 |
|
|
 Entertainment | March 2007 
Mexican Singer Becomes a Star After Murder
 Leila Cobo - Billboard
| | Valentin Elizalde |
The video of Valentin Elizalde's single "Vencedor" depicts him as a ghostly, dead lover modeled after the character in "Ghost," a movie Elizalde loved. At the end of the video, he visits his own grave, marked by a tombstone that visibly reads: Valentin Elizalde, 1971-2006.
After the shoot, Elizalde asked that the tombstone be broken in pieces, deeming it too creepy.
A few months later, on November 25, he was shot dead by gunmen after playing a gig in Mexico.
If you were a follower of new banda music, you would have known Elizalde as an up-and-comer with huge possibilities. On the live music circuit, he was a star, known for his dynamic performances and charismatic persona.
But he had never broken the 100,000 mark or cracked the top 20 with any of his albums.
Now, he has 2007's top-selling Latin album so far, "Vencedor," out on Universal Music Latino.
Since his death, six other Elizalde albums have debuted on the chart, culminating with his albums recently occupying the No. 1 and No. 2 spots.
That feat has been accomplished by only three other artists: Grupo Bryndis in 2001 and the late Celia Cruz and Selena, who both climbed those heights after their deaths as well. (Selena actually had the top four titles after she was killed.)
While Elizalde's new success is directly connected with his death, there's more to him than that, as the longevity of his sales spurt clearly indicates.
"He was on the verge," says John Echevarria, president of Universal Music Latino. "We saw steady, steady sales, and a large part was the great appeal he had playing live. He was a man who was very entrenched with his people."
"He was one of those few acts that could gain men's respect and women's adoration," adds Pepe Garza, program director for radio station KBUE (La Que Buena) Los Angeles.
Elizalde had a rabid following that often fell below the radar of mass media. But he enjoyed heavy airplay on regional Mexican stations and was a phenomenon among a younger generation of regional Mexican fans.
Elizalde's MySpace page, for example, has nearly 1.5 million views and Universal reports more than 300,000 ringtones sold since his death.
On YouTube, he has dozens of videos, with several notching nearly 2 million views.
Elizalde's Nielsen SoundScan history had never been stellar before, since much of his product is sold in mom-and-pop stores that imported it from Mexico, and he never did national TV promotion. Once he died, attention from mass-merchant accounts kicked in big-time.
The sales have persisted, although Universal has taken a respectful stance and maintained a tasteful, low-key promotion.
But audiences remain avid.
Future plans call for a TV homage and the release of a new album timed with the anniversary of his death, as Elizalde left a hefty catalog of unreleased material behind.
And since December, La Que Buena has been airing a daily, one-hour show titled "Los Inmortales" (The Immortals), playing only the music of Elizalde, his father "El Gallo" Elizalde, Adan Chalino Sanchez and his father Chalino Sanchez.
All suffered young deaths. For a generation that straddles two cultures that still yearns for men as brave as they are romantic, they remain relevant. |
| |
|
Vallarta Weddings
Tell a Friend
Site Map
Print this Page
Email Us