Paulina is the eponymous fifth studio album by Mexican singer Paulina Rubio, released on May 23, 2000 by Universal Music Latino. It was nominated at the second Latin Grammy Awards for "Album of the Year", "Best Female Pop Vocal Album", and "Best Song" for "Y Yo Sigo Aquí". There was also a nomination for the video of her single "Yo No Soy Esa Mujer", directed by Gustavo Garzón, at the third Latin Grammy Awards. The album became the biggest-selling Spanish language record in the United States in 2001, according to Nielsen SoundScan sold 2.5 million copies worldwide. which makes this album as Paulina's best-selling album to date. Paulina is one of the 10best-selling albums in Mexico with multi-platinum certification.
Album information
Paulina is Rubio's first album released under the Universal label. Produced by Marcello Azevedo. To date, it is Paulina’s most successful album and is known as her signature album that launched her career even further with Universal. After terminating her contract with EMI, Paulina took nearly four years to prepare this release. Paulina updated her music and got ready for this new challenge with new producers and songwriters such as Estéfano, Armando Manzanero, Alejandro García Abad, Ralf Stemmann, Christian De Walden, Richard Daniel Roman, Ignacio Ballesteros and even Juan Gabriel himself. Paulina spawned seven singles, 2 of which reached number one on Mexican radio: “Lo Haré Por Ti” and “Y Yo Sigo Aquí”. With this album, Paulina proved that she returned to the music scene to stay for quite some time, as well as her evolution as an artist.
Singles
Paulina spawned seven singles: "Lo Haré Por Ti", "El Último Adiós", "Y Yo Sigo Aquí", and "Yo No Soy Esa Mujer", were major hits across Latin America and the U.S.. "Sexi Dance" and "Tal Vez, Quizá" were also released to moderate success. "Vive El Verano" was released in Spain and Italy as a promotional single where it reached #1 on the radio. The first four singles that were released were considered her most popular and her signature singles with Universal that launched her career. Other two songs were released as promotional singles. "Sin Aire" was launched in Spain in the summer of 2001 and "Mírame A Los Ojos" in Brazil for the promotion of a telenovela, but it was well accepted that it was launched on radio stations.
Reception
The album received excellent reviews from the critics. Allmusic's Steve Huey gave a very good review, giving the album 4.5 out of 5 stars: "Paulina Rubio's fourth album, titled simply Paulina, is her first for the Universal label, and also her first in four years. The club/dance diva style of Planeta Paulina is still in evidence, but here Rubio also works in plenty of infectious Latin pop, plus a few show-stopping ballads. About half the tracks were written by Colombian songwriter Estefano, and they display a variety that's never been quite so fully realized on a Rubio album before. All in all, it's one of her best to date."
Commercial performance
Paulina was certified 4 time platinum in Mexico according to AMPROFON after reach sales of 600.000 copies. Her record company gave her a double diamond certification for selling 2 million copies worldwide. The presentation to grant these recognitions to Rubio was made in December 2001, during the television show in Mexico Otro Rollo. This record making Rubio the first female artist to receive that award. In the United States, Paulina reportedly sold 300,000 copies in its first certifield gold and platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America on November 17, 2000. It reached at number one on the BillboardTop Latin Albums chart on February 24, 2001, thirty-three weeks after his debut on the chart and it stayed there for two consecutive weeks. On May 26, a year after its release, the album topped the chart again at number one. During that period, she received her first standard-type gold certification for shipping 500,000 copies in that country. Rubio set a record by becoming the first Mexican singer to receive a standard RIAA gold certifield. The album reaching No. 156 on the Billboard 200 and No. 6 Heatseekers Albums. With its success, Rubio held the record for the highest 2001 sales by a latin artist and in total was certified 8× platinum for the shipping of 800,000 copies in the U.S alone. To july of 2002, Nielsen SoundScan reported a total Paulina's sales was 374,000 units. Paulina also peaked at #1 on the Mexican Albums Chart and reached #2 in Spain. With this album, Paulina achieved international recognition and success, as several of the album’s singles entered the Top 10 on Billboard'sHot Latin Songs chart in the US. The album was certified Gold and Platinum in Mexico, U.S, Colombia, Central America, Venezuela, Spain, Argentina, Chile, Peru and Ecuador. Worldwide the album sold 1.6 million copies the first year, the figure increased to 2.5 million in 2002.
