You probably remember Danna Paola from the Spanish TV show ‘Elite’, she was the actress behind the powerful Lu. But what many people don’t know is that Danna has years and years of an amazing career, crossing between acting and singing. To make you know her more deeply, we bring all aspects of the artist’s professional life.
- From México to the World: Soap Operas
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Danna Paola Rivera Munguia was born in Mexico City on June 23, 1995. Her father is José Juan Rivera, a member of a musical band from Mexico called the “Ciclón” group, famous during the 80s.
Her first appearance on TV was in 1999, on the children’s program “Plaza Sésamo”, a Mexican version of The Muppets. In 2000, Danna made her premiere in soap operas in the production “Rayito de Luz”, but her first big success was with the character Maria Belén, the protagonist of a soap opera with the same name, in 2001.
The little Danna launched her first studio album in the same year, called “Mi Globo Azul”. In the meantime, Broadway announced that she was a Latin proud, recognizing her amazing vocal ability.
Another significant character in her career was Amy Granados, a member of the drama “Amy, la niña de la mochila azul”. In this production, besides acting, Danna also participates in the soundtrack. A great part of her fans still remembers this important moment in Danna’s life.
- First Songs
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Her first EP came to life in 2007. The production includes five songs, but the biggest spotlight was “Mundo de Caramelo”, which won the Best Soap Opera Theme on Oye! Awards, considering that it was part of the show “Atrévete a Soñar”, an international success in which Danna played Patricia Peralta. The soap opera was exhibited on Disney Channel.
However, this moment of Danna’s life is also remembered due to a toxic relationship. The actress and Eleazar Gómez, her castmate in the soap opera, started dating during the “Atrévete a Sonãr” production. The actor was 23, but Danna was only 14 years old.
At first, Danna refused all Eleazar’s declarations because of the age difference, but she ended up agreeing with the date after so much insistence from the man. After some years of secret dating, they were spotted as an official couple. But according to close sources, Eleazar was extremely jealous. The dating ended in 2015, but Danna spent years without commenting on the case, on one occasion, she highlighted how violent he was. Presently, he is in jail for the assault committed on his current girlfriend, the Peruvian model Stephanie Valenzuela.
But back to music, in 2010, Danna Paola was the voice behind Rapunzel on the Latin American version of Disney’s Original Movie Tangled. Danna also had important life moments in theaters, she starred in the Spanish version of Wicked, the famous Broadway musical, playing the witch Elphaba. With this character, she won the Best New Actress in an International Musical at the ACPT Awards.
- Lucrecia
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“Elite” was a crucial moment in Danna Paola’s career. However, she almost lost this great opportunity that changed her life forever. The e-mail from Netflix landed in her spam box. Luckily, the actress found the message in time. Have you ever imagined a Lucrecia not performed by Danna Paola? It’s impossible!
Danna had to move to Madrid to act in “Elite”, this experience changed her life and gave her co-workers and great friends, or a family, as Danna prefers to say.
During three seasons of this phenomenon, she played the intricate Lu and her amazing acting skills left the audience in love with an influential and powerful character, but with questionable attitudes.
Smart, stylish, self-assured, and nevertheless intense. Not only Lucrecia captivated the public with her evolution and maturity, but also the actress who brought her to life. Danna Paola has already said that “Elite” was the change she needed in her career, and she will be forever grateful. To materialize Lu in her life, Danna tattooed a tiara (Lu’s trademark!) on her forearm and also named her puppy Lucrecia.
- Danna and her “Mala Fama”
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Danna has several tattoos, including the phrase “My future is unlimited” to remember it every day when she wakes up. Following the sentence idea, while she worked on her character in “Elite”, Danna decided to take a new step in her career: to get back to the music industry in a different way.
She held on to her melodies to show the world her history, her ideals, and above all, her strength. The biggest highlight was the hit “Mala Fama”, in which Danna gives a super message to the public: she is not afraid to be herself despite the others’ mean comments and she also doesn’t give a damn about the gossip that people create around her, referring to the countless times in which people have made up rumors about a relationship between her and another famous person.
Another element that joins the empowerment in Danna’s creation is honesty, all the situations treated in her songs are the result of personal experiences or from close friends. Everything comes totally from her heart.
“Oye Pablo” also cannot go unnoticed. The hit tells the story of an instant passion for a mysterious and charming guy called Pablo. The funny fact behind the song is that Danna actually met a man with the same name and got enchanted, but it took her a long time to find him again since she forgot to ask for his phone number. As far as is known, when Danna found him, nothing happened, but the whole affair generated one of her biggest successes.
- “Prefiero estar sola”: why Danna Paola is an inspiration to the world?
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One of her latest productions, the album K.O, is a reflection of all the power that she represents. “Calla Tú”, one of the singles, is a manifesto against the violence that women suffer every day.
In “Justified” and “T.A.C.O”, Danna tells how free she feels nowadays, without the ties of an unhealthy relationship. Through music, the singer expresses her feelings about the situations that affected her positively and negatively. Art will always be her greatest speech.
To finish, “Sola” is probably her best anthem. In this melody, Danna shows the public that being alone doesn’t have to be a problem. Always full of authenticity, creativity, and purpose, Danna Paola, who carries the title of Latin Pop Princess, shows why she is one of today’s biggest names.
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The article above was edited by Nicoly Bastos.
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