Timbiriche

First emerging as the brainchild of television network Televisa, dance-leaning Mexican pop group Timbiriche initially took the form of a quartet of aspiring child stars before proving itself to have unimaginable longevity. With actress Martha Zavaleta hand-selecting its members and the network overseeing the young talents’ immersive training in singing, dancing and acting, they were primed for showbiz, and, after the addition of two extra members, they debuted on Mexican screens in 1982 with a performance on the variety show Siempre en Domingo. The same year, they released an eponymous debut album, which spawned a number of hits including “Amor para tí”, “Hoy tengo que decirte Papá” and “Y la fiesta comenzó”. Enjoying exponential growth in the ensuing years despite undergoing several lineup changes, they made gains with a string of albums in the 1980s including Timbiriche VII (1987), which sold over a million copies in Mexico and led the band to record the theme for soap opera “Quinceañera”. By 1988, many of the group’s members had reached adulthood and opted to pursue careers as solo artists. Nonetheless, they continued to release new material as a collective, bagging an Eres Award in 1989 with the platinum-certified album Timbiriche X. The collective has since taken on an increasingly fluid quality, with a 2007 reality show openly recruiting new members and a grand total of 26 singers having been involved at some point. They officially disbanded in 2009, but have reemerged for several reunions, which have continued to prove popular despite the band’s original lineup having been warped beyond recognition.