Selenators, the wait is over.
On March 12, Selena Gomez, 28, released her anticipated Spanish-language EP, Revelación. The EP includes seven songs with two well-known Latinx artists including Rauw Alejandro and Myke Towers. Revelación was released on Friday March 12.
Gomez, a former Disney actress, has sung in Spanish before for her hit songs “Who Says” and “A Year Without Rain,” released a decade ago.
Gomez has been teasing a Spanish-language album since 2011. She tweeted, “Can’t wait for y’all to hear the Spanish record 😉 it’s sounding so cool.” Ten years later, in January 2021, she added to the tweet, “I think it will be worth the wait.”
With Revelación, Gomez goes back to her roots, embracing her Mexican heritage and creating soft ballads with a Latin kick. The EP was produced by Tainy, a Grammy-nominated producer responsible for hits of renowned artists including Bad Bunny, J Balvin, Justin Bieber, and most recently Dua Lipa. He collaborated with Gomez over video calls.
Tainy told the Los Angeles Times, “Selena can be very humble, but she knows the culture, she knows the sound and she has the range.”
Although Gomez grew up surrounded by her Mexican heritage, she never recorded songs in Spanish.
In the past, she has collaborated with Latinx artists, such as on the 2018 hit “Taki Taki” with Cardi B, Ozuna, and DJ Snake; she was also featured on Benny Blanco’s track “I Can’t Get Enough,” with Tainy and J Balvin.
She had previously shared that she was not ready to make music in Spanish.Gomez was fluent until age seven. However, since she did lose contact with her Mexican heritage, she hired a Spanish-language coach for this EP.
As she told the Los Angeles Times, “There’s a lot of slang that I needed to learn…Spanish changes generationally as well as [geographically]. Sometimes I was like, ‘Wait! Hang on! I need to understand!’”
She even thinks that she sounds better in Spanish than in English.
The opening track of the EP, “De Una Vez,” explores the vulnerability of Selena yet emphasizes her strength. The lyric “De una vez por todas/Soy más fuerte sola (Once and for all/I am stronger on my own)” reiterates this message of self-empowerment contrasted against sensitivity. Some fans state that the red heart she wears in the music video pays homage to her old Disney days.
The next song, “Buscando Amor,” is the complete opposite; Rolling Stone said “Gomez sounds like she’s having the most fun taking over the club.”
“Baila Conmigo,” featuring Puerto Rican artist Rauw Alejandro, was the second single released previous to the release of the Revelación, which has over 69 million views on YouTube.
“Dámelo To” includes another well-known Puerto Rican artist, Myke Towers. Rolling Stone described the song as “hypnotic.”
The next track, “Vicio,” takes on a slower tempo, but with the same catchy, rhythmic beats. According to a review published in NPR, “In sweet notes of devotion backed by metronome ticks, we are launched back to a Selena who sang of a forever love drenched in reckless abandon…gently ask[ing] her Spanish listeners to do the same.”
“Adiós” is the classic song one would sing when a relationship is over. The NPR article also stated, “‘Adiós’ embodies the general middle-finger energy of any good power bop. She is simultaneously cognizant of the world’s gaze and actively working to subvert it.”
She ends the EP with “Selfish Love,” a bilingual track featuring DJ Snake. This song does not fit with the other songs, but adds her authenticity to the record. Through the release of a bilingual song, Gomez acknowledges she does not originally write songs in Spanish, but is proud of her roots.
Although she has received praise for her album, some have taken to Twitter to dish their dissatisfaction. Some are accusing Gomez of conveniently releasing a Spanish-language EP right when Latinx music is at its most recent peak, while others are saying she is just looking to profit from the Hispanic audience. Gomez has yet to respond to these claims.
The album takes its listeners through a ride of heartbreak, empowerment, and love. With the Latin beats, Gomez gives her personal touch to an album that accomplishes her goal: honoring her Mexican heritage. This EP is just a taste of the many great things I think she can accomplish in the Spanish market.
If you haven’t heard Revelación yet, I recommend you stop what you are doing and get ready to be amazed. Whether you understand the Spanish lyrics or not, don’t let that stop you from letting the music carry you away!
IMAGE TAKEN from Vulture
IMAGE TAKEN from Time
IMAGE TAKEN from Genius.com
