that it’s going to shock folks, and so they’re going to like it.

Who do you wish to collaborate with subsequent?

For this album, I’m working with Mala Rodríguez. I’m additionally doing a music with Tito Doble P, who’s one other nice artist in corridos tumbados. Loads of completely different collaborations are coming. I’m excited for everybody to listen to all this music quickly that I’m certain will shock them.

What can we count on from the album that you just’re engaged on?

I really feel very completely satisfied and grateful with the end result. I’m extra concerned on this album than ever earlier than. I’m extra related. It’s an album that may shock lots of people. It has many various genres on it. It’s a really various album. You’re not going to listen to just one style on it as a result of I don’t prefer to field myself into only one style. I wish to be happy. I would like the liberty of writing about no matter I really feel and no matter I wish to sing about. I don’t wish to really feel like I’m trapped in a cage. I all the time prefer to have that freedom of expression artistically and creatively. This album makes me really feel that freedom.

Along with empowering girls, your songs have all the time given your power to your queer followers. Do you will have a message to your followers within the LGBTQ+ group?

After all! Love is free. I’ve a really giant following from the LGBTQ+ group. I’m all the time going to assist, respect, and love my LGBTQ+ followers. I’m going to do this all the time and endlessly.

After the autumn in the course of the L’Oréal Paris Style Present, how did you are feeling to get love and assist from Anitta and Andie MacDowell?

That was a phenomenal second [with Andie MacDowell]. A narrative got here out of that second the place I felt horrible. That runway was about love, sisterhood, and respect amongst girls. It wasn’t a runway the place you needed to look critical or good. Generally while you wish to management all the things, one thing goes improper. You notice that you could’t management all the things and I’m a management freak. I wish to management my work. I wish to be good. I examine each element of my music, my lyrics, of a photograph, of all the things. On the finish of the day, you possibly can’t management all the things. It’s a must to let it go. There’s all the time going to be a brand new day, and also you’ll have a brand new alternative to be reborn and shine.

Now that you just’re nicely acquainted with Anitta, would you prefer to make a Brazilian funk music together with her sooner or later?

I’d love that. I really like Anitta! She’s the most effective!

What do you wish to accomplish subsequent?

I’d like to open the doorways for extra girls who wish to make música Mexicana as a result of earlier than there weren’t any girls on this style. Now I’m fearlessly taking up this style, creating fusions, and making it in order that it’s not only for males. Us girls also can sing corridos tumbados. I really like that. I wish to join with folks in a really deep, profound, and exquisite means. I wish to be the most effective model of myself that I will be. I wish to hold dreaming and rising as an artist and as a human being.