Maria Becerra – AGORA
Becerra channels her inner Ariel as she finds herself in a monochromatic music video recreating everyone’s favourite childhood mermaid film, with a darker more mystic interpretation. The lyrics to the song acknowledge a failed relationship and the start of a new romance. Interestingly, Becerra performs this song in Portuñol, a combination of Portuguese and Spanish. The laidback bossa nova rhythms which are the basis of the instrumental may be the inspiration behind this. ‘Agora’ like the Spanish ‘Ahora’ means ‘Now’ ,opening the song, ‘Agora eu tô pensando em você’ (Now I’m thinking about you). Sonically, Becerra like the rest of her discography uses varying cadences to keep the listeners’ ears in suspense with her mix of singing and rap-like vocals.
De La Rose – Los Fin De
Echoey background vocals hit us throughout the introduction, there’s a real villainous or cheeky attitude that welcomes this song and it doesn’t seem to stop in the chorus either. As De La Rose sings the flirty line, ‘Adentro sentirte’, the reverb hits the synths this time, this small but consistent quality is a real reflection of a cared for and well-crafted track. Coming off the back of the chorus, De La Rose does not waste time, her lyrics are direct, ‘El diablo está despierto diciéndote que me coma' and ‘Al ángel lo ignora' pa' volver a tener’ are prime examples of this. The replay value on this one goes hard, it’s a shame this song isn’t any longer!
Los Sufridos Y Bad Gyal – Duro De Verdad Pt.2
Bad Gyal’s infamous adlibs kick this song off over a bachata rhythm, something unexpected from the Barcelona native but a classic sound for the Dominican collective, Los Sufridos. The music video sees Alba, Bad Gyal, and fellow female artist Tokischa carefree, enjoying a well-deserved night out, after scoring one of 2023’s biggest reggaeton songs, Chulo Pt.2, the celebration is necessary. For Los Sufridos, ‘Duro De Verdad Pt.2’ comes almost a year since the original solo version in November 2023, which is just as compelling as this new remix. The song considers the emotions of both vocalists with Bad Gyal summarising the relationship with the clever comparison, ‘Duramo' meno' que el carbón de una hookah’.
Bad Bunny – Una Velita
Half a year since his last single, the gap between this latest single and the prior is much needed considering its topic. Grief and reflection stand at the forefront of this song, especially releasing the rap-ballad during the anniversary of Hurricane Maria, which devastated his native country of Puerto Rico. The lyrics quickly provoke emotions, ‘Obviamente la luz se va a ir, sabrá Dios y nunca va a volver’. This directly refers to the electricity conditions of the South American country, something which is still a pressing issue to this day. The choir which assists the rapper reinforce the pressing nature of Bad Bunny’s message. Benito pleads, ‘Recuerden que to' somo' de aquí, al pueblo el pueblo le toca salvar’.
Fabbio, Omar Montes, Samueliyo Baby, Nickzzy, Oscar el Ruso, Samuel G – Churel
Six people, four and a half minutes of pure fire. Each artist changes their flow and keeps the song progressing. Montes starts off strong with a flirty, ‘Si tus labios son de fresa, entonces yo quiero un boca'o’. Nickzzy gets the first chorus ‘La baby e' una churel/ Que le gustan lo' maleante' a la baby’, this love interest is bold. Leading the group, Fabbio recalls a big mistake,’ 5:02 yo llamé a recepción/ Pregunté por la cocina /Será por eso que no' comíamo'. Montes uses his second verse to add a sleek nod to Ckay’s ‘Love Nwantiti’ incorporating the melody on two lines of his flow,’ No me pida' que me vaya/ Como tú no la hay, una baby demoniaca’. This track is seamless.
Bonus Track:
Ana Mena & Emilia – CARITA TRISTE
This duo is on a mission, calling everyone to the dance floor with this latest bold banger to wipe off our ‘Sad Face’. It seems this latest single from Ana Mena’s upcoming album is all about twos, with El Dandee and Andrés Torres handling the EDM beat. The two singers are also aiming for new heights working with the well-established and trusted production duo known for producing global Latin hits from the last decade and up to the present day including: ‘Despacito’, ‘Échame La Culpa’ and ‘Miénteme’. The collaboration saw the pair posting sad faces all over their social media feed as a way to excite and build hype for the club-heavy anthem.
