"Lejos" (English: "Far") is a song by Puerto Rican-American singer-songwriter

Toby Love Toby Love is an American singer and songwriter. Love is known for performing a style of bachata music that combines traditional and urban singing and production. Background Toby Love was born in The Bronx, New York to Puerto Rican parents, his m ...

. It was released on August 21, 2012 by

Top Stop Music Top Stop Music is an independent record label founded by Puerto Rican producer, Sergio George in 2009 based in Delray Beach, Florida. History Sergio George was known for producing albums for salsa musicians during his work with RMM Records & Vide ...

for his fourth studio album, ''

Amor Total ''Amor Total'' is the fourth studio album by Puerto Rican-American Bachata artist Toby Love released in 2014 through Top Stop Music Top Stop Music is an independent record label founded by Puerto Rican producer, Sergio George in 2009 based in ...

''. The song's music video, which was directed by Danny Hastings and produced by Gabriel Guzman, was released on August 14. Commercially, the song was a success, peaking at #36 on the ''Billboard'' Latin Songs chart and at #2 on the ''Billboard'' Tropical/Salsa chart in the United States while reaching #1 in the Dominican Republic.

Composition

"Lejos" was written by Toby Love along with Rafael Martinez and Daniel Santacruz, and production was handled by multiple

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

winner

Sergio George Sergio George (born May 23, 1961) is an American pianist, arranger, and record producer, known for working with many famous performers of salsa music, although he has worked in other genres of the music industry as well. He has worked with som ...

and Edwin "EZP" Pérez. Pérez previously worked with Toby Love on his debut single " Tengo Un Amor" and other artist including

Ivy Queen Martha Ivelisse Pesante Rodríguez (born March 4, 1972), known professionally as Ivy Queen, is a Puerto Rican singer, rapper, songwriter, and actress. She is considered one of the pioneers of the reggaeton genre, commonly referred to as the Qu ...

Release and chart performance

"Lejos" was released digitally on August 21, 2012 by

. On the ''Billboard'' Latin Songs chart, the song debuted the issue week of October 20, 2012. It peaked at #36 for the week of November 17, 2012. On the ''Billboard'' Latin Tropical Airplay chart, the song debuted for the week of September 15, 2012. It reached its peak position of #2 for the week of November 17, 2012.

Reception

An editor for the ''Dominican View'' praised Love's "striking" voice and the song's "high-quality musical arrangements". According to a

press release A press release is an official statement delivered to members of the news media for the purpose of providing information, creating an official statement, or making an announcement directed for public release. Press releases are also considere ...

from the label Love is signed to, Top Stop Music, the song's success established itself as a "game changer" for the genre of urban bachata, for which Toby Love has been called its "greatest interpreter".

Music video

The music video was released on August 14, 2012. It was directed by Danny Hastings and produced by Gabriel Guzman. It co-stars model Sally Ferreira. The music video is set in a bar in the 1920s—1950s and features Love singing to his love interest (Ferreira) until she turns on him and has two guards shoot the place up.

Charts

References

{{authority control 2012 singles Number-one singles in the Dominican Republic Toby Love songs Bachata songs Spanglish songs Spanish-language songs Top Stop Music singles 2012 songs Songs written by Daniel Santacruz