"A Veces Bien Y A Veces Mal" () is a song recorded by Puerto Rican singer

Ricky Martin Enrique Martín Morales (born December 24, 1971), known professionally as Ricky Martin, is a Puerto Rican singer, songwriter, and actor. He is known for his musical versatility, with his Ricky Martin albums discography, discography spanning ...

and Mexican band

Reik Reik is a Mexican pop rock band from Mexicali, Baja California, formed in 2003 by Jesús Alberto Navarro Rosas (lead vocals), Julio Ramírez Eguía (guitar, background vocals), and Gilberto Marín Espinoza (guitar). The group's first five album ...

for Martin's second

extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.

, ''

Play Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * Pla ...

'' (2022). The song was written by

Pedro Capó Pedro Capó (born 14 November 1980) is a Puerto Rican singer who is a grandson of Puerto Rican singer Bobby Capó and former Miss Puerto Rico Irma Nydia Vázquez. He studied at Colegio Calasanz in Río Piedras, Puerto Rico. Biography Pedro pic ...

, Pablo Preciado, Andrés Torres, Martin, Kiko Cibrian, Mauricio Rengifo, and Julio Ramirez Juvelo, while the production was handled by Torres and Rengifo. It was released for digital download and

streaming Streaming media is multimedia that is delivered and consumed in a continuous manner from a source, with little or no intermediate storage in network elements. ''Streaming'' refers to the delivery method of content, rather than the content it ...

Sony Music Latin Sony Music Entertainment US Latin LLC (often referred to as Sony Music Latin) is a record label owned by Sony Music. The label focuses on artists of Latin music. History In 1979, CBS Records (now Columbia Records) ended its partnership with C ...

on April 14, 2022, as the second

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

from the EP. A Spanish language pop

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

, it is a heartbreak song, describing what happens when you miss someone with whom you still hope to return one day, and the vulnerability of a heart that resists having to accept reality. "A Veces Bien Y A Veces Mal" received widely positive reviews from

music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on w ...

, who complimented its lyrics. The track was nominated for Song of the Year at the

23rd Annual Latin Grammy Awards The 23rd Annual Latin Grammy Awards ceremony was held on Thursday, November 17, 2022, at the Michelob Ultra Arena, Las Vegas to honour the best musical releases within Latin music released from June 1, 2021, to May 31, 2022. The nominations were a ...

. It was commercially successful, reaching number one on ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

''s

Latin Airplay Latin Airplay is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It was established on October 20, 2012. This chart lists the 50 most-played songs on Spanish-language radio stations across the country as monitored by Niel ...

and

Latin Pop Airplay Latin Pop Airplay (also referred to as Latin Pop Songs) is a record chart published on ''Billboard'' magazine and a subchart of the Latin Airplay chart. The chart focuses on Latin pop music, namely Spanish-language pop music. It was established b ...

charts. An accompanying

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

, released simultaneously with the song, was directed by Daniela Vesco and filmed in Puerto Rico.

Background and release

started recording his eleventh studio album, initially titled ''Movimiento'', in the second half of 2019, inspired by the 2019 political protests in Puerto Rico. While, because of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

and subsequent personal experiences, Martin decided to split the album ''Movimiento'' into the two EPs ''

Pausa In linguistics, pausa (Latin for 'break', from Greek παῦσις, ''pausis'' 'stopping, ceasing') is the hiatus between prosodic declination units. The concept is somewhat broad, as it is primarily used to refer to allophones that occur in cer ...

'' and ''Play''. He released ''Pausa'' in May 2020, and launched " Qué Rico Fuera" and " Otra Noche en L.A." as the first two

singles Singles are people not in a committed relationship. Singles may also refer to: Film and television * ''Singles'' (miniseries), a 1984 Australian television series * ''Singles'' (1992 film), written and directed by Cameron Crowe * ''Singles'' ...

from ''Play''. On March 2, 2022, Martin confirmed that the next single from ''Play'' would be a collaboration with

. A few weeks later, on April 12, Martin revealed the song's title as "A Veces Bien Y A Veces Mal" and announced that it would be released on April 14, 2022. The song was released for digital download and

on the specified date, marking the first collaboration between Martin and Reik. An " Orbital Audio" version of the song was released simultaneously with the original. During an interview with the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

'', Martin explained that they recorded the song at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and "thought it had to come out at the right time, not before or after", saying that it takes him back to the beginning of his career. He added about the collaboration: "I really wanted to work with Reik, they are an extremely talented group." Jesús Navarro, vocal leader of Reik told the newspaper:

Music and lyrics

Musically, "A Veces Bien Y A Veces Mal" is a Spanish language pop

, with a slow and intense rhythm. It was written by

, Pablo Preciado, Andrés Torres, Martin, Kiko Cibrian, Mauricio Rengifo, and Julio Ramirez Juvelo. The production was handled by Torres and Rengifo, and the track runs for a total of 2 minutes and 25 seconds. Lyrically, "A Veces Bien Y A Veces Mal" which translates to "Sometimes Good and Sometimes Bad" in English, is a heartbreak song about the feelings that are shared flourish in the absence of a special person, whose emptiness reminds us that it is "easy to love, but difficult to forget". It describes what happens when you miss someone with whom you still hope to return one day, and the vulnerability of a heart that resists having to accept reality. The lyrics include: "Le faltan piezas al rompecabezas / Ha sido duro mi amor / Como pesan las fotos que siguen adornando mi mesa / Ay como duele cuando un hombre pierde lo quiere" (Puzzle pieces are missing / It has been hard, my love / How heavy are the photos that continue to decorate my table / Oh how it hurts when a man loses what he wants).

Critical reception

Upon release, "A Veces Bien Y A Veces Mal" was met with widely positive reviews from

. In her review for ''

'', Griselda Flores labeled the song "a beautiful pop ballad that marries Martin and Jesús Navarro's dramatic-but-soothing vocals, effortlessly evoking pain and sorrow". Tommy Calle from the ''Los Angeles Times'' stated that it "reaches deep into the hearts of those who have lost a loved one", describing Martin and Reik's interpretation as "emotional". He continued with admiring the combination of their voices as "simply sublime". An author of

Monitor Latino Monitor Latino (stylised monitorLATINO) is a singles chart founded in 2003 which ranks songs on chart based on airplay across radio stations in Latin American countries and Hispanic radio stations in the United States using the Radio Tracking Data ...

named the track a "nostalgic ballad", while FM Dos critic Érika Cabrera called the ballad "exciting".

Univision Univision () is an American Spanish-language free-to-air television network owned by TelevisaUnivision. It is the United States' largest provider of Spanish-language content. The network's programming is aimed at the Latino public and includes ...

's Lideny Villatoro described it as "the perfect collaboration". Similarly, a writer of Paris Beacon News named it "the perfect mix", praising the collaboration as an "incredible and beautiful musical project".

Los 40 Los 40 (The 40, stylized as LOS40 and formerly ''Los 40 Principales'', es, Los Cuarenta) is a Top 40 music radio network and radio station brand in many Spanish-speaking countries from PRISA Radio. The station has its origins as a music show ...

's Paula Bascoli labeled Martin and Reik "two exponents of the romantic genre in the world". Also from Los 40, Pascale Quililongo stated that the song "reminds us of the best romantic hits that marked the 2000s".

Accolades

"A Veces Bien Y A Veces Mal" was nominated for Song of the Year at the

, but lost to "Tocarte" by

Jorge Drexler Jorge Abner Drexler Prada (born September 21, 1964) is a Uruguayan musician, actor and doctor specializing in otolaryngology. In 2004, Drexler won wide acclaim after becoming the first Uruguayan to win an Academy Award, which he won for compos ...

and

C. Tangana Antón Álvarez Alfaro (born July 16, 1990), known professionally as C. Tangana, is a Spanish rapper and songwriter. He began his musical career while in high school, rapping under the pseudonym Crema and releasing a seven-track EP titled ''Él ...

. The song has been also nominated for Pop Collaboration of the Year and Pop/Ballad Song of the Year at the 35th Annual Lo Nuestro Awards.

Commercial performance

"A Veces Bien Y A Veces Mal" debuted and peaked at number 50 on the US ''Billboard''

Hot Latin Songs The ''Billboard'' Hot Latin Songs (formerly Hot Latin Tracks and Hot Latin 50) is a record chart in the United States for Latin songs, published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. Since October 2012, chart rankings are based on digital sales, rad ...

chart on August 27, 2022, becoming Martin's 51st entry on the chart and Reik's 25th. The song also peaked at number one on both the

and

charts, becoming Martin's 18th and Reik's 4th number one on the former, making Martin tie

Bad Bunny Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio (born March 10, 1994), known professionally as Bad Bunny, is a Puerto Rican rapper and singer. His musical style is defined as Latin trap and reggaeton. He rose to prominence in 2016 with his song "Diles", wh ...

to hold the eighth-most number ones on the list. On the latter, it became Martin's twelfth crowning hit and Reik's fourth. It also extended Martin's own record as the artist with most top 20s on the US Latin Pop Airplay chart, with 53 songs, and became his 41st top 10 hit on the chart, making him the second artist in history to achieve this milestone. Besides the United States, "A Veces Bien Y A Veces Mal" reached the top 10 in Mexico and Puerto Rico, as well as the top 20 in Bolivia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, and Guatemala.

Music video

On February 11, 2022, Martin shared photos of himself walking on a beach, with the hashtags #secretproject and #comingsoon. Almost two months later, he shared snippets of the accompanying music video for "A Veces Bien Y A Veces Mal", announcing that it would be released alongside the song on April 14, 2022. The

black-and-white Black-and-white (B&W or B/W) images combine black and white in a continuous spectrum, producing a range of shades of grey. Media The history of various visual media began with black and white, and as technology improved, altered to color. ...

video was filmed in Puerto Rico and directed by Costa Rican director Daniela Vesco, who had also directed the video for Martin's previous single "Otra Noche en L.A.". Beach, sand, palm trees, and the sea appear in the visual, as well as a black background in the middle of a valley landscape in which the singers sing the song. The video also features the Spanish model

Ángela Ponce Ángela Maria Ponce Camacho (born 18 January 1991) is a Spanish model and beauty pageant titleholder who won Miss Universe Spain 2018. Ponce made history on 29 June 2018 as the first openly transgender woman to be crowned Miss Spain. She represe ...

, the first openly

transgender A transgender (often abbreviated as trans) person is someone whose gender identity or gender expression does not correspond with their sex assigned at birth. Many transgender people experience dysphoria, which they seek to alleviate through tr ...

woman to be crowned

Miss Spain Miss Spain (Spanish: Miss España) is a national beauty pageant in Spain that selects Spanish representatives to compete in three of the big four major international beauty pageants: the Miss Universe, Miss World, and Miss International competi ...

. Martin explained about his idea of featuring her in the visual: "She is a symbol of success, of equality, and the work she has done on behalf of our community around the world has been extremely important. A song as beautiful as this should have a beautiful woman like her as a model." Tommy Calle from the ''Los Angeles Times'' gave the music video a positive review, saying: "The use of drones for aerial shots are phenomenal and show the beauty of the Puerto Rican coast."

Track listings

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from

Tidal Tidal is the adjectival form of tide. Tidal may also refer to: * Tidal (album), ''Tidal'' (album), a 1996 album by Fiona Apple * Tidal (king), a king involved in the Battle of the Vale of Siddim * TidalCycles, a live coding environment for music * ...

. *

vocal, composer, lyricist, associated performer *

vocal, associated performer *

composer, lyricist * Pablo Preciado composer, lyricist * Andrés Torres composer, lyricist, producer, keyboards, recording engineer, programmer * Ignacio Cibrian composer, lyricist * Mauricio Rengifo composer, lyricist, producer, keyboards, recording engineer, programmer * Julio Ramirez Juvelo composer, lyricist * Mayra del Valle A&R coordinator * Izzy De Jesús A&R director * Jacob Richards assistant engineer *

Jaycen Joshua Jaycen Joshua is a mix engineer and music producer who owns the revered Canton House Studios in Studio City, California. Joshua started his mix career in 2005 when he became partners with his mentor Dave Pensado and formed The Penua Project. Joshu ...

mastering engineer, mixing engineer

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Release history

References

{{Reik 2020s ballads 2022 songs 2022 singles Pop ballads Ricky Martin songs Songs written by Ricky Martin Sony Music Latin singles Spanish-language songs Songs written by Andrés Torres (producer) Songs written by Mauricio Rengifo Songs written by Kiko Cibrian