"Cántalo" () 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 ...

with Puerto Rican rappers

Residente René Pérez Joglar (born February 23, 1978), known professionally as Residente (often stylized as Resīdɛntə), is a Puerto Rican rapper, singer, and songwriter. He is best known as one of the founders of the alternative rap band Calle 13. ...

and

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 ...

for Martin's first

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.

, ''

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 ...

'' (2020). The song was written by Residente, Bad Bunny, Danay Suárez, Martin,

Rubén Blades Rubén Blades Bellido de Luna (born July 16, 1948), known professionally as Rubén Blades (, but in Panama and within the family), is a Panamanian musician, singer, composer, actor, activist, and politician, performing musically most often in th ...

, and

Johnny Pacheco Juan Pablo Knipping Pacheco (25 March 1935 – 15 February 2021), known as Johnny Pacheco, was a Dominican musician, arranger, composer, bandleader, and record producer who in the 1970s became one of the leading exponents of salsa as well in t ...

, while the production was handled by Residente and Trooko. 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 November 12, 2019 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

salsa Salsa most often refers to: * Salsa (Mexican cuisine), a variety of sauces used as condiments * Salsa music, a popular style of Latin American music * Salsa (dance), a Latin dance associated with Salsa music Salsa or SALSA may also refer to: A ...

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, it is about union and celebration. "Cántalo" 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, and fusion of sounds and genres. The song reached the top 10 in Martin's native Puerto Rico, and the top 15 in Panama. It was nominated for Best Urban Fusion/Performance at the

21st Annual Latin Grammy Awards The 21st Annual Latin Grammy Awards were held on Thursday, November 19, 2020 and broadcast on Univision. The 2020 Latin Grammy ceremony was anchored from the American Airlines Arena in Miami, though the health protocols enacted due to the COVID-1 ...

. To promote the song, Martin, Residente, and Bad Bunny performed it at the 2019 Latin Grammy Awards. For further promotion,

Spotify Spotify (; ) is a proprietary Swedish audio streaming and media services provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. It is one of the largest music streaming service providers, with over 456 million monthly active us ...

promoted the release on billboards in

Times Square Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment hub, and neighborhood in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is formed by the junction of Broadway, Seventh Avenue, and 42nd Street. Together with adjacent ...

Background and development

Telegramgate Telegramgate, also known as Chatgate or RickyLeaks, was a political scandal involving Ricardo Rosselló, then Governor of Puerto Rico, which began on July 8, 2019, with the leak of hundreds of pages of a group chat on the messaging application ...

, also known as Chatgate, was a political scandal involving

Ricardo Rosselló Ricardo Antonio Rosselló Nevares (; born March 7, 1979) is a Puerto Rican politician who served as the governor of Puerto Rico from 2017 to 2019. He resigned on August 2, 2019, after protests related to the Telegramgate scandal. He is the s ...

, then

Governor of Puerto Rico The governor of Puerto Rico ( es, gobernador de Puerto Rico) is the head of government of the Commonwealth (U.S. insular area), Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and commander-in-chief of the Puerto Rico National Guard. The governor has a duty ...

, which began on July 8, 2019, with the leak of hundreds of pages of a group chat on the messaging application

Telegram Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas p ...

between Rosselló and members of his cabinet. The messages were considered vulgar, misogynistic, and homophobic toward several individuals and groups, including

. Therefore, Martin,

and several other artists, and more than half a million Puerto Ricans led the call to take to the streets of Puerto Rico, demanding Rosselló's resignation. Martin started recording his eleventh studio album, initially titled ''Movimiento'', in the second half of 2019, inspired by the political protests in Puerto Rico. On November 6, 2019, Martin shared the artwork for his new

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 ...

on his

Instagram Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...

and announced that it would be a collaboration with Bad Bunny and Residente, titled "Cántalo". The cover replicates Puerto Rican protest posters demanding the resignation of Roselló. Four days later, Martin shared a photo of himself and his fellow artists in studio, and revealed the single's release date as November 12, 2019. In an interview with ''

El Nuevo Día ''El Nuevo Día'' (English: ''The New Day'') is the newspaper with the largest circulation in Puerto Rico. It was founded in 1909 in Ponce, Puerto Rico, and today it is a subsidiary of GFR Media. Its headquarters are in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico. ...

'', he told the newspaper about "Cántalo", saying it has "a fascinating story, starting with the fact that La Fania gave me the master ecordingsof ' Mi Gente' to work on this song, which is a very great responsibility and it fills my heart with pride". He continued: Residente also told ''El Nuevo Día'' about the collaboration, saying it "continues to show the union through music and within a circle of different generations that represent our culture and heritage", going on to call the song "an incredible experience to integrate 'Mi Gente' a song with a rich history from its creation in Africa to its global impact". "Cántalo" marked the first collaboration between Martin and the two other artists, while Residente and Bad Bunny had previously worked on the 2019 singles "Bellacoso" and "

Afilando los cuchillos "Afilando Los Cuchillos" is a protest song by Puerto Rican musicians Bad Bunny, Residente, and iLe. It was released on July 17, 2019 through YouTube, in response to Ricardo Rosselló and the Telegramgate. The song was officially independentl ...

" together.

Music and lyrics

Musically, "Cántalo" is a Spanish language

and

song, written by Residente, Bad Bunny, Cuban singer-songwriter Danay Suárez, Martin, Panamanian musician

, and Dominican musician

. Its production was handled by Residente and Trooko, and the song features elements of

trap A trap is a mechanical device used to capture or restrain an animal for purposes such as hunting, pest control, or ecological research. Trap or TRAP may also refer to: Art and entertainment Films and television * ''Trap'' (2015 film), Fil ...

, hip hop, Afro-Latin pop,

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

, and

bossa nova Bossa nova () is a style of samba developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is mainly characterized by a "different beat" that altered the harmonies with the introduction of unconventional chords and an innovativ ...

. The song runs for a total of 3 minutes and 38 seconds, uses several instruments including a tambora and trumpet, and inspires the union of the human race regardless of religion, social status or flag color. Throughout the roaring and richly cultural song, the trio sing about union and celebration. The

chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song) or refrain, line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in which all verse ...

of the track references

Héctor Lavoe Héctor Juan Pérez Martínez (30 September 1946 – 29 June 1993), better known as Héctor Lavoe, was a Puerto Rican salsa singer. Lavoe is considered to be possibly the best and most important singer and interpreter in the history of salsa ...

's 1974 song " Mi Gente", and reverts to "full-throttle salsa" between Residente and Bad Bunny rap verses. After Bad Bunny's verse, the song nods to a half-time

tempo In musical terminology, tempo (Italian, 'time'; plural ''tempos'', or ''tempi'' from the Italian plural) is the speed or pace of a given piece. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (often ...

, before another chorus.

Release and promotion

The song was released for digital download and

as a

on November 12, 2019. For further promotion,

promoted the release on billboards in

. 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'' and ''Play''. "Cántalo" was included as the sixth track on his debut EP ''Pausa'', released May 28, 2020. On June 23, 2020, an accompanying

lyric 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 promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...

was released on Martin's

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

channel. A headphone mix of the song, created using " Orbital Audio" technology, was included as the sixth track on the headphone mix version of the EP, released July 30, 2020. Martin, Residente, and Bad Bunny gave their first live performance of "Cántalo" at 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 ...

on November 14, 2019, which was ranked as one of the best moments of the ceremony 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 ...

''. The song was included on Martin's the

Movimiento Tour The Movimiento Tour was the eleventh tour by Puerto Rican recording artist Ricky Martin, in support of his eleventh studio album, which was set to be called ''Movimiento'' (2020). The tour began in San Juan, Puerto Rico at the José Miguel Agrel ...

, which began at the

José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum The Coliseo de Puerto Rico José Miguel Agrelot (English language, English: ''José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum of Puerto Rico'') is the biggest indoor arena in Puerto Rico dedicated to entertainment. It is located at the Milla de Oro, Golden Mile ...

in San Juan, Puerto Rico on February 7, 2020. During the performances of "Cántalo" for the tour, he wore a black outfit, and usually appeared at the top of a staircase placed in the middle of a stage. Martin also performed "Cántalo" along with his other hits during the 61st Viña del Mar International Song Festival on February 23, 2020.

Critical reception

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

. Suzette Fernandez from ''

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 ...

'' gave the song a positive review, praising it for leaving aside the commercial sound and becoming a cultural song that carries a message of union and celebration. She also complimented the song for its perfectly fusion of sounds, and admired "the combination of Martin's voice with Residente and Bad Bunny's rap style and the lyrics" that make the track "unique". Writing for ''Hypebeast'', Sophie Caraan praised "Cántalo", saying: "Fusing traditional sounds found in Latin music and Residente and Bunny's trap style, the track calls for everybody to stand for what’s right instead of turning a blind eye to injustice." She also described the song as " cultural anthem that calls for unification and celebration". Alicia Alonso from

Cadena Dial Cadena Dial is a Spanish radio station. The station belongs to the Spanish media group PRISA. It was founded in 1990 and broadcasts exclusively pop music in Spanish (and Catalan, in the case of Catalonia). On 7 April 2017 Cadena Dial began broadc ...

described it as "a song with Latin rhythms that promises to be the song that everyone is going to dance and sing". An author of

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 ...

complimented the track, labeling it "a song that brings together all cultures regardless of religion or country". An author of

Rádio Comercial Rádio Comercial is a commercial radio station in Portugal aimed at young people and adults. It has a broad format including contemporary, pop and rock music. It is among the most listened to radio stations in the country. History Rádio Comercia ...

wrote about the song: "A little bit of classic salsa, a few splashes of reggaeton (enough) and a little bit of hip-hop. Everything moves, joins the power trio Ricky Martin, Residente and Bad Bunny and the result is 'Cántalo'." Writing for '' 20 minutos'', David Moreno Sáenz described the song as "a true tribute to Latin music that fuses genres from reggaeton to bossa nova through more urban music or jazz".

Accolades

TNT Latin America TNT (originally an abbreviation for Turner Network Television) is an American basic cable television channel owned by the List of assets owned by Warner Bros. Discovery#Warner Bros. Discovery U.S. Networks, Warner Bros. Discovery Networks unit ...

ranked "Cántalo" as one of the Best Collaborations of 2019. It was nominated for Best Urban Fusion/Performance at the

, but lost to "

Yo x Ti, Tu x Mi ''Yo'' is a slang interjection, commonly associated with North American English. It was popularized by the Italian-American community in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the 1940s. Although often used as a greeting and often deployed at the ...

" by

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

Ozuna Juan Carlos Ozuna Rosado (; born March 13, 1992), known simply by his surname Ozuna, is a Puerto Rican singer. Five of his studio albums have topped the Billboard Top Latin Albums, ''Billboard'' Top Latin Albums chart, with ''Aura (Ozuna al ...

Commercial performance

"Cántalo" debuted at number 35 on the US

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, becoming Martin's 48th entry on the chart, Residente's second, and Bad Bunny's 62nd. It also peaked at number 23 on the US

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 ...

chart, number 11 on both the

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 ...

and

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 ...

charts, and number 3 on the US

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 ...

chart, becoming Residente's highest peak and his longest running hit on the last chart. The song was certified Latin gold by the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

(RIAA), for track-equivalent sales of over 30,000 units in the United States. Besides the US, "Cántalo" reached the top 10 in Puerto Rico, and the top 15 in Panama.

Track listing

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, executive producer *

vocal, composer, producer, lyricist, associated performer *

vocal, composer, lyricist, associated performer * Trooko producer, recording engineer * Danay Suárez composer, lyricist *

composer, lyricist *

composer, lyricist, background vocal * Karina Pagán A&R coordinator * Mireille Bravo A&R coordinator * Amber Urena A&R coordinator * Isabel De Jesús A&R director * Tito Allen background vocal * Carmila Ramírez background vocal * Daniel Díaz congas *

Ted Jensen Ted Jensen (born September 19, 1954) is an American mastering engineer, known for having mastered many recordings, including the Eagles' ''Hotel California'', Green Day's '' American Idiot'' and Norah Jones' ''Come Away with Me''. Biography Ted ...

mastering engineer *

Tom Elmhirst Tom Elmhirst (born 8 June 1971) is a British mix engineer. He has worked with artists including Adele, Beck, David Bowie, Cage the Elephant, Lady Gaga, Residente, and Amy Winehouse, among many others. Elmhirst has received numerous accolades a ...

mixing engineer *

Leo Genovese Leo Genovese (born 1979) is an Argentine jazz pianist, keyboardist, and composer. He has played with The Mars Volta. Life and career Genovese was born in Venado Tuerto, Argentina, in 1979.

piano * Daniel Prim percussion * Enrique Larreal recording engineer * Phil Joly recording engineer * Luis Quintero timbales * Rey Alejandre trombone * Diego Urcola trumpet * Jean Rodriguez vocal engineer

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

External links

* {{authority control 2019 songs 2019 singles Ricky Martin songs Bad Bunny songs Songs written by Ricky Martin Songs written by Bad Bunny Sony Music Latin singles Spanish-language songs Songs written by Rubén Blades Residente songs Songs written by Residente