Gran City Pop

Gran City Pop is the ninth studio album by Mexican singer Paulina Rubio released by Universal Music Group on June 23, 2009. The album expanded the Rubio's stylistic palette by combining elements of genres such as ranchera, hip-hop, eurodisco or arena rock, and she became more involved in songwriting and creative elaboration, extracting influences from various dance-pop-based genres including electropop, synth-pop and eighties British pop.
In 2008, Rubio began working again with Argentinian music producer Cachorro López, who served as the executive producer of her previous album Ananda (2006). The two collaborated with various producers and writers on the album, including Lester Méndez, Mario Domm, Noel Schajris, Gianmarco and Fernando Osorio. And She returns to collaborate with Colombian songwriter Estéfano after six years, and other songwriters and producers with whom she previously collaborated such as Coti, Chris Rodriguez and Fernando Montesinos.
Gran City Pop received acclaimed reviews from music critics, many of whom complimented it as a return fresh sounds, and received a nomination for a Grammy Award for Best Latin Pop Album. In Mexico, Gran City Pop peaked at number two on the Mexican Albums Chart, and was certified gold by the Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas (AMPROFON). In the United States, the album debuted at number forty four on the Billboard 200, with first-week sales of over 9,400 copies, while it debuted at number two on the Top Latin Albums chart and number one on the Latin Pop Albums chart. Additionally, it sold 100,000 copies in United States and Puerto Rico, and manage to sell 300,000 copies worldwide.
Three singles were released from Gran City Pop. The lead single, "Causa Y Efecto", peaked at number one in the United States Latin charts, Mexico general chart and Spain airplay chart. Subsequent single "Ni Rosas Ni Juguetes" also was a success in Latin America, and "Algo De Ti" generally underperformed on the charts, but the music video was a hit in the television. To further promote the album, Rubio embarked on the Gran City Pop Tour in 2009.
Background and production
Following take a sabbatical year, Rubio released her eighth studio album, Ananda, in September 2006. Slated to be released as Rubio's comeback album, Ananda was certified twice times platinum in the United States after it atop at number one on the Billboard Top Latin Albums. In Spain, the album peaked at number two on the Spanish Albums Chart and was eventually certified double platinum, becoming her second best-selling album in that territory, after Paulina (2000). Critical reception towards Ananda was favourable, many critics felt it a transition to pop-rock sound, acknowledging Rubio's mature perceptions.
In November 2007, Universal Music announced Rubio's "started recording her next album in her [home]studio in Miami (Florida) which she plans to release in the fall of 2008" She had recently finished her Amor Luz y Sonido tour, so she had already written some songs. During American television and radio host Larry King's 75th birthday charity party, Rubio announced: "I've been recording with Estéfano, Cachorro López for many months ... They are my songs and Coti's, it's rock & roll, pop music, rancheras and those songs that touch your heart at a time when I am very much in love, very full, trying to put down roots." Until then, the production had features compositions by Estéfano, Los Rabanes, Jeremías, Noel Schajris, Gian Marco Zignago, Lester Méndez, and Mario Domm. Paulina prepared her album with her own songs with the help of Coti, who had a big influence in the writing of the album. Speaking to a Mexican radio program, she said that the new material presented many changes. She explained: "[...] at the same time I remain very loyal to my music; my rancheras, boleros, and simple rhythms like the songs we used to listen to as children". She also added: "This new production will have songs by Mario Domm, the leader of Camila, and Estéfano, but there are some songs of mine with Coti; it's an album to get out the child within us".
On December 8, 2008, Rubio performed at the opening of Teleton México to raise funds for the benefit of the Teleton Centers for Children with Different Abilities. She sing a pop-rock version of "Solo Le Pido A Dios", originally performed by Argentine folk rock musician León Gieco. At that time, Universal Music was already preparing the release of the first single, but it was delayed by Rubio's decision because "[I] thought I had finished the album and a person I love very much told me that it was not finished." Rubio explained "the album improved a lot from June to December [2008]. I wrote more songs and when I had 34 love letters, because that's what I call them [the songs], I chose 10 again and went back to redoing verses."
Since Rubio was during those months traveling around the world, especially going to and from Miami, Mexico and Madrid, most of the songs he wrote while giving concerts. She was very inspired by these three cities during the songwriting process.
Music and concept
The standard edition of Gran City Pop is thirty five minutes long, consisting of 10 tracks, while the deluxe adds bonus songs for different editions. A special edition was released on February 17, 2010 exclusively in Spain. This included remixes of "Causa Y Efecto" and "Ni Rosas Ni Juguetes"
Concept
The album was formed around the conceptual city of "Gran City Pop", created by Rubio and represented through the album's accompanying marketing and music videos. It is an utopic and "enormous city" where Rubio explore through "one vision, some of the life and musical experiences lived during the last years in many cities of the world." She was inspired by the cities of Mexico City, Miami and Madrid for the fictional city name, same cities were the albums was recording.
Gran City Pop is a mix of places, cultures and desires. Rubio describes it as a city "very earthy and very organic where everything is an amalgam; a mixture that allows to unite instead of divide", where borders do not exist; is a place "where people speak Spanglish, where freedom reigns and where love prospers and there is no violence". The metropolis exudes a smell of tequila, roses and red wine. In Gran City Pop, human rights are the fundamental pillar of the social system. There is no hate, no racism, no homophobia. Same-sex marriage is considered to be a human right. Its inhabitants "enjoy literature, music, gastronomy, friendship, family, sunsets and full moons."
In the album's booklet, journalist and writer Boris Izaguirre details how Rubio returns stepping "on the asphalt" of Gran City Pop. He describes her as a "rock soul" who manages to "unite all its bridges, combine its colors and savor its mixes "with the city to which he returns once more. Izaguirre makes the city of Gran City Pop visible with "skyscrapers of multiple colors", some of its streets are called México, Madrid, Miami, Mar y Mirar, which contain a "show of emotions, lights, dreams and hopes", where a mixture of places such as Maya, Hollywood, Bollywood, New York, London, Buenos Aires and Paris. He also cites the cultural influence of Julio Cortázar, Salvador Dalí, Andy Warhol, and Frida Kahlo. In his review of the album from Club Fonograma, Carlos Reyes described Rubio as "a hippy in the fancy pop city she aims to create", and acknowledged that Gran City Pop "not a very enchanting city, but it's got mayor with plenty of personality to win the popular vote."
Composition
The album highlights to "upbeat sound". with Rubio sounding "like she's having a blast on every song, even the ones that are about the pitfalls of love." She revealed that the songs "reflect the moment she is living and her growth as a person." Like her previous records, contains many different genres of music. Gran City Pop is an "eclectic" album, including pop rock, dance-pop, electropop and Latin pop-styles with 80s-influenced beats such as synth-pop, British pop and city pop. Much of the album discusses principle of karma, spirituality, fantasy, magic and illusion, all from the perspective of love.
Gran City Pop opens with "Causa y Efecto", a big-beat pop song propelled by sampled Gary Glitter's beat "Rock and Roll", which deals with the concepts of karma and causality. The second track "La Danza del Escorpión" was described as a "pungent club anthem" that sticks to distinctives Rubio's Latin guitar riffs. Lyrically it is about a "scorned love" where Rubio alludes to the popular legend of the scorpion and the fire that, when stung with its own sting, ends up poisoning itself. "Enséñame" is a romantic electro-pop and synth-pop song with guitars by Fernando Perdomo. It received positive reviews, but its lyrics were criticized for being cliché. The song was compared to works by the New Order. "Melodía De Tu Alma" is a pop ballad song that provides a glimpse into Rubio's love life with then husband Nicolás "Colate" Vallejo Nájera, recounting her wishes to start a family. The lyrics alluding to the popular concept of soulmate. "Más Que Amigo" is a rhythmic pop song about love and friendship.
Opening as radio station, the feminist anthem "Ni Rosas Ni Juguetes" is hybrid ranchera/hip-hop Latin pop song. Features a "boom-bap" beat and instrumentation similar to that of Tejano music, Rubio "half-raps, half-sings about how flowers and toys [from a man] won't earn her love". It was met with critical acclaim by most music critics, and was declared to be one of the high points tracks on the album. "Amanecí Sin Ti" is a reggae-style and folk-pop song with acoustic guitars, drums, bass, organs, and keyboards. The song channels a stream of overcoming, in which the narrator claims to feel better after a failed relationship. The eighth track, "Algo De Ti", is an electro-disco song with sampled strings rubbing against hard synth lines. The track opens with hazy sirens using a sound effects, with Rubio's whispery and melodious vocals contrast dance-pop beat. Over a ticking arrangement of keyboards, violins, cello, and harp harmonies, the song depicts feeling of living inside a vicious circle of a relationship destined to fail. It was compared to works by Lady Gaga. "A Contraluz" is an electronic track with Rubio whispering away as he moves on and ends the song. Rubio sings about deciding to end a romance without drama in the tenth track, "Escaleras de Arena". It is a pop rock, and arena tune, with hushed tambourine, guitar riffs, drums, and piano, that talks about "a relationship that ends" and the "disappointment of love" but from an optimistic point of view.
Artwork
Spanish design team Pon un Diseñador Gráfico en tu Vida were responsible for the artwork of Gran City Pop. For the album illustration, Paulina Rubio wears an "exotic" purple sequinned mini-dress with a sweetheart neckline, from the Armand Basi One Spring-Summer 2009 line. She completes her outfit with gold platform shoes with fringed bracelet signed by Christian Louboutin; and fingerless gloves. In it, she pretends to be singing, while clutching a silver microphone with a base. Rubio has his eyes closed with an expression of peace and happiness, while covering his half face with a purple "futuristic" face shield style cap. Behind her, a blue daytime sky and visible clouds; buildings; and the sea, reflecting the blue sky are shown. This is a shot of the city of Miami Beach, Florida, one of the cities inspired by "Gran City Pop". On the back cover of the album, Rubio looks much more rebellious and carefree with the city skyline behind her. She holding her electric guitar while the wind ruffles her blonde hair and she wears a pair of sunglasses. It was compared with City to City album cover by Gerry Rafferty painted by John Patrick Byrne. The photo sessions were done by Gustavo López Mañas, who worked with the singer for the first time. He took the concept of Rubio's album and managed to manifest his own stamp, inspired by comic books.
Promotion
Rubio's comeback took place in April 23, at the 2009 Billboard Latin Music Awards, where she performed Gran City Pops lead single, "Causa y Efecto", for the first time. She wore a pink sequined micro-mini-dress and fingerless gold gloves. According with Billboard, she "presented herself as a woman in command" setting off a stadium-style wave by the dancers and drummers onstage, belonging to Miami Northwestern Senior High School. Rubio also performed live at Univision's Premios Juventud. Rubio made a private concert at Gotham Hall in New York City on May 11 to promote Gran City Pop. The concert was presented by Univision Radio. During her stay in New York, she visited the MTV Tr3s Studios, she taped the show ESL, and presented fans the single "Causa y Efecto". The performance was aired on May 14.
Rubio appeared at Los Premios MTV Latinoamérica 2009 on October 15 along with Cobra Starship performing "Good Girls Go Bad" and "Ni Rosas Ni Juguetes". She was the female performer with the most nominations (and second most overall):
"Video of the Year", "Best Artist", "Best Pop Artist", "Best Solo Artist" and "Artist of the Year". She won "Best Solo Artist", which became her first award. Rubio and Cobra Starship won an MTV Award for "Best Live Performance at Los Premios 2009", as voted by the public, beating artists such as Shakira, Nelly Furtado, and Wisin & Yandel. On November 1, Paulina performed "Ni Rosas Ni Juguetes" on ¡Viva el Sueño!, a reality competition show similar to American Idol.
On November 12, she performed at the 2009 Premios Telehit in Mexico and was given the award for being the Mexican female artist with most international fame. Paulina performed at the Miss Colombia 2009 ceremony on November 16. Paulina performed at Premios Oye! and won the "Audience Award", given to her by her mother Susana Dosamantes. On February 5, 2010, Paulina performed at the 2010 Pepsi Super Bowl Fan Jam. On February 18, Paulina performed at the Premios Lo Nuestro 2010. Lastly, Paulina performed "Algo De Ti" for the first time at the 2010 Billboard Latin Music Awards on April 29 as a duet with rapper/singer Wyclef Jean.
Singles
Three singles were released to promote Gran City Pop. "Causa y Efecto" was released as its lead single on March 30, 2009. The song premiere was performed at the 2009 Latin Billboard Music Awards; it was one of the most expected moments of the night. Commercially, "Causa y Efecto" was a success in America and Spain, where it was certified platinum for selling 40,000 copies. It peaked at number one on the US Billboard Hot Latin Songs, Mexico Singles Chart, and Spanish Airplay Chart, while also reached the top 20 in Venezuela. An accompanying music video for the song was directed by Rudi Dolezal and features Rubio singing the song in different scenarios with an 80's retro vibe. The video shows a Newton's pendulum is observed that refers to the lyrics of the song. "Causa y Efecto" was awarded as Song of the Year Pop/Ballad by ASCAP, as well, received multiple nominations at different award ceremonies.
"Ni Rosas Ni Juguetes" was released as the album's second single on August 17, 2009. It peaked number one on Peru, and reached number three on Spain, where was certified platinum, becoming the album's second consecutive hit in that territory. In the United States, the song reached at number nine on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart, while peaked number five on the Latin Pop Songs chart. The accompanying music video, directed by Jessy Terrero, inspired by the movie Mr. & Mrs. Smith, features Rubio as an empowered woman. In November 2009, was released two alternate versions of "Ni Rosas Ni Juguetes"; The first, a duet remix featuring Pitbull, who contributed verses written by himself, the second, a banda version, with vocals by Regional Mexican singer Jenni Rivera.
"Algo De Ti" was released as the third single from the album, in April 2010. The single peaked at number 48 on the Spanish chart, thus becoming the first single release from Gran City Pop to miss charting inside the top 10, while peaking at number 32 on the Mexico Airplay chart. The music video of the song, directed by Steven Oritt, was premiered in June 2010 on Rubio's YouTube channel. It became one of the most watched videos on television in Spain in 2010. Although "Algo De Ti" would be the last single to be released from Gran City Pop, "La Danza Del Escorpión" was released as the only promotional single from the album, in December 2009. The single managed to reach the top 40 in Mexico, peaking at number 40 on the singles chart.
Tour
To promote the album, Rubio embarked on the Gran City Pop Tour, beginning on September 18, 2009, at the Star of the Desert Arena in Primm, Nevada. The first leg of the tour featured performances in United States, Caribbean and Mexico. The first two shows of the tour was sold out. The second leg consisting of concerts in South America, the third leg ran in May, 2010 in Spain, and the fourth leg close in Latin America. A live concert show, held at the Auditorio Nacional in Mexico City, was broadcast on Las Estrellas.
Critical reception
Gran City Pop received generally positive reviews from music critics. Phil Freeman from AllMusic praised Rubio's choice of collaborators and producers, and appreciated the album's cohesion "almost miraculously" despite "style-hopping" of each song "from electro to pop/rock to indefinable blends of whatever works." He also complimented Rubio's "ability to create consistent sound, and commented "she's a pure pop artist, throwing anything and everything at the wall with no goal beyond a hooky melody, and Gran City Pop has plenty of them." Rachel Devitt from Rhapsody gave the album a positive review and found it to be an "a potent reminder of why she is such a mega-star in the Latin pop world", adding that "Rubio's flexible voice and diva charisma allow her to carry off each style with attitude and flair."
Jesús Rodríguez de El País considers Gran City Pop as a "party and romance tailor's drawer; pop rhythms, Latin airs, rock guitars, rancheras and tequila, melodic song and disco sound packaged under the concept of the three cities that have marked her life: Mexico City, Madrid and Miami. " Dan Kimpel from Broadcast Music, Inc. praised the sound of the album and said that "the sonic scope of the songs and the production is vast and varied". He also highlighted Rubio's versatility as a songwriter and singer. David Dorantes from Houston Chronicle also praised the album's production, but felt that it did not contribute anything new and stated that "advancing along paths of fusion already well explored, it reflects a certain turn in his career, with more elaborate mixes than in previous albums." Music journalist Carlos Reyes was a bit more severe in his review from the Club Fonograma music blog, considering "[Gran City Pop] not a very enchanting city", although like most critics, he praised the album production and ended by saying that ay least "[Gran City Pop] got mayor (Rubio) with plenty of personality to win the popular vote."
Accolades
Commercial performance
Based on pre-orders sales alone, the album topped the iTunes' Latino chart. Gran City Pop debuted at number forty-four on the US Billboard 200, with first-week sales of over 9,400 copies; it marked Rubio's third highest-peaking album on the chart, behind Ananda (2006) and Border Girl (2002). The album debuted at number two on the US Billboard Latin Albums chart and number one on the Latin Pop Albums chart. The album sold over 100,000 copies in the United States and Puerto Rico.
Gran City Pop entered at number three on the Spanish Albums Chart, and peaked it number two. The album debuted at number two on the Mexican Albums Chart where received the Gold certification there for over 40,000 units in its first week. On the Spain Albums Chart, Gran City Pop debuted at number three. This album also earned Paulina five nominations to the MTV Awards.
The album sold over 300,000 copies all around the world in only one week after its release.
Track listing
Special Edition
The reissue Gran City Pop: Special Edition''' was released on February 17, 2010, by Universal Music Spain. This included a remix of "Causa y Efecto" a duet with Angel Y Khriz, another remix of "Ni Rosas Ni Juguetes" a duet with Pitbull that served to promote the material, and another remix of Juan Magán. This edition was released in Europe only.
Personnel
Credits adapted from the liner notes of Gran City Pop''.
Musicians
Paulina Rubio – lead vocals, backing vocals
Flor Ciarlo – additional backing vocals
Sebastián Schon – guitar, keyboards, bass programming
Cachorro López – bass guitar, synthesizer programming
Demian Nava – keyboards
Juan Blas Caballero – keyboards
Laura Rubio – additional backing vocals
Fernando Montesinos – guitar, electric guitar, keyboards, bass programming
Ruben Villanueva – arrangements
Fernando Perdomo – guitar, bass guitar, piano
Chris Rodriguez – programming, arrangements
Tony Smurphio – synthesizer
XTrings – strings
Derek Citron – drum
Jorge Balbi – drum
Dany Avila – drum
Lester Mendez – keyboards, harp, sound effects, string, piano, tambourine, vocoder
Sonus Quartet – strings
Vanessa Freebairn-Smith – cello, violin
James Freebarin-Smith – cello
Wendy Pedersen – additional backing vocals
John Fuzessy – additional backing vocals
Lyle Workman – guitar
Dan Warner – bass guitar
Lee Levin – drums, tambourine
Andres Levin – guitar, bass guitar, keyboards
Skoota Warner - drum
Nora Jimenez – additional backing vocals
Rebeca Rods – additional backing vocals
Fani Ela – additional backing vocals
Technical
Paulina Rubio – executive production
Cachorro López – production ; executive production
Sebastián Schon – engineering, recording
Demian Nava – engineering
Juan Blas Caballero – engineering
Cesar Sogbe – mixing, engineering
Fernando Montesinos – production
Bori Alarcón – mixing, engineering
Chris Rodriguez – engineering
Enrique Larreal – engineering
Pedro Nameron – engineering
Lester Mendez – production, engineering
Carlos "El Loco" – engineering
Joel Numa – engineering
Cody Acosta – engineering, recording
Andres Levin – engineering, recording
Ray Aldeco – engineering
Alex Garcia – engineering
Bob Power – mixing, engineering
Chris Gehringer – mastering
Artwork
Gustavo López-Mañas – photography
Pon un Diseñador Gráfico en tu Vida – design
Eli Tersse – art direction
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications and sales
References
2009 albums
Paulina Rubio albums
Universal Music Latino albums
Albums produced by Cachorro López
Concept albums