En Primera Fila
Encyclopedia
En primera fila is the third live album
by Venezuelan recording artist Franco De Vita
. It was released by Sony Music
on May 31, 2011, after a three-year gap since the release of his last studio album. De Vita worked as producer, along with David Cabrera. The album is part of the live albums series entitled Primera fila
promoted by the record label and included De Vita's greatest hits on re-worked versions and new songs.
The album features collaborations by several performers, including Leonel García, Alejandra Guzmán
, Debi Nova
, Gilberto Santa Rosa
, Noel Schajris
, among others. En primera fila entered the top five in Mexico and the United States. The first single, "Tan sólo tú
", performed by De Vita and Guzmán, reached Top 20 at the Billboard Top Latin Songs. Francamente, a DVD documentary about the recording sessions, is included on the standard edition of the album. On September 14, 2011, the album received five nominations for the 12th Latin Grammy Awards
.
and Chayanne
, Franco De Vita recorded this live album as a part of the concert series promoted by the label Sony Music entitled Primera fila
, which has a concept of record live performances by Latin American performers before a small audience in an intimate setting, resemblant to MTV Unplugged
. About Primera fila De Vita declared: "The project was good for me, since I wanted to refresh many songs, some of them composed and recorded 25 years ago to incorporate a current sound and change some things. But the songs remains the same." De Vita becomes the fourth performer to record under this format, following Vicente Fernández, Thalía
and OV7
. The album is De Vita's third live album following En vivo marzo 16
(1992) and Mil y una historias en vivo
(2006).
of 1984. "Aquí estás otra vez" is taken from Fantasía
(1986). "Louis" and "Te amo" were first included on Al norte del sur
in 1989. "No basta
" was the lead single from Extranjero
(1990). "Y te pienso" and "Cálido y frío" from Voces a mi alrededor
in 1993. "Si quieres decir adios" and the title track from the 1993 album Fuera de este mundo
. From Nada es igual
(1999) "Si tú no estás" and "Te veo venir soledad" were selected. The most represented album on the setlist is Stop
(2005) with four songs: "Si la ves", "Dónde está el amor", "No me lástimes" and "Tú de qué vas". "No se olvida" is the only song selected from the 2008 album Simplemente la verdad
. Two songs were previously unreleased. De Vita choose Mexican singer Alejandra Guzmán
to record the lead single "Tan sólo tú
", since he thought she was "perfect" for the song. "Mira más allá" is the other new song included. De Vita also stated his intention to record a sequel to Primera fila since many songs in his repertoire were left out, "I would like to include Shakira
on a ballad... Ricky Martin was considered for this album too, but could not make it in time."
, United States. De Vita was supported by a band of 15 members and was joined on stage by a handful of guest performers, such as Colombian singer-songwriter Santiago Cruz on the song "Cálido y frío", Gilberto Santa Rosa
added vocals to "Te veo venir soledad", Soledad Pastorutti
performed on "No se olvida", Alejandra Guzmán on "Tan sólo tú" and Debi Nova
on "Si quieres decir adiós". For the track "Si la ves", De Vita was accompanied by the members of the dissolved band Sin Bandera
, Leonel García and Noel Schajris
, who performed on the original version of the song. "I tried to give to the songs a different look, dress them differently. I did not change the lyrics or the melody, only the instrumental part," De Vita recalled about the recording session. According to De Vita, Guzmán had the most complicated song on the album, the lead single. De Vita and Guzmán recorded the track twice, with Guzmán standing beside De Vita's piano. Guzmán was nervous before the recording. For "Te veo venir soledad", De Vita and Santa Rosa tried to play a guajira
, in order to Santa Rosa to improvise. About the musical arrangements, the singer tried to keep them fresh and modern, without changing the songs too much, "I did not wanted people to feel that the songs were changed," De Vita declared.
for his work on En primera fila, Album of the Year
and Best Male Pop Vocal Album, Record of the Year
and Best Short Form Music Video
for the first single "Tan sólo tú
" (shared with Alejandra Guzmán), and Best Long Form Music Video
for the recording of the live presentation (shared with Diego Alvarez).
. En primera fila earned a platinum certificacion in Mexico by the Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. In the United States, the album debuted and peaked at number three in the Billboard Latin Albums, becoming his second top ten album and highest placement on the chart, after Stop
peaked at number seven in 2005. On the Latin Pop Albums
chart, En primera fila is the first number-one album for De Vita and his seventh top ten hit.
", performed by De Vita and Alejandra Guzmán
was selected as the lead single from the album and also as the main theme for the Argentinian series Los únicos
. De Vita also recorded a cameo for the series. The track peaked at number 15 in the Billboard Latin Songs and at number three in the Latin Pop Songs charts in the United States.
Live album
A live album is a recording consisting of material recorded during stage performances using remote recording techniques, commonly contrasted with a studio album...
by Venezuelan recording artist Franco De Vita
Franco De Vita
Franco De Vita is a singer-songwriter of Latin music. His first disc as a solo artist garnered three Spanish-language hits in Venezuela. He signed with the Sony label in 1988, and in 1990, his album Extranjero had a song that reached No. 1 on the U.S. Latin charts and won an MTV Video Music Award...
. It was released by Sony Music
Sony Music Entertainment
Sony Music Entertainment ' is the second-largest global recorded music company of the "big four" record companies and is controlled by Sony Corporation of America, the United States subsidiary of Japan's Sony Corporation....
on May 31, 2011, after a three-year gap since the release of his last studio album. De Vita worked as producer, along with David Cabrera. The album is part of the live albums series entitled Primera fila
Primera Fila
-Disc two:-Personnel:This information from Allmusic.*Gustavo Borner – didjeridu, engineer, mastering, realization*Pedro Ramírez – arranger, musical direction*Josué "Ciclón" García – production assistant*Juan Carlos Rodríguez – production assistant...
promoted by the record label and included De Vita's greatest hits on re-worked versions and new songs.
The album features collaborations by several performers, including Leonel García, Alejandra Guzmán
Alejandra Guzmán
Alejandra Gabriela Guzmán Pinal , better known as Alejandra Guzmán, is a Latin Grammy Award–winning Mexican rock singer and actress. She has had a dedicated fanbase throughout Latin America since the late 1980s, and is known as the "Queen of Rock" in the Hispanic world...
, Debi Nova
Debi Nova
Deborah Nowalski Kader, better known by her stage name Debi Nova, is a Costa Rican singer-songwriter and dancer from Escazú, Costa Rica who resides in Los Angeles, California....
, Gilberto Santa Rosa
Gilberto Santa Rosa
Gilberto Santa Rosa, also known as "El Caballero de la Salsa" , is a Puerto Rican bandleader and singer of salsa and bolero.-Early years:...
, Noel Schajris
Noel Schajris
Nahuel Schajris Rodríguez is a naturalized Mexican singer-songwriter and pianist based in Mexico who experienced chart-topping success as part of the duo Sin Bandera until he and fellow singer-songwriter Leonel García concluded their partnership in 2007...
, among others. En primera fila entered the top five in Mexico and the United States. The first single, "Tan sólo tú
Tan Sólo Tú
"Tan Sólo Tú" is a Latin pop song by Venezuelan recording artist Franco De Vita from his third live album En Primera Fila...
", performed by De Vita and Guzmán, reached Top 20 at the Billboard Top Latin Songs. Francamente, a DVD documentary about the recording sessions, is included on the standard edition of the album. On September 14, 2011, the album received five nominations for the 12th Latin Grammy Awards
Latin Grammy Awards of 2011
The 12th Annual Latin Grammy Awards was held on November 10, 2011 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas and was hosted by Lucero and Cristián de la Fuente. The eligibility period for recordings to be nominated is July 1, 2010 to June 30, 2011...
.
Background
After selling 12 million copies of his albums and composing for various artists, including Ricky MartinRicky Martin
Enrique "Ricky" Martín Morales , better known as Ricky Martin, is a Puerto Rican and Spanish pop singer and actor who achieved prominence, first as a member of the Latin boy band Menudo, then as a solo artist since 1991.During his career he has sold more than 60 million album copies worldwide...
and Chayanne
Chayanne
Elmer Figueroa Arce , best known under the stage name Chayanne, is a Puerto Rican Latin pop singer and actor. As a solo artist, Chayanne has released 21 solo-albums and sold over 20 million albums worldwide.-Early life:...
, Franco De Vita recorded this live album as a part of the concert series promoted by the label Sony Music entitled Primera fila
Primera Fila
-Disc two:-Personnel:This information from Allmusic.*Gustavo Borner – didjeridu, engineer, mastering, realization*Pedro Ramírez – arranger, musical direction*Josué "Ciclón" García – production assistant*Juan Carlos Rodríguez – production assistant...
, which has a concept of record live performances by Latin American performers before a small audience in an intimate setting, resemblant to MTV Unplugged
MTV Unplugged
MTV Unplugged is a TV series showcasing many popular musical artists usually playing acoustic instruments. The show has received the George Foster Peabody Award and 3 Primetime Emmy nominations among many accolades.-Unplugged:...
. About Primera fila De Vita declared: "The project was good for me, since I wanted to refresh many songs, some of them composed and recorded 25 years ago to incorporate a current sound and change some things. But the songs remains the same." De Vita becomes the fourth performer to record under this format, following Vicente Fernández, Thalía
Primera fila (Thalía album)
Primera fila is the first Live CD/DVD album by Mexican singer-songwriter Thalía. The album was recorded in Miami, Florida at the BankUnited Center on July 29 and 30, 2009, with a selected audience to attend the concert. Primera fila is the first Thalia's project under the label of Sony Music...
and OV7
OV7
OV7 is a Latin pop group from Mexico that formed in May of 1989 but it was until the early 1990s as the would begin to make their mark. With over 22 years of career and have had several hits in the Latin American charts.The group disbanded in 2003...
. The album is De Vita's third live album following En vivo marzo 16
En Vivo Marzo 16
En Vivo Marzo 16 is a 1992 album by Franco De Vita released on the Sony label. The album is a concert recording made in Caracas, Venezuela, De Vita's birthplace. The title refers to the date of the recording : Marzo 16 de 1991 . Two studio cuts were included on the disc: One of them, "No Lo Había...
(1992) and Mil y una historias en vivo
Mil y Una Historias En Vivo
Mil y Una Historias En Vivo is a 2006 album by Franco De Vita. The album earned a Latin Grammy Award nomination for Best Male Pop Vocal Album.-Track listing:#"TENGO" Pop Version#"AY DIOS" con Diego “El Cigala”...
(2006).
Repertoire
About the songs to be included on the album, De Vita revealed that his idea was to include well-known songs that were more than three years old and refresh them with new arrangements. "The first challenge was to choose the songs, and the second to make that sound different... but not too much." De Vita said. Sixteen previous songs by the singer are included: "Un buen perdedor", from his debut albumFranco De Vita (album)
Franco De Vita was Franco De Vita's first solo album, released in 1984.-Track listing:#"Somos Tres"#"Un Buen Perdedor"#"Lluvia Pasajera"#"Por Qué Te Escondes"#"No Hay Cielo"#"Ana"#"Cómo Apartarte de Mí"#"Este Es Mi Número"#"Ahora"...
of 1984. "Aquí estás otra vez" is taken from Fantasía
Fantasia
Fantasia may refer to:*Fantasia , a traditional equestrian performance practiced in North africa*Show tango, also called Fantasia, a more theatrical and exaggerated form of Argentine tango*1224 Fantasia, an asteroid...
(1986). "Louis" and "Te amo" were first included on Al norte del sur
Al Norte Del Sur
Al Norte Del Sur was a 1988 album by Franco De Vita released on the Sony label. The CD produced four hit singles: "Louis," "Te Amo," "Promesas" and "Esta Vez." All four singles reached the Top 10 on the Billboard Latin music charts in the United States....
in 1989. "No basta
No Basta
"No Basta" is a song written, produced and performed by Venezuelan singer-songwriter Franco De Vita. It was released by CBS Records in 1991 as the first single from De Vita's studio album Extranjero, becoming his first number-one single in the Billboard Top Latin Songs chart...
" was the lead single from Extranjero
Extranjero
Extranjero was a 1990 album by Franco De Vita released on the Sony label. The CD produced three singles, most notably the critically acclaimed "No Basta," which spent four weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Latin music charts in the United States. Other singles from the album included "Ya Lo He...
(1990). "Y te pienso" and "Cálido y frío" from Voces a mi alrededor
Voces a mi Alrededor
Voces a mi Alrededor is a 1993 album by Franco De Vita released on the Sony label. The CD produced "Calido y Frio," a Top 10 hit on the Billboard Latin music charts. Lesser hits from the disc include "Y Te Pienso" and "Los Hijos de la Oscuridad."-Tracks:...
in 1993. "Si quieres decir adios" and the title track from the 1993 album Fuera de este mundo
Fuera de Este Mundo
Fuera de Este Mundo is a 1996 album by Franco De Vita released on the Sony label. The CD's title song was a hit on the Billboard Latin music charts.-Tracks:*1. Esperando el sol*2. Fuera de este mundo*3. Si quieres decir adiós*4. Tocando el cielo...
. From Nada es igual
Nada es igual (Franco De Vita album)
Nada Es Igual is a 1999 album by Franco De Vita released on the Sony label. The CD produced "Traigo Una Pena," a Top 5 hit on the Billboard Latin music charts. Other hits from the disc include "Si Tú No Estás" and "Te Veo Venir, Soledad."-Track listing:...
(1999) "Si tú no estás" and "Te veo venir soledad" were selected. The most represented album on the setlist is Stop
Stop (Franco De Vita album)
Stop is a 2004 album by Franco De Vita. The major hit single was "Tu De Que Vas", however, "Ay Dios" and "Si La Ves", a collaboration with Sin Bandera, were also released as singles...
(2005) with four songs: "Si la ves", "Dónde está el amor", "No me lástimes" and "Tú de qué vas". "No se olvida" is the only song selected from the 2008 album Simplemente la verdad
Simplemente La Verdad
Simplemente La Verdad is a 2008 album released by Franco De Vita. The album received a Latin Grammy Award nomination for Best Singer-Songwriter Album.-Track listing:# "Simplemente La Verdad"# "Si Un Día Te Vuelvo A Ver"# "Mi Sueño"# "Probablemente"...
. Two songs were previously unreleased. De Vita choose Mexican singer Alejandra Guzmán
Alejandra Guzmán
Alejandra Gabriela Guzmán Pinal , better known as Alejandra Guzmán, is a Latin Grammy Award–winning Mexican rock singer and actress. She has had a dedicated fanbase throughout Latin America since the late 1980s, and is known as the "Queen of Rock" in the Hispanic world...
to record the lead single "Tan sólo tú
Tan Sólo Tú
"Tan Sólo Tú" is a Latin pop song by Venezuelan recording artist Franco De Vita from his third live album En Primera Fila...
", since he thought she was "perfect" for the song. "Mira más allá" is the other new song included. De Vita also stated his intention to record a sequel to Primera fila since many songs in his repertoire were left out, "I would like to include Shakira
Shakira
Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll , known professionally as Shakira , is a Colombian singer who emerged in the music scene of Colombia and Latin America in the early 1990s...
on a ballad... Ricky Martin was considered for this album too, but could not make it in time."
Recording
En primera fila was recorded from January 20–21, 2011 at the Comtel Studios in Miami, FloridaMiami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
, United States. De Vita was supported by a band of 15 members and was joined on stage by a handful of guest performers, such as Colombian singer-songwriter Santiago Cruz on the song "Cálido y frío", Gilberto Santa Rosa
Gilberto Santa Rosa
Gilberto Santa Rosa, also known as "El Caballero de la Salsa" , is a Puerto Rican bandleader and singer of salsa and bolero.-Early years:...
added vocals to "Te veo venir soledad", Soledad Pastorutti
Soledad Pastorutti
Soledad "La Sole" Pastorutti is an Argentine folk singer, who brought the genre to the younger generations at the end of the 20th century, and the beginning of the 21st....
performed on "No se olvida", Alejandra Guzmán on "Tan sólo tú" and Debi Nova
Debi Nova
Deborah Nowalski Kader, better known by her stage name Debi Nova, is a Costa Rican singer-songwriter and dancer from Escazú, Costa Rica who resides in Los Angeles, California....
on "Si quieres decir adiós". For the track "Si la ves", De Vita was accompanied by the members of the dissolved band Sin Bandera
Sin Bandera
Sin Bandera was a Latin pop duo based in Mexico that consisted of Leonel García, and Noel Schajris. They became one of the most popular artists after their debut album "Sin Bandera" was released in 2001.-Biography:...
, Leonel García and Noel Schajris
Noel Schajris
Nahuel Schajris Rodríguez is a naturalized Mexican singer-songwriter and pianist based in Mexico who experienced chart-topping success as part of the duo Sin Bandera until he and fellow singer-songwriter Leonel García concluded their partnership in 2007...
, who performed on the original version of the song. "I tried to give to the songs a different look, dress them differently. I did not change the lyrics or the melody, only the instrumental part," De Vita recalled about the recording session. According to De Vita, Guzmán had the most complicated song on the album, the lead single. De Vita and Guzmán recorded the track twice, with Guzmán standing beside De Vita's piano. Guzmán was nervous before the recording. For "Te veo venir soledad", De Vita and Santa Rosa tried to play a guajira
Guajira (music)
Guajira is a musical form which evokes a rural ambience in its texts, instrumentation and style.In the years around 1900 a style of guajira emerged in association with Cuban music theater, especially as composed by Jorge Anckermann.This genre had some similarity to the criolla and, to a lesser...
, in order to Santa Rosa to improvise. About the musical arrangements, the singer tried to keep them fresh and modern, without changing the songs too much, "I did not wanted people to feel that the songs were changed," De Vita declared.
Tracklisting
Accolades
Franco De Vita received five nominations for the Latin Grammy Awards of 2011Latin Grammy Awards of 2011
The 12th Annual Latin Grammy Awards was held on November 10, 2011 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas and was hosted by Lucero and Cristián de la Fuente. The eligibility period for recordings to be nominated is July 1, 2010 to June 30, 2011...
for his work on En primera fila, Album of the Year
Latin Grammy Award for Album of the Year
The Latin Grammy Award for Album of the Year is an honor presented annually at the Latin Grammy Awards, a ceremony that recognizes excellence and creates a wider awareness of cultural diversity and contributions of Latin recording artists in the United States and internationally...
and Best Male Pop Vocal Album, Record of the Year
Latin Grammy Award for Record of the Year
The Latin Grammy Award for Record of the Year is an honor presented annually at the Latin Grammy Awards, a ceremony that recognizes excellence and creates a wider awareness of cultural diversity and contributions of Latin recording artists in the United States and internationally...
and Best Short Form Music Video
Latin Grammy Award for Best Short Form Music Video
The Latin Grammy Award for Best Short Form Music Video is given every year since the 1st Latin Grammy Awards ceremony. The award is given to the performer, director and producer of the video.-2010s:-2000s:...
for the first single "Tan sólo tú
Tan Sólo Tú
"Tan Sólo Tú" is a Latin pop song by Venezuelan recording artist Franco De Vita from his third live album En Primera Fila...
" (shared with Alejandra Guzmán), and Best Long Form Music Video
Latin Grammy Award for Best Long Form Music Video
The Latin Grammy Award for Best Long Form Music Video is given every year since the 7th Latin Grammy Awards ceremony. The award is given to the performer, director and producer of the video.- 2010s :- 2000s :...
for the recording of the live presentation (shared with Diego Alvarez).
Album
The album debuted at number four and peaked at number two on the Mexican Albums ChartTop 100 Mexico
Top 100 México is a record chart which accounts for sixty percent of the albums sold in Mexico. The chart has the support of major record distributors in Mexico and is issued by the Mexican Association of Producers of Phonograms and Videograms, A.C. since 2005 on a weekly basis...
. En primera fila earned a platinum certificacion in Mexico by the Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. In the United States, the album debuted and peaked at number three in the Billboard Latin Albums, becoming his second top ten album and highest placement on the chart, after Stop
Stop (Franco De Vita album)
Stop is a 2004 album by Franco De Vita. The major hit single was "Tu De Que Vas", however, "Ay Dios" and "Si La Ves", a collaboration with Sin Bandera, were also released as singles...
peaked at number seven in 2005. On the Latin Pop Albums
Latin Pop Albums
Latin Pop Albums is a record chart published on Billboard magazine. It features Latin music information of the Pop music genre. Established in June 1985, this chart features only full length albums and like all album charts on Billboard, is based on sales. The information is compiled by Nielsen...
chart, En primera fila is the first number-one album for De Vita and his seventh top ten hit.
Singles
"Tan sólo túTan Sólo Tú
"Tan Sólo Tú" is a Latin pop song by Venezuelan recording artist Franco De Vita from his third live album En Primera Fila...
", performed by De Vita and Alejandra Guzmán
Alejandra Guzmán
Alejandra Gabriela Guzmán Pinal , better known as Alejandra Guzmán, is a Latin Grammy Award–winning Mexican rock singer and actress. She has had a dedicated fanbase throughout Latin America since the late 1980s, and is known as the "Queen of Rock" in the Hispanic world...
was selected as the lead single from the album and also as the main theme for the Argentinian series Los únicos
Los únicos
Los únicos is a 2011 Argentine superhero live-action television series aired by El Trece in the prime time. The "uniques" are a superhero team working as a covert operation unit...
. De Vita also recorded a cameo for the series. The track peaked at number 15 in the Billboard Latin Songs and at number three in the Latin Pop Songs charts in the United States.
Charts
| Chart (2011) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Mexican Albums Chart Top 100 Mexico Top 100 México is a record chart which accounts for sixty percent of the albums sold in Mexico. The chart has the support of major record distributors in Mexico and is issued by the Mexican Association of Producers of Phonograms and Videograms, A.C. since 2005 on a weekly basis... |
2 |
| U.S. Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
140 |
| U.S. Billboard Top Latin Albums | 3 |
| U.S. Billboard Latin Pop Albums Latin Pop Albums Latin Pop Albums is a record chart published on Billboard magazine. It features Latin music information of the Pop music genre. Established in June 1985, this chart features only full length albums and like all album charts on Billboard, is based on sales. The information is compiled by Nielsen... |
1 |