Early life

As Rubio has stated of herself "I have been famous since I was born", as she is the daughter of Mexican actress Susana Rue, best known by her stage name Susana Dosamantes, and Enrique Rubio, a lawyer. Rubio was born in Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico. Rubio has a younger brother named Enrique.

From the age of 5, Rubio was taking singing, acting, jazz, painting, and dance lessons while enrolled at what is now the Centro de Educación Artística (CEA) in Mexico. After two years there, Rubio’s parents were contacted by Julisa and Guillermo del Bosque for approval of Rubio’s joining a band that would be formed by children from the center.

Career

1982-99: Early work

On 30 April 1982, she began her singing career when she was ten years old under the guidance of Miguel Bosé, debuting in the popular children's pop group Timbiriche. The original band had seven members: Alix Bauer, Benny Ibarra, Diego Schoening, Mariana Garza, Paulina Rubio, Sasha Sökol, and Erik Rubín (who joined a year later). Other members of the band were Eduardo Capetillo, Thalía, and Edith Márquez. Rubio recorded 11 albums as part of Timbiriche. In 1985, Timbiriche participated in the musical Vaselina (Spanish adaptation of the American musical Grease). In 1991, Rubio left Timbiriche to focus on a solo career, and moved to Spain to begin work on her first album with Arely García. Having gained popularity in Timbiriche and inspired by Thalía's increasing international success in telenovelas, Rubio turned to acting in telenovelas with Televisa. She landed her first role in 1988 as the villain Paulina Montenegro in Pasión y Poder. In 1992, she starred in Baila Conmigo, one of the biggest telenovelas of that year, as Andrea.

In 1992, she released her debut album, La Chica Dorada, under EMI Latin; the album's title would quickly become Rubio's trademark nickname. La Chica Dorada was certified Diamond in 1997 in her native Mexico, and she was presented with an award during her promotion of Planeta Paulina on Verónica Castro's defunct music show, La Tocada. The first single, "Mío", was a success, peaking at number three on Billboard's Hot Latin Tracks while reaching number in Mexico and number one in Spain; "Amor de Mujer", "Abriendo las Puertas al Amor", and "Sabor a Miel" were released as the following singles, reaching No. 8, No. 9, and number 22 respectively in the United States. "Sabor a Miel" peaked at No. 2 while "Abriendo las Puertas al Amor" peaked at No. 3 on the Mexican charts.

In 1993, she released her sophomore effort, 24 Kilates, which sold 150,000 copies in two weeks of its release. The album peaked at No. 1 in Mexico. "Nieva, Nieva" was released as the first single which reached No. 27 on the Hot Latin Tracks and became Paulina's first No. 1 single in Mexico. "Él Me Engañó" and "Asunto de Dos" were released in Mexico and peaked at No. 1 and No. 5 respectively. The same year, Rubio received two nominations for the 1993 Premio Lo Nuestro Awards for the categories Female Pop Artist and New Pop Artist of the Year.

In 1995, El Tiempo Es Oro was released. It included the hits "Te Daría Mi Vida" and "Nada de Ti" which peaked at number one in Mexico while "Hoy Te Dejé De Amar" peaked at number nine. Also included on the album was the theme song and title-track to the 1994 Mexican film Bésame En La Boca, in which she also starred as the lead role. In 1996, she released her last album under EMI Latin, Planeta Paulina, which included the hit single "Enamorada" which peaked at No. 2 in Mexico. "Pobre Niña Rica" was featured as the theme song of the 1995 telenovela in which she also starred as Alma, Pobre Niña Rica. Rubio also recorded English versions of several songs which did not appear on the album. Some of these songs were released years later on the hits compilation I'm So in Love: Grandes Éxitos. The first single off the album "Siempre Tuya Desde La Raíz" peaked at No. 1 in Mexico while "Sólo Por Ti" peaked at #7.

EMI declined to release Paulina's first English crossover album, which was supposed to be the English version of the Planeta Paulina album. Because of that, Rubio got in a legal battle against EMI for not fulfilling what they had already planned. She eventually had to pay money so EMI could let her leave the record company.

After the release of Planeta Paulina, Rubio took a break on her career. Except for her participation in 1998's successful Reencuentro Tour with Timbiriche, Rubio was absent from the music scene for nearly four years.

2000-02: Paulina and Border Girl

Paulina's return to the music scene began in the summer of 1999 when she recorded Richard Daniel Roman's "Vive El Verano", the theme song to a summer TV show where she was the host of in Spain. On 23 May 2000, Rubio released her fifth album, Paulina, her first release under Universal Music Latino; she was given complete control over the album. It was nominated three times at the second annual Latin Grammy Awards for "Album of the Year", "Song of the Year", and "Best Female Pop Vocal Album"; she became the winner of multiple prestigious awards. It became Rubio's first number-one album on Billboard's Top Latin Albums chart, and number 156 on the US Billboard 200, and was on the charts for more than two years. Paulina was the best selling Latin album in the United States in 2001, selling over 1 million copies in the US alone. Paulina has sold more than 4 million copies. The album's singles, "Lo Haré Por Ti", "El Último Adiós", "Y Yo Sigo Aquí", and "Yo No Soy Esa Mujer", peaked at numbers 13, 18, three and seven respectively on Billboard's Hot Latin Tracks chart. Other releases include "Sexi Dance" and "Tal Vez, Quizá" which peaked at numbers thirty-four and forty-two on the same chart. All singles have peaked inside the top ten in Mexico. She then embarked on a tour across North America and Europe to promote Paulina.

On 18 June 2002, Rubio's sixth album Border Girl, her first foray into English-language pop, was released. The album peaked at number five in Mexico, number 14 in Spain, and number nine in Canada. In the US, the album debuted at number eleven on the Billboard 200 albums chart and was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipments of 500,000 copies in the country. The first single "Don't Say Goodbye" peaked at number 41 position on the US Billboard Hot 100, while the Spanish version reached number five on the Hot Latin Tracks. "The One You Love" was released as the second single reaching number 98 on the Hot 100 while the Spanish version, "Todo Mi Amor", reached number five on the Hot Latin Tracks chart, becoming her second top five hit from the album. Also, the Spanish version of the single "Casanova" reached number 37 on the Hot Latin Tracks. On 21 June 2002, the Houston, Texas radio station 104.1 KRBE declared 21 June "Paulina Day" in Houston. In the fall of 2002, Rubio toured and performed material from Border Girl as the opening act for fellow Latin pop star Enrique Iglesias.

2004-08: Pau-Latina and Ananda

Rubio's seventh studio album, Pau-Latina, was released in 2004. It became her second album to debut at the top of the Top Latin Albums chart, and peaked at number 105 on the Billboard 200. The album's first single, "Te Quise Tanto", became her biggest single to date, becoming her first single to reach the top position on the Billboard Hot Latin Tracks chart for six non-consecutive weeks. Its third single, "Dame Otro Tequila", also reached number-one. Other releases included "Algo Tienes" and "Mía", both which made the Billboard's Hot Latin Tracks top ten, reaching numbers four and eight respectively. The same year, she hosted the MTV Video Music Awards Latinoamérica 2004, becoming the first time ever a female artist hosted the event. There she performed a mix of "Dame Otro Tequila" and Pitbull's "Culo". Rubio was also named People en Español's 2005 Star of the Year. Rubio attended the 2004 and 2005 Billboard Awards, performing "Te Quise Tanto" and "Algo Tienes", respectively. Pau-Latina won several awards during the year and was nominated for a Latin Grammy for "Best Pop Female Vocal Album" in 2004. In 2005, she was nominated for a Grammy Award for "Best Latin Pop Vocal Album." She was the only female nominated in that category. She began her second solo tour and first solo world tour, called the Pau-Latina Tour in 2005 through 2006.

Rubio released her eighth album Ananda on 19 September 2006. It reached number 25 on US Billboard 200 albums chart, and the number-one spot on Top Latin Albums. Ananda was certified and given a multi-platinum award for album sales of 250,000 in the US and Puerto Rico. Its first single, "Ni Una Sola Palabra", reached number 98 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and was Rubio's third song to top both the Hot Latin Songs and Pop Latin Songs. It additionally won a Billboard Award in 2007. "Nada Puede Cambiarme" was released as the second single from the album, and had moderate success peaking at number 21 on the Hot Latin Songs and reached number 10 on the Mexican chart. The music video as well as the song features American guitarist Slash. The third single released from Ananda was "Ayúdame". It had a lower success, reaching numbers 36 on the Hot Latin Songs and 12 in Mexico. Rubio performed at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Oslo, Norway, alongside Rihanna, John Legend, and Lionel Richie, who also lined up to honor the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize recipient, Muhammad Yunus.

In 2007, Rubio recorded the song "Nena" as a duet with singer Miguel Bosé, from his album Papito. "Nena" became a major hit in Mexico, peaking at number two for several weeks. It was also nominated for "Record of the Year" at the 8th Annual Latin Grammys. Rubio embarked on her second world tour Amor, Luz Y Sonido in 2007. In October, the Spanish edition of Cosmopolitan magazine featured her apparently naked underneath a red, white, and green sheet. A government probe was open about whether or not she had desecrated Mexico's flag. The Mexican government said she may have violated an article in the National Flag, Shield and Anthem Law, which states that "private individuals will give the appropriate respect to the national symbol and handle it with care". The offense can be punished by fines ranging from $45,000 to $50,000 MXN (Mexican pesos) and jail time of up to 36 hours. However, in a published report, her mother, Susana Dosamantes, said that the artist did not authorize such photos. In 2008, Rubio participated in the mega event ALAS, developed simultaneously in Mexico and Argentina. Rubio performed in Buenos Aires in front of 180,000 people, along with Shakira, Calle 13, Mercedes Sosa, Alejandro Sanz and Gustavo Cerati.

2009-10: Gran City Pop

Rubio released the album Gran City Pop on 23 June 2009, and was met with both critical acclaim and commercial success. The first single off the new album was called "Causa y Efecto". Speaking to a Mexican radio program, the "Golden Girl" said that the new material presented many changes, while also explaining: "At the same time I remain very loyal to my music - my rancheras, boleros with my... ...those rhythms with children - those children songs with such simple rhythms." The production has songs by Mario Domm, the leader of Camila, and Estéfano. She later continued: "There are some songs of mine with Coti; this is an album to get out the child from within us". It also includes work by Los Rabanes and Jeremías.

The album sold 10,788 copies in its first week of release in the United States. Later, a Spanish website published that Gran City Pop sold more than a million and a half copies worldwide. With the success of Gran City Pop, Rubio performed at many award shows. Rubio's big comeback took place in the month of April at the 2009 Latin Billboard Music Awards, where Rubio performed the lead single "Causa y Efecto" for the first time. Rubio performed live at Univision's Premios Juventud, singing "Causa y Efecto" with a different musical arrangement and choreography.

Rubio appeared at Los Premios MTV Latinoamérica 2009 on 15 October 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 Act and Artist of the Year, winning Best Solo Act and Best Live Performance for her performance with Cobra Starship. Paulina began her Gran City Pop Tour, her third international trek, in September 2009. The album's first single, "Causa y Efecto", was released with incredible success, topping the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart for 5 consecutive weeks, as well as topping the charts for several weeks in Mexico. It became Paulina's fourth No. 1 on the Hot Latin Songs chart. The song also had success in Spain, where it topped the airplay charts for several weeks and peaked at No. 7 on the official chart, while topping the charts in several Latin American countries.

The second single released from Gran City Pop was "Ni Rosas Ni Juguetes", which peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart and No. 5 on the Latin Pop chart. It is described as being ranchera/pop with a hip hop beat. The music video was directed by acclaimed director, Jessy Terrero. On 11 November 2009 she released the official remix of "Ni Rosas Ni Juguetes" with a new video and it featured the Cuban rapper Pitbull. The Mr. and Mrs. Smith themed video was premiered to the world in early 2010. Gran City Pop received a Grammy nomination at the 52nd Grammy Awards for "Best Latin Pop Album". The third single from the album was "Algo De Ti", which was released to radio on 22 March 2010 in Spain and on 19 May 2010 in the U.S. However, Universal Music Latino later declined to continue promotion of "Algo De Ti" to radio outlets, as a result it was unable to chart. It received radio support only from the Los Angeles-based KSSE 107.1 FM Súper Estrella station.

In February 2010, Paulina participated in a charity song for the people of Haiti, a cover of "We Are The World" in Spanish, titled "Somos El Mundo". Later on, Paulina announced via Twitter that a duet with a talented English singer would be released soon. A few weeks later, a duet featuring Paulina and English singer Taio Cruz leaked to the Internet, which later turned out to be a Spanglish version of Cruz's single "Dirty Picture". The collaboration was released on the Spanish edition of his album Rokstarr. In February 2011, it was confirmed that Paulina would participate on MTV Unplugged: Los Tigres del Norte and Friends, a live album by Los Tigres del Norte. Paulina and the band performed "Golpes en el Corazón", which was released as the first single off the album on 23 May 2011. Paulina was also featured in Gloria Trevi's album, Gloria, on the track "No Al Alguacil." The song was expected as the third single off Trevi's album, but failed to get a release.

2011-14: Brava!, La Voz... and The X-Factor USA

Work on Rubio's tenth studio album, Brava!, started in 2010. At the time, she was writing songs with Nelly Furtado and Cobra Starship, while also working with Moroccan producer RedOne. She said that the reason she wanted to do a Spanglish album is that she wanted to mix the language of her home Mexico and the United States. "I grew up in Mexico, but I've always been between the United States and my country. This is all done with a wink and a nod to 'Spanglish' culture, which continues to grow and has a foot in both worlds", the singer said. She stated in a radio interview that this album would be different from all her other albums because being a mother and the death of her father had inspired her tremendously. She also said that 70% of the album's songs would be in Spanish, while only 30% in English.

Brava! was released on 15 November 2011, with 10 tracks, seven of which were in Spanish, while three in English. "Me Gustas Tanto", the lead single, was to be released on 13 September 2011, but was released a week prior. "Me voy" was released as the album's second official single in Latin America on 14 February 2012, with a re-worked version featuring the Mexican singer-songwriter Espinoza Paz. A new English song titled "Boys Will Be Boys" was released in Europe on 24 March 2012. The song was released as the first single from Brava! Reload, an EP which included eight songs in English produced by RedOne. The song was also produced by RedOne, who also produced the music video of the single. The video was filmed in London. In 2012, two editions of the album were released and they included all the songs Paulina worked on with RedOne. Europe's edition was titled Brava! Reload and it was released on 24 July 2012, while the Latin American edition was called Bravísima! and was released on 18 September 2012 and the US edition on 22 October.

Rubio participated as a coach on the second season of La Voz... México along with Jenni Rivera, Miguel Bosè and Beto Cuevas. The second season premiered in Mexico on 9 September 2012. Rubio was also one of the three coaches for La Voz Kids, the singing competition for kids from seven to fourteen years old on Telemundo. Although she was initially slated to return for the series' second season in 2014, on 23 December 2013, Telemundo announced that Rubio would be replaced by singer Natalia Jiménez. In January 2014, Rubio then sued Telemundo for alleged breach of contract. In May 2013, it was confirmed that Rubio would become a new judge for season three of the American version of The X Factor alongside Simon Cowell, Demi Lovato and fellow new judge Kelly Rowland. In December 2014, Rubio guest starred as herself on The CW series, Jane the Virgin.

2015-present: eleventh studio album

In February 2015, Rubio's single "Mi Nuevo Vicio" featuring Colombian group Morat, expected to be included on her eleventh studio album, was released. It has reached number one in Spain, and number 16 in Mexico. It additionally attained a 2x Platinum certification in Spain for sales of 80,000 copies.

Other ventures

In 2007, Rubio launched her own lipstick in partnership with MAC Cosmetics titled "Rubia". Paulina stated, "I love wearing make-up and use MAC products on stage and off, it's suitable for all occasions. I was thrilled when M.A.C approached me to create a new shade of lipstick and I instantly thought it should be a bold, vibrant matte lipstick that will look sexy on all women." In 2008, Paulina launched her own fragrance titled "ORO". The fragrance was released and created in conjunction with Oracle Beauty Brands. "This fragrance is for women like me who believe in themselves; are strong, fun and unpredictable, yet tender and loving. I put so much creativity and love into this fragrance, I feel as if a drop of me is in each and every bottle to be shared with my fans and all women", said Rubio.

Rubio has also ventured out into modeling. She has walked on runways of events from designers such as Alvin Valley, Gaudí, Roberto Cavalli, Kiff-Kiff, among others. The singer is also signed under Elite Model Management, a modeling agency. In 2003, the singer signed with Mexican shoes company Andrea to be their face for at least three years. Rubio was the "face" of the opening campaign for the French fashion house Louis Vuitton in Latin America in 2006. In 2013, she launched her own brand of purses and shoes inspired by her son, Andrea Nicolás. She also has a restaurant in Miami Beach called L’Entrecote de Paris.

Philanthropy and humanitarian work

In 2007, Paulina joined the Latino Commission on AIDS, an organization in the fight against the spread HIV/AIDS in the Latino community. Paulina became the first "Mexican Madrina" to partner with the organization. Paulina stated, "It is important to make our voice heard and try to bring back some of the care that the community shares each day". On 17 May 2008, Paulina performed at the ALAS concert (América Latina en Acción Solidaria). The organization's mission is to strengthen and expand public and private sector support for Early Childhood Development in Latin America. In 2009, the singer received recognition from the American Heart Association for her work with the organization. Rubio also performed at the event to raise funds.

On 3 December 2009, Paulina held a press conference announcing the creation of an organization in partnership with the Lili Claire Foundation to provide assistance to children living with neurological disorders and their families. Fundación Paulina Rubio is a project inspired by children in anguish as a result of homelessness, birth defects, and lack of education among other pernicious plights that many face today. By directing funds through other pre-existing organizations, such as The Lili Claire Foundation, children will receive a unique and comprehensive blend of support services including medical and behavioral genetics clinics, psychosocial counseling, advocacy services, information libraries, and community outreach that will ultimately help improve the lives of families and children living with neurogenetic disorders.

In 2010, Rubio hosted the Paulina & Friends exclusive benefit concert for The Lili Claire Foundation which showcased musicians such as Luis Fonsi, Aleks Syntek, Noel Schajris, Reik and Fanny Lú. The purpose of the event was to raise funds to build a family resource center. "My friends mean everything to me and I am happy to have the opportunity to share the stage with them to support this great cause. All of them are excellent musicians and I know that as always, they’ll do their best to make this an unforgettable night", said the singer. Jeff Simmons, community relations manager for The Lili Claire Foundation said, "I'm really surprised to see the number of artists who continue to join in on this great event, it's truly a blessing. Their contribution to the Paulina & Friends concert is spectacular and the Lili Claire Foundation will be forever grateful".

Personal life

On 30 April 2007, Rubio married public relations executive Nicolás "Colate" Vallejo Nájera in Xcaret, a park on the Mayan Riviera in Cancún, Quintana Roo.

On 5 May 2010, the artist announced through Twitter that she was expecting her first child. Her brother, Enrique Rubio, corrected the statement that she was supposedly expecting twins, which was not true. Paulina stated that if the child was a boy, he would be named after his father, Nicolás. If it was a girl, she would be named after Rubio's great-grandmother, Micaela. On 15 September 2010 Paulina announced on her Twitter page that she was expecting a boy. On Sunday, 14 November 2010, Rubio and her husband welcomed their first child, a boy named Andrea Nicolás Vallejo-Nájera Rubio in Miami, Florida. Prior to the birth, Rubio had planned on having a water birth at home, but was rushed to the hospital and spent the weekend with doctors working to stabilize the health of the baby. Hospital staff tried to send Rubio home so that she could realize her dream of a natural home birth, but the complications led her medical team to schedule a c-section.

On 11 January 2011, her father, Enrique Rubio González, died at the age of 67 in a Mexico City hospital. A consensus of various news sources attributed his death to kidney failure.

In March 2012, Rubio's husband told Hola! that he and the singer were separating after nearly five years of marriage. "It has been a decision by both of us, though it’s possible that I have been more firm when it came to carrying it out," he said in an interview with the Spanish publication. "I have the feeling there is no going back", Vallejo-Nájera said, disclosing that he and Rubio had been living apart since November and that their only communication with each other was about their son, Andrea Nicolás, born in November 2010. Nevertheless, Colate said that he will always be "grateful to Paulina" for their time together. The divorce was finalized in March 2013.

In 2013, Rubio began dating Mexican singer Gerardo Bazúa, a former contestant from her team on La Voz... México. In early 2015, reports confirmed that Rubio had broken up with Bazúa because she found out he was cheating on her, although on 5 March 2016, Rubio gave birth to their son in Miami at Mercy Hospital.

Discography

Main article: Paulina Rubio discography

• La Chica Dorada (1992)
• 24 Kilates (1993)
• El Tiempo Es Oro (1995)
• Planeta Paulina (1996)
• Paulina (2000)
• Border Girl (2002)
• Pau-Latina (2004)
• Ananda (2006)
• Gran City Pop (2009)
• Brava! (2011)
• TBA (2016)

Tours

• 2001: Paulina World Tour
• 2002: Tour With Enrique Iglesias
• 2004-2005: Pau-Latina World Tour
• 2007: Amor, Luz Y Sonido
• 2009-2010: Gran City Pop Tour
• 2012: Brava! Tour

Filmography

Films

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1983	El día del compadre	Unknown role	Film debut
1995	Bésame en la boca	Claudia Romero

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1988	Pasión y poder	Paulina Montenegro	Co-lead role
1992	Baila conmigo	Andrea de la Reguera	Co-lead role
1995	Pobre niña rica	Alma	Co-lead role
2004	Los Roldán	Herself
2004	Cuando éramos niños	Herself	TV movie documentary
2009	Atrévete a soñar	Herself	"Con quién" (Season 1, Episode 114)
2013	La voz kids	Herself	Judge
2013	The X Factor	Herself	Judge
2014	Jane the Virgin	Herself	"Chapter Nine" (Season 1, Episode 9)
2015	Nuestra Belleza Latina 2015	Herself	Celebrity guest (Finale)

[ Source: Wikipedia ]