There were so many metaphysical elements used in the 6-part Netflix series, Superstar, that it is particularly important to understand what all happened in real life in this biographical drama. The series is based on the life of the real life Spanish pop star, Tamara, who became a sensation in the early 2000s. Her impact was so huge that the phenomenon came to be known as “Tamarism.” So let’s find out what events happened in real life and where the makers took some creative liberties.
Did Miguel leak Tamara’s video?
Cronicas Marcianas was the kind of talk show that believed in pushing a celebrity to such an extent that they ended up giving an impulsive reaction that in turn increased the TRP of the show. Like it was shown in the Netflix series, Tamara, Leonardo Dantes, Paco Porras, etc went on the show multiple times and it wouldn’t be wrong to say that they became household names because of that. Such was the fan following of the show that the entire nation was glued to their television sets when it used to be broadcasted. But there was one time when something really bizarre happened on the show, that in retrospect, was probably the most shameful moment in the history of Spanish television. Miguel, aka Arlequin, sold a video to the show runners, where Tamara was seen in a compromising situation. Tamara told the show hosts that she had been called by Miguel to give an audition for a film that apparently had explicit scenes. She was not averse to the idea but she claimed that after the audition was recorded, Miguel and two other men groped her and expected her to be fine with their shocking behaviour. Miguel, on the other hand, claimed that nothing of that sort happened, and whatever Tamara did was of her own will. But my problem was that no matter what anybody did, such a reputed talk show shouldn’t have gone ahead and played that video as it clearly violated the privacy of the Spanish pop star. Also, another surprising thing was that, at that time, groping was not considered to be an act of molestation, and people could just hurt the modesty of a woman and get away with it rather easily.
What was the rumor about Paco Porras?
I actually thought that that entire parapsychologist aspect where we saw Paco Porras predicting the future of people by looking at fruits and vegetables was a fictional plot point. But guess what, the man actually garnered a lot of fame by doing it, and he always said that though it was not a profession, he was gifted with psychic abilities. Also, Tamara claimed that she was pregnant with his baby, which Paco never confirmed. There were shots fired from both parties, and they claimed that it was merely a publicity stunt by the other to stay in the limelight. The series also stated that Paco was involved in some kind of occultist activities, which I believe was purely made up. Probably it was the makers’ way of showing that he wanted to sabotage Tamara’s career, but even after several attempts, he wasn’t able to do so. There was a lot of bitterness between Tamara and Paco, and I don’t think they were ever able to resolve their differences. They both wanted fame and so it really couldn’t be ascertained who was telling the truth and who was lying about that entire pregnancy scandal. It might be possible that they both actually decided to conspire together and create a fake narrative that helped them both.
Did Loly accuse Tamara of stealing her song?
I believe that Loly actually sang the famous song, No Cambie, together with Leonardo Dantes, but her claiming that it was her song and getting triggered when Tamara sang it was not justifiable. Dantes had written that song, and yes, Loly might have sung it together with him, but that didn’t mean that it was her song. It was a fact that the song became a national anthem after Tamara sang it together with Dantes, and so obviously she ought to get all the credit for it. Tamara never claimed that it was her song, but she did say that her distinct voice made those lyrics popular. Loly wanted to make it big in the music industry, and she did get a lot of limelight after she randomly accused Tamara of stealing her song one day. All the popular talk shows called her to sensationalize everything and, in the process, chase high TRP ratings. Also, as shown in Superstar, Loly did meet with an accident when she was traveling together with Miguel and their car crashed on the Fuente de Cibeles. Another bizarre incident that happened in real life was when Loly arrived at a talk show with bandages all over her body after getting plastic surgery done. She always wanted to look like Julia Roberts, and I must say that she did a great job advertising for the plastic surgery industry.
Loly, to this day, claims that Tamara made sure that nobody reached that pinnacle of success as she did, and she tried everything in her power to sabotage the careers of young artists, as she was a very insecure person.
Did Tony Genil actually meet Michael Jackson?
This plot twist in Superstar was another hilarious moment that I didn’t see coming. Tony Genil, who also happened to be a singer/celebrity, claimed that once he had prepared pasta for the Jackson 5 when they had come to Madrid. He claimed on national television that he still has the fork and the plate with which Michael Jackson ate that pasta. I don’t know if that actually happened or not, but clearly Mr. Jackson wasn’t hiding out in his house, as shown in the series, after he apparently faked his death. I believe that the makers wanted to make use of such elements to make the characters analyze their actions and introspect their lives. We saw how after the interesting time Tony had with the fake Michael Jackson, his perspective towards Tamara changed completely. He realized that he was wrong in hating her and that probably he should apologize to her for making her life a living hell.
What challenges did Tamara face in her personal life ?
Tamara was bullied in her childhood, and she was body-shamed to such an extent that it started affecting her mental health. Also, the students teased her, as her mother, Margarita, was overprotective of her, and she did things that other parents generally didn’t. Margarita used to come to meet Tamara during her school recess, and she accompanied her wherever she went, which gave the other students opportunities to mock her. It was true that Margarita hit Miguel with her bag after that explicit video was leaked and shown on national television. Tamara had her share of struggles, and there came a time when she just wanted to end things. She had suicidal thoughts, and she attempted to take her life multiple times. But then things changed, and Tamara was able to see the silver lining amidst all the chaos. She decided to reinvent herself, which was when she changed her name to Yurena. She started making public appearances, and she was grateful about the fact that life gave her an opportunity to make a fresh start.
Tamara was involved in the filming process of Superstar; she came on set and met all the actors, and she got extremely emotional when she met Rocio Ibanez, who plays her mother on screen. Tamara still misses her mother every moment, and she believes that she wouldn’t have been able to do anything in life had she not been there with her on the journey.
