NEW YORK — Thalia has been famous almost all her life. The singer and telenova actress’ greatest moments, and painful struggles, have been well documented by the media, which follow her every move. Still, her new book, “Growing Stronger,” contains revelations that may surprise even her biggest fans — like how at age of 6, the death of her beloved father caused her such great shock that she couldn’t make a sound for about a year. Or the guilt she harbored after the kidnapping of her sisters in Mexico in 2002. Or how her husband, music mogul Tommy Mottola, won her heart. Thalia, 40, spoke to The Associated Press last week about the chapters in her life, laughing at times, and fighting back tears when remembering her mother, Yolanda Miranda, who passed away last May, only a month before she gave birth to her son (she also has a 3-year-old daughter. “It’s a very intimate book where I expose myself a thousand (percent), where there is no mask, no small place kept guarded,” Thalia said. The book is out Tuesday. AP: What made you write this book at this point of your life? Thalia: This is a moment in which I feel very sure of who I am, very accepted, very peaceful, happy with the things I have done in my life, both personally and professionally. I thought it was an important time to share my story, my good and my bad experiences … in hopes that, in some way, my experiences can help the lives of others. AP: You touch happy subjects like your success, your marriage, and your children. But also delve into very painful ones. How hard was to revisit your past? Thalia: I exposed myself and I was left vulnerable. … It was very hard for me to put my life on paper. It was a very intimate process, very psychological, but at the same time liberating. It was like cleaning the closet, like cleaning the house. … It was very refreshing. AP: Was it cathartic in some way? Thalia: Yes (laughs). …This book really gave me the opportunity to rescue myself as a woman, as a human being, as a child, as an artist, and really helped me restructure my mind, psychologically, physically, spiritually, and get brilliant, clean, ready for a new adventure in my life. AP: What were the hardest subjects you tackled? Thalia: I think my life in general, like that of any human being, has highs and lows, has moments of great light and moments of great darkness. In my case, I feel that maybe those moments have really been extreme: They have been either too high or too low. And I thought for me, it was an opportunity to grow as a human being, to learn, by sharing these anecdotes, and also to make others see that there’s a chance to feel good despite a tragedy. AP: You were expecting your second child when you wrote this book and hormonal changes tend to make you more vulnerable. Did this help you to speak with your heart in this book? Thalia: Yes. Definitely having been pregnant during the process, there was an element of emotion, of opening my interior in a very maternal way. … When you are gestating, you feel full of life, you feel full of joy, you feel full of fantasy, of stories. And this was the specific moment that destiny chose to put this book in my path. AP: Your mother got to read this book and even helped you edit it, as you write in the prelude. What did she tell you? Thalia: The book was already finished and my mom came to visit me the week before what happened (her passing). I gave her the manuscript. I told her, “Here’s the book, let’s see what you think.” And she not only read it once, but as soon as she finished the last page, she started all over again. And we started to remember these stories. And we started to add anecdotes that were left out. We started to laugh. And we started to cry. And for me it was a very important moment, because she also had the opportunity, that week before her passing, to relive all her life, all those moments that we went through together, from my birth … to the biggest moments in my career. Maybe with this book, she also gave closure to some (things). AP: I know you two were very close, that you spoke every single day… What do you miss the most about her? Thalia: That, precisely. Everyday is like wanting to dial a number and no one answers. Getting to a place and think, “I’m gonna text her,” but there’s no one to send the message to. … The fact that she’s not here physically, that’s what’s painful. … It’s something I am working on not day by day or hour by hour, but minute by minute. I am trying to be stronger about this every day. Online:
