All Things In Time: Lucero, Billboard

Mexican singer/actress Lucero, a celebrity and TV star who started her acting career at 10 years old, hasn't been a major music seller in the United States. Her top-selling stateside album, 1995's "Lucero de Mexico," has sold 49,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

But now, at 41, Lucero has found her mojo. Backed by a new, top-rated soap opera and multiple endorsement deals, Lucero has netted the top-selling week of her three-decade career with "Indispensable." The album debuts this week at No. 4 on Billboard's Top Latin Albums chart—Lucero's first top 10 appearance —and sells 4,000 copies.

Lucero recorded the album—produced by Ric Wake and Cesar Lemos—on her own dime and label. She then licensed it to indie Siente. The Venevision International label, a joint venture with Universal, is headed by Venevision VP of music Jorge Pino, with whom the singer worked when she was signed to Sony and later to EMI.

Lucero's top 10 chart surge can be attributed in part to renewed interest in her star status. Although the artist has been a major celebrity in her native Mexico, her revamped svelte, sexy image has struck a louder chord. Aiding that buzz is soap opera "Soy Tu Dueña." Airing on Televisa in Mexico and on Univision in the United States, the show casts Lucero as a forceful woman. And providing musical backdrop for all of the soap's romantic scenes is Lucero's single, "Dueña de Tu Amor."

To help promote the album, Siente launched a TV campaign on Univision, Telefutura and Galavision. Lucero, most recently featured on the cover of People en Espanol, also made several key media appearances prior to the album's release, including an interview on talk show "Cristina." As a result of her renewed popularity, Lucero is also lining up endorsement deals with such companies as Oil of Olay.

In Mexico, "Indispensable" will be released Oct. 12 with backing from Siente partner Universal Music Mexico. "This is a completely media-centric artist," Pino says. "And right now, she's in her best moment."

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