Chicas Malas is the fourth studio album by Spanish singer Mónica Naranjo, released on October 26, 2001 by Epic Records, serving as a follow-up to her hugely-successful third studio album Minage. Unlike her previous releases, which achieved significant commercial success in Spain and Mexico, Chicas Malas underperformed commercially despite extensive promotion, resulting in disappointment for both Naranjo and her record label.
Musically, the album continued the pop and dance-oriented style associated with Naranjo’s earlier work. However, its reception was affected by its position in her discography, as it followed the more experimental and personal Minage, which had altered public and critical expectations regarding her artistic direction. During the recording process, Naranjo experienced a profound personal loss with the serious illness and subsequent death of her brother, an event that reportedly impacted her emotional connection to the project.
Sony Music promoted Chicas Malas primarily in Spain and Mexico and explored limited distribution in other markets, including Greece, France, Portugal, Germany, and Romania, mainly through promotional singles and radio airplay. Despite these efforts, the album did not receive a full international release and garnered mixed responses from critics and audiences.
The album achieved notable success in Spain, debuting at number four, and selling approximately 100,000 copies in its first week, eventually being certified Platinum; while all of its four singles ("Chicas Malas", "Sacrificio", "No Voy a Llorar" and "Ain't It Better Like This") reached the top-ten in Spain. Although its modest commercial performance, Chicas Malas includes several tracks noted for showcasing Naranjo’s vocal range and the early signs of her evolving artistic approach, and is retrospectively regarded as a transitional release, signaling the conclusion of her early pop-focused period and foreshadowing the more experimental direction of her later work. Track listing
Credits and personnel Credits adapted from AllMusic.
Mónica Naranjo – Coros, Digital Producer, Realization Chris Rodriguez – Spanish Guitar Gina Foster – Coros Diane Warren – Executive Producer Juan Gonzalez – Engineer Paul Meehan – Assistant Producer Gary Barlow – Programming, Instrumentation Silvio Pozzoli – Coros Manuel Machado – Coros, Trumpet Ian Cooper – Mastering James Loughrey – Engineer Mario Lucy – Engineer, Mastering Tracie Ackerman – Coros Carlos Martin – Graphic Design, Artwork Direction David Frazer – Mixing Juanjo Manez – Estilista Louis Biancaniello – Programming, Producer, Engineer, Keyboards, Mixing Tom Bender – Assistant Engineer David Massey – Artwork Direction Dennis Rivadeneira – Assistant Engineer Kris Kello – Programming, Producer Sam Watters – Producer, Coros, Engineer, Mixing Jamie Bridges – Assistant
Fausto Demetrio – Assistant Engineer Annie Roseberry – Artwork Direction Ramon Gonzalez – Congas Cristóbal Sansano – Digital Producer, Executive Producer, Mixing Ben Coombs – Assistant Engineer Bruno Zuchetti – Programming, Keyboards, Mixing, arranger Eliot Kennedy – Programming, Instrumentation Maurizio Tonelli – Engineer Manny Benito – Adaptation Emanuela Cortese – Coros Cesare Chiodo – Bajo Stefano de Maco – Coros Sheilah Cuffy – Coros Giulia Fasolino – Coros, Realization, arranger Jaume DeLaiguana – Photography Alfredo Golino – Bateria, Realization, arranger Dario Caglioni – Digital Editing, engineer Gregg Alexander – Producer, Vocal Producer Segundo Mijares – Saxophone Ali Olmo – Coros Tim Woodcock – Programming, Instrumentation Aurora Beltran – Adaptation Maurizio Fabrizio – Guitar, Orchestra Director
Charts Weekly charts +2001 weekly chart performance for Chicas MalasChart (2001)PeakpositionSpanish Albums (Promusicae)4
+2021 weekly chart performance for Chicas Malas Chart (2021) Peakposition
Certifications
Release history Country Date Format Label Mexico 26 October 2001 CD / Digital download Sony United States 12 November 2001 Worldwide 26 February 2002 Worldwide 27 October 2006 Worldwide 28 February 2007 Worldwide 15 February 2015 Worldwide 20 February 2015 Worldwide 11 December 2015 Worldwide 26 October 2001 Música MP3 Sony Worldwide 28 March 2019 Disco de vinilo Sony Worldwide 21 April 2021 Disco de vinilo Sony Worldwide 21 May 2021 Disco de vinilo, Edición coleccionista Sony
References