"Chantaje" (; English: "Blackmail") is a song by Colombian singer
Shakira
Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll ( , ; born 2 February 1977), professionally known by the mononym Shakira, is a Colombian singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Barranquilla, she has been referred to as the " Queen of Latin Music" and is ...
, featuring vocals by fellow Colombian singer
Maluma
Juan Luis Londoño Arias (born 28 January 1994), known professionally as Maluma, is a Colombian singer, songwriter, and actor.
Born and raised in Medellín, he developed an interest in music at a young age, recording songs since age sixteen. ...
. The song was released as a single to anticipate Shakira's eleventh studio album ''
El Dorado
El Dorado (, ; Spanish for "the golden"), originally ''El Hombre Dorado'' ("The Golden Man") or ''El Rey Dorado'' ("The Golden King"), was the term used by the Spanish in the 16th century to describe a mythical tribal chief (''zipa'') or king o ...
'' (2017) on 28 October 2016 by Ace Entertainment. Its lyrics were written by Shakira and Maluma. Its musical composition was done by Shakira, Maluma, Kenai and The Rudeboyz. It was produced by Shakira, Maluma and The Rudeboyz. Maluma and Shakira previously collaborated on a remix of
Carlos Vives
Carlos Alberto Vives Restrepo (born 7 August 1961) is a Colombian singer, songwriter and actor. He is known for his interpretation of traditional music styles of Colombia such as vallenato, cumbia, champeta, bambuco and porro as well as genres ...
' single "
La Bicicleta
"La Bicicleta" ( en, "The Bicycle") is a song by Colombian singers Carlos Vives and Shakira from Vives' fifteenth studio album ''Vives'' (2017) and is also included as an album track on Shakira's eleventh studio album ''El Dorado'' (2017). The ...
".
"Chantaje" is a
pop and
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 ...
song. Lyrically, the song was considered a "battle of the sexes", where the male protagonist is not sure where he stands with his lover, and the female protagonist does not exactly clear things up. The music video for "Chantaje" was filmed in Barcelona, Spain, with video director Jaume de Laiguana, Shakira's long-time collaborator. Commercially, the song topped the Brazil, Ecuador, Guatemala, Spain, Uruguay, and US ''Billboard'' Latin Songs charts, while also reaching the top five in nine additional countries. It became the most successful Latin single of the decade by a female artist in the United States.
The track is also
certified
Certification is the provision by an independent body of written assurance (a certificate) that the product, service or system in question meets specific requirements. It is the formal attestation or confirmation of certain characteristics of a ...
Platinum or higher in ten countries, including Diamond in Brazil (three times), France, Mexico and United States (Latin).
The song was nominated for Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Urban Fusion Performance at the 18th
Latin Grammy Awards
The Latin Grammy Awards are an award by The Latin Recording Academy to recognize outstanding achievement in the Latin music industry. The Latin Grammy honors works recorded in Spanish or Portuguese from anywhere around the world that has been r ...
.
Background and release
Puerto Rican composer and recording artist Kenai had the word "Chantaje" in his mind months before the idea of a collaboration with Shakira and Maluma emerged.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqI5AgzksCA Min: 32:05] He stated in an interview that the idea of the song was intended to be his own single. While working on music demos in Colombia with The Rudeboyz, he received a call from the production duo to work on a collaborative single between Shakira and Maluma that was intended to be presented to the artists the next day. They were supposed to offer three different demos to Shakira and Maluma, but ended up working on just one feeling confident enough about its potential. The three worked together on the demo one night in Colombia. The Rudeboyz traveled without Kenai the next day to Barcelona, Spain to meet with Shakira and Maluma to keep working on the song together.
Before collaborating with Shakira in "Chantaje", Maluma served guest vocals for the official remix of
Carlos Vives
Carlos Alberto Vives Restrepo (born 7 August 1961) is a Colombian singer, songwriter and actor. He is known for his interpretation of traditional music styles of Colombia such as vallenato, cumbia, champeta, bambuco and porro as well as genres ...
and
Shakira
Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll ( , ; born 2 February 1977), professionally known by the mononym Shakira, is a Colombian singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Barranquilla, she has been referred to as the " Queen of Latin Music" and is ...
's 2016 song "
La Bicicleta
"La Bicicleta" ( en, "The Bicycle") is a song by Colombian singers Carlos Vives and Shakira from Vives' fifteenth studio album ''Vives'' (2017) and is also included as an album track on Shakira's eleventh studio album ''El Dorado'' (2017). The ...
". Later, Maluma travelled to
Barcelona
Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...
in early September 2016 to work with Shakira, along with his production team. He confessed to ''
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 ...
'' that "he couldn't miss the opportunity to work with
eragain." The pairing was possible due to
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 ...
, who proposed the idea for both artists working together again after the remix of "La Bicicleta".
Maluma also commented about Shakira, stating: "It was an amazing experience.
..She's a great artist, but she's also a composer. I learned a lot."
Before releasing the song, Shakira shared clues on her Instagram account on 25 October 2016, and if someone solved the mystery, they would get a personal message from the singer confirming the correct answer.
The first photo had Shakira "wearing a magician's hat and holding a rabbit," which meant "Magic", name of both Shakira's and Maluma's first albums; the second photo had a drawing of a crown in a white board, meaning Maluma's crown tattoo; and the third photo was Shakira holding a poster with a photo of
Alejandro Sanz
Alejandro Sánchez Pizarro, better known as Alejandro Sanz (; born 18 December 1968), is a Spanish musician, singer and composer. Sanz has won 22 Latin Grammy Awards and four Grammy Awards. He has received the Latin Grammy for Latin Grammy Awar ...
(which stands for his nickname "Chan") + TA + G, which was the title of the track: "Chantaje".
Later, the singer shared the artwork of the single, featuring both artists.
Eventually, the song was released on 28 October 2016 through digital download by Ace Entertainment.
Composition
"Chantaje" was written by
Shakira
Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll ( , ; born 2 February 1977), professionally known by the mononym Shakira, is a Colombian singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Barranquilla, she has been referred to as the " Queen of Latin Music" and is ...
,
Maluma
Juan Luis Londoño Arias (born 28 January 1994), known professionally as Maluma, is a Colombian singer, songwriter, and actor.
Born and raised in Medellín, he developed an interest in music at a young age, recording songs since age sixteen. ...
, Kenai and production duo The Rudeboyz. It was also produced by Shakira and Maluma with The Rudeboyz.
"Chantaje" is a
pop and
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 ...
song,
with tropical synths in its background.
The song is built from a "pitched-up vocal" saying "''Hola, mira''" ("Hello, look").
Lyrically, the song is a chase "between a lustful man and an unattainable woman,"
where "he’s not sure where he stands with her, and she's not exactly clearing things up."
"''Yo soy masoquista''" ("I'm a masochist"), he says, and she responds, "''Con mi cuerpo, un egoísta''" ("With my body, an egoistic"), adding:
.."''En esta relación, soy yo la que manda''" ("In this relationship, I’m in command").
In the chorus, she warns him: "''No soy de ti ni de nadie''" ("I'm not yours or anyone else's").
Critical reception
Jon Pareles of ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' was positive, noting that "Shakira gets even more intense when she sings in Spanish, nervier and more committed," and calling the song "a sparse, insinuatingly catchy reggaetón battle of the sexes."
Jeff Nelson of ''
People
A person (plural, : people) is a being that has certain capacities or attributes such as reason, morality, consciousness or self-consciousness, and being a part of a culturally established form of social relations such as kinship, ownership of pr ...
'' named it "a sexy, buoyant jam," while Diana Martin of
E! Online
E! (an initialism for Entertainment Television) is an American basic cable channel which primarily focuses on pop culture, celebrity focused reality shows, and movies, owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of NBCUniversa ...
wrote that the song is "all sorts of sexy and infectious."
Lucy Morris of
Digital Spy
Digital Spy (DS) is a British-based entertainment, television and film website and brand and is the largest digital property at Hearst UK. Since its launch in 1999, Digital Spy has focused on entertainment news related to television programmes, ...
admitted: "We may have no clue what the lyrics mean, but the song is infectious."
Mike Wass of
Idolator
An idolator is a practitioner of idolatry.
Idolater or Idolator may also refer to: Books
*''Os Idólatras'', 1968 Portuguese novel by Maria Judite de Carvalho Music
* Idolator (website), an American music blog
* ''Idolator'' (album), third album ...
opined that the song "is instantly hummable regardless of your Spanish language skills and will have you moving before the end of the first verse. It’s a winner and has the potential to be a '
La Tortura
"" (English: "The Torture") is a song by Colombian singer Shakira, featuring Spanish singer Alejandro Sanz, from Shakira's sixth studio album ''Fijación Oral, Vol. 1'' (2005). It was released on 13 April 2005 by Epic Records as the lead single f ...
'-sized crossover hit."
Lucas Villa of
AXS said that the song "plays to Shakira's strengths as a global seductress with a banger that's ready to make club-goers bend to its will."
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 ...
included Chantaje among the 50 essential Latin songs of the 2010s decade.
Commercial performance
In the United States, the song became the second track to ever debut atop Billboard Top Latin Songs after Shakira's and
Maná
Maná () is a Mexican pop rock band. The band is considered one of the best-selling Latin music artists and the most successful Latin American band of all time with over 40 million records sold worldwide. The group's current lineup consists o ...
's "
Mi Verdad", after the chart became a multi-metric chart. With its first-week sales of 13,000 digital downloads, 1.6 million streams and 13.8 million audience impressions in the US, the song became the second highest sales week for a Spanish-language track in 2016. The single was "only the 14th track to debut atop the chart in its 30-year history"Chantaje", as reported by ''
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 ...
''.
It is also Shakira's eleventh number-one on the chart, and Maluma's first. "Chantaje" also debuted at number 96 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, becoming Shakira's 19th entry there and Maluma's first.
In its eighth charting week, the song managed to jump from number 65 to number 51, becoming her highest Hot 100 Spanish-language single after "
La Tortura
"" (English: "The Torture") is a song by Colombian singer Shakira, featuring Spanish singer Alejandro Sanz, from Shakira's sixth studio album ''Fijación Oral, Vol. 1'' (2005). It was released on 13 April 2005 by Epic Records as the lead single f ...
" (2005).
In the same week, the song spent its eighth non-consecutive week at the top of the Latin Songs, matching the amount of time that "
Hips Don't Lie
"Hips Don't Lie" is a Latin pop and reggaeton song by Colombian singer-songwriter Shakira, featuring Haitian rapper Wyclef Jean, released by Epic Records in 2006 as the second single from the reissue of Shakira's seventh studio album, ''Oral Fixa ...
" spent in 2006, while also becoming her second longest chart reign, spending eleven weeks at number one.
It has been certified 16× Platinum by the RIAA's Latin certifications program, denoting sales of over 960,000 units.
According to the 2017 year-end Nielsen Canada report, the song has sold 177,000 units in the country. "Chantaje" went on to become the most successful Latin single of the decade by a female artist in the United States, according to
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 ...
.
In the United Kingdom, the single became the first Spanish song by a female artist in history to be certified Silver for surpassing 200,000 equivalent units in the country.
In France, the song debuted at number 36 on the week of 11 November 2016.
Later, it fell to numbers 91 and 126 in the following weeks, before climbing once again to number 76. After spending three weeks climbing on the charts, "Chantaje" cracked the top-forty for the second time, going to number forty.
Five weeks later, the song managed to climb from number 22 to number 14,
becoming Shakira's fifteenth top-twenty single and highest since "
Dare (La La La)
"Dare (La La La)" is a song recorded by Colombian singer-songwriter Shakira from her self-titled tenth studio album ''Shakira'' (2014). The song was first released to contemporary hit radio in Italy on 24 April 2014, as the third single from the ...
" (2014).
In Italy, "Chantaje" debuted at number 15 and peaked at number 11 for two weeks.
In Netherlands, "Chantaje" managed to peak at number 18, becoming her highest-charting single since "
Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)
"Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)", also known as "Waka Waka (Esto es África)" in Spanish, is a song by Colombian singer Shakira, featuring the South African band Freshlyground. Written, composed, and produced by Shakira and John Hill, it was r ...
" (2010).
In Switzerland, the song peaked at number 10, becoming Shakira's fifteenth top-ten single.
In Spain, "Chantaje" entered the PROMUSICAE chart at number eight and reached number-one the following week, becoming Shakira's eighth number-one single.
Music video
The music video was shot in Barcelona, on 13 and 14 October 2016, and it was directed by Spanish director and photographer Jaume de Laiguana, who has already directed various Shakira's music videos.
The official lyric video to the song was released on 16 November, while the official music video was released on 18 November 2016.
In the beginning of the music video, as described by ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'' Sarah Grant, "Shakira strolls through a bodega with her pet pig on a leash and her wild mane of hair hidden under a pink wig."
"She then lures him in to an underground bar", as ''Billboard'' added,
while also "swivel
ngher hips from the top of the bar to the men's bathroom, where she winds, kicks and grinds solo amid the urinals."
Reception
The music video earned 100 million views in just 19 days, breaking the previous 21 days record, and becoming the fastest Spanish video ever to do so. On 7 April 2017, it reached 1 billion views, becoming the fastest Spanish video to hit the billion visits landmark. It was also the second-most viewed video on
Vevo
Vevo ( , an abbreviation for "Video Evolution", stylized as VEVO until 2013) is an American multinational video hosting service, best known for providing music videos to YouTube. The service is also available as an app on selected smart TVs, di ...
in 2017, after "
Despacito
"Despacito" (; "Slowly") is a song by Puerto Rican singer Luis Fonsi featuring Puerto Rican rapper and singer Daddy Yankee as the lead single from Fonsi's 2019 studio album ''Vida''. Released on January 12, 2017, the song was written by Fonsi, ...
".
Salsa version
On 2 February, Shakira celebrated her birthday with a salsa version of "Chantaje" with Chelito de Castro.
Accolades
Live performances
Shakira performed "Chantaje" with
Coldplay
Coldplay are a British rock band formed in London in 1997. They consist of vocalist and pianist Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman, drummer Will Champion and creative director Phil Harvey. They met at University Col ...
's lead vocalist
Chris Martin
Christopher Anthony John Martin (born 2 March 1977) is an English singer-songwriter and musician. He is best known as the lead vocalist, pianist, rhythm guitarist and co-founder of the rock band Coldplay. Born in Exeter, Devon, he went to Univ ...
at
Global Citizen Festival Hamburg on 6 July 2017.
Shakira performed the song with
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 ...
during the
Super Bowl LIV halftime show.
Credits and personnel
Credits adapted from
Tidal
Tidal is the adjectival form of tide.
Tidal may also refer to:
* ''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
* Tidal (servic ...
.
*Shakira – lead vocals, composer, producer
*Maluma – lead vocals, composer, producer
*Joel Antonio López Castro "Kenai" – composer
*Kevin Mauricio Jiménez Londoño "Kevin ADG" (The RudeBoyz) – composer, producer
*Bryan Snaider Lezcano Chaverra "Chan 'El Genio'" (The RudeBoyz) – composer, producer
*Dave Clauss – mixing engineer
*Adam Ayan – mastering engineer
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Decade charts
All-time charts
Certifications
Release history
See also
*
List of number-one singles of 2016 (Spain)
This lists the singles that reached number one on the Spanish Promusicae sales and airplay charts in 2016. Total sales correspond to the data sent by regular contributors to sales volumes and by digital distributors.
Chart history
References
...
*
List of number-one singles of 2017 (Spain)
*
List of number-one Billboard Hot Latin Songs of 2016
The ''Billboard'' Hot Latin Songs and Latin Airplay are charts that rank the best-performing Latin songs in the United States and are both published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. The Hot Latin Songs ranks the best-performing Spanish-language ...
*
List of number-one Billboard Hot Latin Songs of 2017
The ''Billboard'' Hot Latin Songs and Latin Airplay are charts that rank the best-performing Latin songs in the United States and are both published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. The Hot Latin Songs ranks the best-performing Spanish-languag ...
*
List of most liked YouTube videos
A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to:
People
* List (surname)
Organizations
* List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America
* SC Germania List, German rugby unio ...
*
List of best-selling singles in Spain
This is a list of best selling singles in Spain, some of which have been certified by the Productores de Música de España (PROMUSICAE). All of these singles have multi-platinum certifications.
Records
Ordered by highest-selling to lowest ...
References
External links
*
{{authority control
2016 songs
2016 singles
Shakira songs
Maluma songs
Spanish-language songs
Songs written by Shakira
Latin pop songs
Reggaeton songs
Songs written by Maluma (singer)