"Beso" () is a song written and recorded by Spanish singer-songwriter

Rosalía Rosalia Vila Tobella (born 25 September 1992), known mononymously as Rosalía (, ), is a Spanish singer. Born and raised in the outskirts of Barcelona, she has been described as an "atypical pop star" due to her genre-bending musical styles. ...

and Puerto Rican singer-songwriter

Rauw Alejandro Raúl Alejandro Ocasio Ruiz (born January 10, 1993), known professionally as Rauw Alejandro, is a Puerto Rican singer and songwriter. Referred to as the " King of Modern Reggaeton", he belongs to "the new generation" of Puerto Rican urban musi ...

for their collaborative

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.

, '' RR'' (2023). The song's production was handled by Dylan Patrice, Alejandro, Rosalía, and

Noah Goldstein Noah Goldstein is an American record producer, composer, engineer, and mixer, and also works in A&R. He won a Grammy Award for Best Rap Album for his work on Kanye West's ''My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy'', and has been nominated for six others ...

. It was released by

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...

in partnertship with

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 March 24, 2023, as the

lead single A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. Release s ...

from the EP. A Spanish-language

emo Emo is a rock music genre characterized by emotional, often confessional lyrics. It emerged as a style of and hardcore punk from the Washington D.C. hardcore punk scene, where it was known as emotional hardcore or emocore and pioneered b ...

reggaeton Reggaeton (, ), also known as reggaetón and reguetón (), is a music style that originated in Panama during the late 1980s. It was later popularized in Puerto Rico. It has evolved from dancehall and has been influenced by American Hip hop m ...

and pop track, with an upbeat keyboard melody, it is a love song, in which they sing about longing for a kiss with each other, as well as their fear of separation. "Beso" received 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 assumed that it would be one of the songs of the summer. The song was commercially successful, reaching number one in Spain, as well as the top five in several other countries such as Chile and Switzerland, and 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

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 ...

in the United States. It also reached the summit of

Latin Digital Song Sales The ''Billboard'' Latin Digital Songs, or Latin Digital Song Sales, is a record chart that ranks the best-selling Spanish-language digital songs in the United States, as compiled by Nielsen SoundScan and published weekly by ''Billboard''. It was ...

and peaked at number 10 on ''Billboard'' Global 200. The song was certified platinum in Spain. 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 mainly made up of videos recorded by the singers in selfie mode and features a series of key moments the two had spent together during their relationship. They confirmed their engagement at the end of the video.

Background and release

After months of exchanging

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direct messages,

and

met in person in Las Vegas during the

20th Annual Latin Grammy Awards The 20th Annual Latin Grammy Awards was held on Thursday, November 14, 2019, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada and was broadcast on Univision. The telecast marked the 20th anniversary of the Latin Grammy Awards and honored outsta ...

in November 2019 and fell in love with each other. They began dating privately and worked together on several musical projects; Rosalía was featured as a background vocalist on Alejandro's "

Dile a Él "Dile a Él" () is a song recorded by Puerto Rican singer Rauw Alejandro for his debut studio album, '' Afrodisíaco'' (2020), featuring uncredited background vocals from Spanish singer Rosalía. It was written by Alejandro, while the production ...

" (2020) and "Corazón Despeinado" (2022), and co-wrote "Caprichoso" (2022), while Alejandro co-wrote Rosalía's "

Chicken Teriyaki The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesticated junglefowl species, with attributes of wild species such as the grey and the Ceylon junglefowl that are originally from Southeastern Asia. Rooster or cock is a term for an adult m ...

" (2022). They made their relationship public in September 2021. During an interview with ''

'' in May 2022, Alejandro spoke about collaborating with Rosalía: On March 13, 2023, the couple announced that they would release a three-song collaborative

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.

titled '' RR'' on March 24, and revealed the tracks' titles as "Beso", "Vampiros", and "Promesa". On March 15, 2023, Rosalía shared a preview of "Beso" on

TikTok TikTok, known in China as Douyin (), is a short-form video hosting service owned by the Chinese company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which can range in duration from 15 seconds to 10 minutes. TikTok is an international version ...

, in which she was seen "on the verge of sharing a kiss" with Alejandro, while they were singing the song to each other. ''RR'' 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 ...

on March 24, 2023, and "Beso" was included as the first track. On the same day, the song was picked as the

promoting the project, issued by

Sony Music Sony Music Entertainment (SME), also known as simply Sony Music, is an American multinational music company. Being owned by the parent conglomerate Sony Group Corporation, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is owned by Sony Entertainment ...

to Italian and Latin American radio stations.

Music and lyrics

Musically, "Beso" is a Spanish language

and pop song, with an upbeat

keyboard Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

melody. ''

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'' reviewer Jon Pareles noted the singers' "high, small and tremulous" vocals over "a brusque beat topped with quasi-

Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

keyboards and

strings String or strings may refer to: *String (structure), a long flexible structure made from threads twisted together, which is used to tie, bind, or hang other objects Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Strings'' (1991 film), a Canadian anim ...

". The track was written by Alejandro and Rosalía, while the production was handled by Dylan Patrice, Alejandro, Rosalía, and

. It runs for a total of 3 minutes and 14 seconds. Lyrically, "Beso" which translates to "Kiss" in English, is a

love song A love song is a song about romantic love, falling in love, heartbreak after a breakup, and the feelings that these experiences bring. A comprehensive list of even the best known performers and composers of love songs would be a large order. ...

, in which they sing about longing for a kiss with each other, as well as their fear of separation. The lyrics include, "Ya yo necesito otro beso / Uno de esos que tú me da' / Estar lejos de ti e' el infierno / Estar cerca de ti es mi paz" (I need another kiss / One of those that you give to me / Being away from you is hell / Being close to you is my peace).

Critical reception

Upon release, "Beso" was met with widely positive reviews from

. Writing for ''

Cosmopolitan Cosmopolitan may refer to: Food and drink * Cosmopolitan (cocktail), also known as a "Cosmo" History * Rootless cosmopolitan, a Soviet derogatory epithet during Joseph Stalin's anti-Semitic campaign of 1949–1953 Hotels and resorts * Cosmopoli ...

'', Natalia Arroyo assumed that it "is going to be one of the songs of the summer". Similarly, Happy FM staff labeled the track "a song that sounds like a hit" and believed that it "will be played a lot in the coming months", noting that "it has all the ingredients to be a new hit for the couple artists of the moment".

Commercial performance

"Beso" became a global hit, bounding in ''Billboard'' Global 200 at number 10, with 50 million streams and 3,000 digital downloads sold worldwide in its first week. The song also debuted at number seven on ''Billboard'' Global Excl. US, earning Alejandro his fifth top 10 on the chart and Rosalía her fourth. The song debuted and peaked at number four on the US ''Billboard''

chart on April 8, 2023, with a first-week tally of 2,000 downloads sold, 9.1 million streams, and 3 million radio impressions. Thus, it became Rosalía's seventh top 10 hit on the chart and Alejandro's tenth. It also reached number one on the US

, number 44 on

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 ...

, number 17 on

Latin Rhythm Airplay Latin Rhythm Airplay is an airplay-only chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' that ranks the most popular songs being played on Hispanic rhythmic/hurban radio stations in the United States. The music typically heard on these stations include r ...

, and number six on

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. On the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, "Beso" debuted and peaked at number 52, giving both Rosalía and Alejandro their seventh entry. It also became the former's highest-charting song in her career, surpassing " La Noche de Anoche". In Canada, "Beso" debuted at number 85 on ''Billboard''s

Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music industry record chart in Canada for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. The Canadian Hot 100 was launched on the issue dated March 31, 2007, and is currently the standard record chart in Canada; a n ...

on the chart issue dated April 8, 2023, earning Rosalía her fifth entry, and Alejandro his third. Besides North America, "Beso" hit the charts in several European countries, including Italy and France. In Switzerland, the song debuted at number three on April 2, 2023, becoming Rosalía's second top-10 hit in the country and Alejandro's first. It also peaked at numbers three and seven in Portugal and Luxembourg, respectively. In Spain's official weekly chart, the song debuted at number-one on April 2, 2023, becoming Rosalía's 11th number one hit in the country and Alejandro's fourth. The track was certified platinum by the

Productores de Música de España Productores de Música de España (English: Spanish Music Producers, shortened as Promusicae) is the national organisation responsible for the music charts of Spain. It is a trade association that represents more than 90% of the Spanish recorded m ...

(PROMUSICAE), for track-equivalent sales of over 60,000 units in the country.

Promotion

Music video

During an interview with

Ibai Llanos Ibai Llanos Garatea (born 26 March 1995), better known mononymously as Ibai, is a Spanish internet celebrity, streamer, and esports caster. He was a content creator for G2 Esports from 2020 to 2021. He is co-owner of the esports team KOI, a ...

, Rosalía and Alejandro confirmed that all three tracks off ''RR'' would be accompanied by

s. On March 21, 2023, the two shared a trailer for the "Beso" music video on

social media Social media are interactive media technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks. While challenges to the definition of ''social medi ...

, announcing that it would be released simultaneously with the EP on March 24. The visual was released on the specified date. It features a series of key moments the two had spent together during their relationship — from their concerts backstage and the studio to vacations and international trips to countries such as France and Japan. The video is mainly made up of videos recorded by themselves in

selfie A selfie () is a self-portrait photograph, typically taken with a digital camera or smartphone, which may be held in the hand or supported by a selfie stick. Selfies are often shared on social media, via social networking services such as F ...

mode. In the final scene, when the music fades, the couple confirms their engagement. Teary-eyed Rosalía shows the camera a ring with a huge diamond, saying: "Oh my god and my mascara is all runny now. I love you". As she holds her phone with one hand, and the brown ring box with the other, she looks at Alejandro and kisses him. In her reviews for ''Billboard'', Isabela Raygoza described the music video as "beautiful", and praised how they announced their engagement in "the sweetest" and the "most creative" ways.

Live performances

Alejandro performed "Beso" for the first time at

Barclays Center Barclays Center is a multi-purpose list of indoor arenas, indoor arena in the New York City Boroughs of New York City, borough of Brooklyn. The arena is home to the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association and the New York Liberty o ...

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, during his concert as part of the Saturno World Tour on March 24, 2023. On the same night, Rosalía performed the track among her other songs at the 2023 Festival Estéreo Picnic in

Bogotá Bogotá (, also , , ), officially Bogotá, Distrito Capital, abbreviated Bogotá, D.C., and formerly known as Santa Fe de Bogotá (; ) during the Spanish period and between 1991 and 2000, is the capital city of Colombia, and one of the larges ...

, as part of her '23 "Festivales" tour. One week later, the two performed the song for the first time together at

Hiram Bithorn Stadium Hiram Bithorn Stadium (Spanish: Estadio Hiram Bithorn) is a baseball park in San Juan, Puerto Rico, built in 1962 and designed by Puerto Rican architect Pedro Miranda. It is operated by the municipal government of the city of San Juan. Its name ho ...

San Juan, Puerto Rico San Juan (, , ; Spanish for "Saint John") is the capital city and most populous municipality in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2020 census, it is the 57th-largest city under the jur ...

, during Alejandro's show as part of the Saturno World Tour. On April 15, 2023, Rosalía brought out Alejandro during her performance at the 2023

Coachella Festival The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival (commonly called the Coachella Festival or simply Coachella) is an annual music and arts festival held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, in the Coachella Valley in the Colorado Desert. I ...

and performed "Beso" together.

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 * ...

. *

associated performer, composer, lyricist, producer, vocal, vocal producer *

associated performer, composer, lyricist, producer, vocal * Dylan Patrice producer, bass, piano, synthesizer *

producer, synthesizer * Lucas Glastra assistant engineer * Claude Vause assistant engineer * Rémy Dumelz assistant engineer * Marius Van Mierlo assistant engineer * Jack Laiheugue assistant engineer * Daniella Leon assistant engineer *

Chris Gehringer Chris Gehringer (born May 27, 1962) is an American mastering engineer, known for having mastered recordings such as Gwen Stefani's '' Love. Angel. Music. Baby.'' (2004), Rihanna's '' Loud'' (2010), Lady Gaga's '' Born This Way'' (2011) and Drake' ...

mastering engineer *

Manny Marroquin Manny Marroquin (born September 21, 1971) is an American mixing engineer.Daley, Dan (May 2005).Manny Marroquin. ''Sound on Sound''. Retrieved February 10, 2007 He has received ten Grammy awards for his professional audio work. Life and career M ...

mixing engineer * David Rodríguez recording engineer, vocal producer * Abraham Mansfaroll percussion

Charts

Weekly charts

Monthly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{Authority control 2023 songs 2023 singles Rosalía songs Rauw Alejandro songs Songs written by Rosalía Songs written by Rauw Alejandro Spanish-language songs Columbia Records singles Sony Music Latin singles