''Pausa'' () is the 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.

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 ...

. It was released on May 28, 2020, through

Sony Latin , commonly stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professional ...

. ''Pausa'' is the first studio release by Martin since his 2015

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

, ''

A Quien Quiera Escuchar ''A Quien Quiera Escuchar'' (''To Those Who Want to Listen'') is the sixth Spanish album and tenth studio album by Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin. It was released on February 10, 2015, through Sony Music Latin. It won the Grammy Award for Best ...

''. Originally planned as a full-length album, Martin changed the concept following the spread 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 his experience with

panic attack Panic attacks are sudden periods of intense fear and discomfort that may include palpitations, sweating, chest pain or chest discomfort, shortness of breath, trembling, dizziness, numbness, confusion, or a feeling of impending doom or of losing ...

s. He split the album into two EP's, ''Pausa'' which consists of slower songs and

ballads 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 ...

and ''Play'' which is set to include more up-tempo songs. The EP features six songs, out of which, five are collaborations with

Sting Sting may refer to: * Stinger or sting, a structure of an animal to inject venom, or the injury produced by a stinger * Irritating hairs or prickles of a stinging plant, or the plant itself Fictional characters and entities * Sting (Middle-eart ...

Carla Morrison Carla Patricia Morrison Flores (born 19 July 1986), known professionally as Carla Morrison, is a Mexican indie-pop guitarist and singer. She has released three studio albums and has received various awards and nominations including two Grammy Aw ...

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 ...

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 ...

among others. Following its release, ''Pausa'' charted at number eight on the US

Latin Pop Albums Latin Pop Albums is a record chart published on ''Billboard'' magazine. It features Latin music Latin music ( Portuguese and es, música latina) is a term used by the music industry as a catch-all category for various styles of music from ...

chart. It was promoted with two singles, "

Cántalo "Cántalo" () is a song recorded by Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin with Puerto Rican rappers Residente and Bad Bunny for Martin's first extended play, '' Pausa'' (2020). The song was written by Residente, Bad Bunny, Danay Suárez, Martin, Ru ...

", with Bad Bunny and

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 " Tiburones". The latter became Martin's 49th entry on 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 ...

charts, making him the first and only artist in history to enter the chart in five different decades. Additionally, it became his 50th entry on the US

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 ...

chart. ''Pausa'' was nominated for Album Of The Year and won Best Pop Vocal Album 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 ...

. It also has been nominated for Best Latin Pop or Urban Album at the

63rd Annual Grammy Awards The 63rd Annual Grammy Awards ceremony was held in and around the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles on March 14, 2021. It recognized the best recordings, compositions, and artists of the eligibility year, running from September 1, 201 ...

Background and development

In 2015 Martin released his tenth studio album, ''

''. The album spawned four singles, including the international hit, "

La Mordidita "La Mordidita" ( en, "The Nibble") is a song recorded by Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin, featuring Cuban singer Yotuel Romero, from his tenth studio album, ''A Quien Quiera Escuchar'' (2015). It was released on April 21, 2015 through Sony Mus ...

"; it became Martin's twenty-sixth top ten hit on the US

chart making him the fourth artist with the most top tens in the history of the chart. At the

58th Annual Grammy Awards The 58th Annual Grammy Awards was held on February 15, 2016, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The ceremony recognizes the best recordings, compositions and artists of the eligibility year, which was from October 1, 2014, to September 30, 20 ...

, ''A Quien Quiera Escuchar'' won the

award An award, sometimes called a distinction, is something given to a recipient as a token of recognition of excellence in a certain field. When the token is a medal, ribbon or other item designed for wearing, it is known as a decoration. An awar ...

for

Best Latin Pop Album The Grammy Award for Best Latin Pop Album is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for releasing albums in the Latin pop genre. Honors in ...

. In 2016, Martin released, "

Vente Pa' Ca "Vente Pa' Ca" () is a song recorded by Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin, featuring a guest appearance from Colombian singer Maluma. It was written by Justin Stein, Martin, Maluma, Nermin Harambašić, Anne Judith Wik, Carl Ryden, CheifOne, Mau ...

", a collaboration with 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. ...

. It became Martin's 16th number-one single 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 and topped the charts in eight other countries. Two years later, he released another collaboration, " Fiebre", featuring

Wisin & Yandel Wisin & Yandel is a Puerto Rican reggaeton duo consisting of Wisin and Yandel. They started their career in the late 1990s and have been together since, winning several awards including a Grammy Award in 2009. They became the first and the only ...

; it received a platinum certification (

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

) from 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 moving over 60,000 units in the US. In January 2020, Martin announced the release of his eleventh studio album, initially titled ''Movimiento''. The record was supposed to be inspired by Puerto Rico's recent history including

Hurricane Maria Hurricane Maria was a deadly Saffir–Simpson scale#Category 5, Category 5 Tropical cyclone, hurricane that devastated the northeastern Caribbean in September 2017, particularly Dominica, Saint Croix, and Puerto Rico. It is regarded as the wo ...

in 2017, the 2019 political protests and the 2019–20 earthquakes. However, following the spread of

, Martin started experiencing

s, "I spent two weeks with a poker face so my family wouldn't be affected, but finally I was able to raise my head and say ‘eh, something very good has to come out of this, get creative.’ And I started making music and it was my medicine, honestly, because I really felt like I was gasping for air." Subsequently, he contacted his label,

Sony , commonly stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professional ...

, and decided to split the album in two

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.

s, ''Pausa'' and ''Play''. Martin described the former as more "chill" and "relaxed", while the latter will consist of more upbeat songs. ''Pausa'' was released on May 28, 2020, while ''Play'' would be slated for a September release, though the ''Play'' release did not occur yet. Martin's husband,

Jwan Yosef Jwan Yosef (born 6 September 1984) is a Syrian-born Swedish painter and artist of Kurdish and Armenian heritage. He specializes in plastic arts and is based in London, England. Early life and education Yosef was born in Syria, to a Kurdish fa ...

, shot the artwork for ''Pausa''; it features the singer's naked back.

Recording and composition

''Pausa'' consists of six songs, five out of which are collaborations. Musicians featured on the EP include, English singer

, Mexican singer-songwriter

, Spain Romani

flamenco Flamenco (), in its strictest sense, is an art form based on the various folkloric music traditions of southern Spain, developed within the gitano subculture of the region of Andalusia, and also having historical presence in Extremadura and ...

singer Diego el Cigala and Puerto Rican artists

and

. Regarding his collaboration with Morrison, Martin stated, "It's the singer's sound, her storytelling, her tone, the way she writes. I love her. I love her stories." Martin's sound engineer Enrique Larreal, based in New York, helped record the material with the other artists being based in London, Paris, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic, "My engineer was able to create a system where everyone — my producer in Miami, me in L.A. — had a sharp, immaculate audiovisual experience. I can be recording and literally see in my laptop the movement he is making in his console table in New York." Inspired by the singer's fears, insecurities, and panic moments he experienced during quarantine, Griselda Flores of ''

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 ...

'' described the lyrics as "introspective", "poignant" and "melancholic". The EP opens with "Simple" a collaboration with Sting, described by Flores as "simple yet forceful and grand". Martin contacted Sting who accepted the duet-offer and decided to sing in Spanish, "I

artin Artin may refer to: * Artin (name), a surname and given name, including a list of people with the name ** Artin, a variant of Harutyun Harutyun ( hy, Հարություն and in Western Armenian Յարութիւն) also spelled Haroutioun, Harut ...

called him

ting Ting may refer to: Politics and government * Thing (assembly) or ting, a historical Scandinavian governing assembly * Ting (administrative unit) (亭), an administrative unit in China during the Qin and Han Dynasties * Ting (廳,厅), an administr ...

stepping out of my comfort zone because I don't really like asking people and he said yes, to send him whatever I had and he liked what I sent him. It's a dream come true." "Recuerdo", the collaboration with Morrison, is an emotional song with "heart-wrenching" lyrics. According to Martin, the song came out of a rough moment and sadness he and Morisson were experiencing when they wrote it. Elias Leight of ''

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 ...

'', regarding "Recuerdo", wrote that the singers showcase "complementary vocal styles"; Morrison has more "light and lilting", while Martin opts for a "creamier, more forceful approach". "Cae de Una", a duet with Capó, has an "infectious" beat, with a light melodic tune and "heartbreak" lyrical content. "Quiéreme" is a "flamenco-tinged" pop song and was co-produced by Spanish musician

Raül Refree Raül Fernandez Miró (Barcelona, 1976), better known as Raül ''Refree'', is a Spanish record producer, musician and composer. Career In 1996, Raül joined the melodic hardcore group, Barcelona Corn Flakes, with whom he recorded ''Ménage' ...

in Barcelona. Refree turned the melody to "an explosion of sounds" on which Martin and Cigala trade "dramatic and powerful vocals". " Tiburones" is an emotional

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 ...

co-written by Pablo Preciado and Oscar Hernandez. It contains deep lyrics that advocate for peace, love, unity, and acceptance. "

" is the only exception on the album tempo-wise and features a variety of genres including

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 ...

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

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 ...

. It is based on the original master of

Hector Lavoe In Greek mythology, Hector (; grc, Ἕκτωρ, Hektōr, label=none, ) is a character in Homer's Iliad. He was a Trojan prince and the greatest warrior for Troy during the Trojan War. Hector led the Trojans and their allies in the defense o ...

's 1974 song, " Mi Gente". A collaboration with Residente and Bad Bunny, it was inspired by the #RickyRenuncia movement (a campaign against former Puerto Rican governor,

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 ...

) and includes lyrics like, "Nobody stops us today/ Not even with elephant soothing/ Money, although abundant, it is not worth."

Singles

"Cántalo" was released as the first single from ''Pausa'' on November 12, 2019. Its artwork was inspired by the protest posters issued in Puerto Rico during the riots that demanded the resignation of Roselló. Commercially, it reached number 35 on the US Hot Latin Songs chart and was certified Latin gold by the RIAA, for moving over 30,000 units in the country. Martin alongside Residente and Bad Bunny performed "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 ...

held on November 14, 2019 in Las Vegas. "Tiburones" was released on January 23, 2020, as the second single from the EP. It became Martin's 49th entry on US Hot Latin Songs charts, where it peaked at number 34 in May 2020. With this feat, he became the first and only artist in history to enter the chart in five different decades. "Tiburones" also became the singer's 50th entry on the

. It peaked at number nine and became Martin's 38th top-ten single on the chart. Additionally, topped the

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 ...

singles chart in Puerto Rico for three consecutive weeks and reached the top 10 in nine other countries. Kacho Lopez filmed the music video for the song in Puerto Rico. According to Martin, "Both the song and the video embody all the emotions, energy and feel, which are emblematic of when we come together as people." Martin performed the song at the

Lo Nuestro Awards The Lo Nuestro Awards or Premios Lo Nuestro (Spanish for "Our Thing") is a Spanish-language awards show honoring the best of Latin music, presented by Univision, a Spanish-language television network based in the United States. The awards began in ...

on February 20, 2020. The song was nominated for "Song Of the Year" at the

where Martin also gave it a performance along with his song " Recuerdo". An official remix of "Tiburones", featuring singer

Farruko Carlos Efrén Reyes Rosado (born May 2, 1991), better known by his stage name Farruko, is a retired Puerto Rican singer and rapper. He rose to fame collaborating with Daddy Yankee, J Balvin, Don Omar, and J Álvarez. He came to prominence in 201 ...

, was released on April 10, 2020. On July 23, 2020, "Recuerdo" released as the only

promotional single A promotional recording, or promo, or plug copy, is an audio or video recording distributed free, usually in order to promote a recording that is or soon will be commercially available. Promos are normally sent directly to broadcasters, such as ...

from the extended play. ''

'' picked the song as one of the Best Female/Male Latin Collaborations of 2020 and one of the most beautiful ballads released that year. The song reached the top 10 in Martin's native Puerto Rico and became his third top 10 hit in the country from his EP.

Critical reception

Griselda Flores from ''

'' gave the extended play a positive review, saying: "Packed with introspective, poignant and melancholic lyrics, the six-track set is born from a state of vulnerability and the need to heal through music." It was also ranked as one of the Best Latin Albums of 2020 by ''Billboard''.

Awards and nominations

Track listing

Notes

* signifies a vocal producer

Personnel

– composer, executive producer, producer, writer, vocals *Alberto Lozada Algarín – composer, producer, writer *Ender Zambrano – composer, writer *

– composer, writer, vocals * Carla Patricia Morrison Flores – writer, vocals *Alejandro Jimenez – composer, recording engineer, vocal producer, writer *Demian Jimenez – composer, writer *Chiara Stroia – composer *

Jean Rodríguez Jean Carlos Rodríguez López-Cepero (born December 10, 1980), also known as Jean, is a Puerto Rican singer, the younger brother of Luis Fonsi. Rodríguez has released a handful of solo albums and mixtapes, hitting number one on ''Billboard'' L ...

– vocal producer *

– composer, vocals, writer *Gabriel Edgar "Rec808" González Pérez – composer, guitar, recording engineer, writer *

Julio Reyes Copello Julio Reyes Copello (born April 26, 1969) is a Colombian producer, songwriter and record engineer. Throughout his career he has worked with various artists such as Jennifer López, Marc Anthony, Thalía, Chayanne, Kany García, Alejandro Sanz, P ...

– keyboards, performance arranger, programmer, producer, recording engineer *Nicolas "Na 'vi" de la Espriella – keyboards, performance arranger, programmer, producer, recording engineer *

George Noriega George Noriega (born October 24, 1966) is an American Grammy-winning, Emmy-nominated songwriter and record producer. He is the owner of Cutting Cane Productions and Cutting Cane Publishing, based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Noriega came to prom ...

– vocal producer *

Beatriz Luengo Beatriz Luengo González (born 23 December 1982) is a Spanish people, Spanish singer, songwriter, actress, dancer, and entrepreneur based in Miami. She gained international recognition by portraying Lola Fernández in the Antena 3 (Spain), Antena ...

– composer, writer *

Yotuel Romero Yotuel Omar Manzanares Romero (born October 6, 1976), mononymously known as Yotuel, is a Cuban singer, actor, and current lead singer and co-writer of the 2003 Latin Grammy Award-winning Platinum album-selling rap group Orishas. Among other rec ...

– composer, writer * Diego el Cigala – vocals *

– acoustic guitar, programmer, producer, recording engineer, synthesizer, *Oscar Hernández – writer *Pablo Preciado – writer *Natalia Ramírez – vocal producer * Benito Antonio "Bad Bunny" Martínez Ocasio – vocals, writer * René "Residente" Pérez – composer, producer, vocals, writer * Danay Suárez – background vocals, composer, writer *

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 ...

– writer *

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 ...

– writer *Trooko – producer, recording engineer *Rafa Arcaute – recording engineer *José Ricardo Lugo – bass *Carlos Valencia – cello *Jorge Laboy – guitar *Felipe Tichauer – mastering engineer *Gustavo Celis – mixing engineer *Richard Bravo – percussion *Héctor Iván Rosao – recording engineer *Karlo Floreso – violin *Bart Schoudelo – vocal engineer *Christian J. Pérez – vocal engineer *Donal Hodgson – vocal engineer *Enrique Larreal – recording engineer, vocal engineer *Francisco "Paco" Aldonado – assistant engineer *Jaycen Joshua – mixing engineer *Ela Taubert – background vocals, percussion *Natalia Schlesinger – background vocals, percussion, recording engineer *Daniel Uribe – guitar, recording engineer *Nicolás Ramírez – percussion, recording engineer *Yamil Otero – viola *Alen Saucedo – vocal engineer *Alberto Sánchez – vocal engineer *Matt Tuggle – assistant engineer *Dan Warner – guitar *Gene Grimaldi – mastering engineer *Trevor Muzzy – mixing engineer *Carlos Fernando López – performance arranger, recording engineer *Manuela López Lambuley – violloncelo *Carmela Ramírez – background vocals *Rubén Blades – background vocals *Tito Allen – background vocals *Ted Jensen – mastering engineer *Tom Elmhirst – mixing engineer *Leo Genovese – piano *Luis Quintero – timbales *Rey Alejandre – trombone

Charts

Release history

References

{{Authority control 2020 EPs Ricky Martin EPs Sony Music Latin EPs Spanish-language EPs Albums produced by Julio Reyes Copello Latin Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album