Rouge is the self-titled debut studio album by Brazilian pop girl group Rouge, released on by Columbia Records in featuring with Sony BMG. Recorded during the show Popstars with the music production of Rick Bonadio, who signs 9 of the 14 compositions, the album counts on compositions of Milton Guedes, Dudu Falcão, Piska, besides having nine versions of international songs and the participation of trio KLB in one of the tracks. The album mixes hectic songs from pop and dance-pop, in songs that talk about fame, love, domination and the power of dreams.
It features the singles: "Não Dá pra Resistir", first single released after the victory of the group in the program Popstars ; "Ragatanga" a cover of Las Ketchup, song that became a fever in 2002, boosted sales of the album and the group's career, winning the audience with their unusual lyrics and dancing and reaching the top of the charts, staying for eleven weeks in the lead, and "Beijo Molhado", single released on the radio to finalize the promotion of the album.
The album was a resounding commercial success on Brazil's top-selling album charts, peaking at the top of the charts top-selling for while the at the top of the list for ten full weeks in the same week that "Ragatanga" topped the hit chart for the entire nine-week. Rouge was certified 2× Platinum by the Pro-Música Brasil, and has sold over 1.2 million copies. To promote the album, the group embarked on the Popstar Tour, as well as having recorded the DVD O Sonho de Ser Uma Popstar and participating in various TV shows.
Background
On March 1, 2002, SBT announced that they were looking for girls between the ages of 18 and 25, who could sing and dance for a chance to become a "popstar", the name of the reality show. Professionals in the music industry would choose the best candidates in several stages, going through a rigorous selection to form a pop girl group. The show Popstars, a co-production of SBT and RGB in partnership with Sony Music, received 30,000 entries from girls aged 18 to 25 from all over Brazil. In the first round, 6,000 girls were chosen, and on the second round, they were cut down to 2,000.
Popstars had 20 episodes. They were broadcast every Saturday on SBT, and during the week, a one-minute newsletter was displayed at the same time as the weekly attraction at 7:45 p.m. Sony Music was responsible for the release of the album, music video and concerts. The panel was formed by the producer Liminha, vice president of marketing of Sony Music in Brazil, Alexandre Schiavo, music producer Rick Bonadio, singer Iara Negrete and choreographer Ivan Santos. When they were down to 20 candidates, the girls had to learn the debut single of the group, "Não Dá pra Resistir". The 20 candidates also had to divide into groups to perform the song. In the group "Barish Bashan" were Karin Hils and Fantine Thó, whereas in the group "Ethnic" were Patrícia Lissa, Luciana Andrade and Aline Wirley. The first members of the group were Karin and Patricia, being the first to be called. Soon after, Fantine, Luciana and Aline were also summoned, thus forming the group "Rouge", name chosen by the members themselves, who among some options given, found that in addition to having five members and also because in French it means red, it is associated color to sensuality ... and it's pop! ".
Recording and Songs
Amid the eliminations and tests to continue in the program, the group's first album, which had no name yet, was already being recorded. The song "Nunca Deixa de Sonhar" was recorded by the trio KLB with the aim of showing that everyone should go after their dreams. Thus, Kiko told that the girls would record the song with them and that the song would be part of the first disc of the "PopStars". The album counts with fourteen tracks, being 9 versions of international songs, and the other 5 compositions of Rick Bonadio, in partnership with other composers. Bonadio emphasized the participation of the Popstars in the vocal arrangements, saying: "They contributed a lot, choosing who would sing what." Liminha went to a meeting with Sony representatives from around the world and commented that she needed a repertoire for a group that would launch in Brazil, receiving from Spain the song "Ragatanga", sung by a group called Las Ketchup. From there, Bonadio made a version and turned it into Ragatanga, a key hit that says unrelated words adopted by children. "The secret of a good version is to have fidelity to the original, not to try to invent," Minister Bonadio.