"Que Calor" ()
is a song recorded by American electronic dance music trio
Major Lazer
Major Lazer is an American electronic dance music DJ trio, which includes record producer Diplo, and DJs Walshy Fire and Ape Drums. It originates from Kingston, Jamaica, and was founded in 2008 by Diplo and Switch, with Switch leaving after t ...
featuring Colombian singer
J Balvin
José Álvaro Osorio Balvín (born 7 May 1985), known professionally as J Balvin, is a Colombian singer and songwriter. He has been referred to as the " Prince of Reggaeton" (from Spanish: "Príncipe del Reggaetón"), and is one of the best-sell ...
and Dominican rapper
El Alfa
Emanuel Herrera Batista (born 18 December 1990), known professionally as El Alfa El Jefe, or simply as El Alfa, is a Dominican rapper, known as "The King of Dembow". Batista was born in Bajos de Haina, Santo Domingo. He is known for his sensual ...
. It was released on September 11, 2019, through
Diplo
Thomas Wesley Pentz (born November 10, 1978), known professionally as Diplo, is an American DJ and music producer. He is the co-creator and lead member of the electronic dancehall music project Major Lazer, a member of the supergroup LSD with ...
's label
Mad Decent
Mad Decent is an American record label founded by Diplo. The label has helped introduce Brazilian baile funk and Angolan kuduro to clubs around the world. Recently, it has popularized moombahton, a genre of electronic dance music created by DJ ...
. It is the second single from Major Lazer's fourth studio album ''
Music Is the Weapon
''Music Is the Weapon'' is the fourth studio album by American electronic band Major Lazer, released on October 23, 2020, via Mad Decent. It is Major lazer's 1st album in five years since Peace Is the Mission (2015). First announced in 2015, m ...
'', which was released in 2020. This also marks the second collaboration between Major Lazer and J Balvin, after "Buscando Huellas" in 2017.
The artists also released a lyric translation of the track in English.
Background
One week before, Major Lazer announced the date of the release and posted a snippet of the track on social networks. They also said 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 ...
'', "J Balvin and El Alfa both are two of the most exciting artists currently working to us, and artists that we have longstanding relationships with. We've collaborated with Latin artists from the very beginning of Major Lazer -- I think many Americans forget how much of the Caribbean is Spanish-speaking, and that's a huge part of our influences. There's so much energy in Latin music right now and we love helping bring it back home."
Diplo
Thomas Wesley Pentz (born November 10, 1978), known professionally as Diplo, is an American DJ and music producer. He is the co-creator and lead member of the electronic dancehall music project Major Lazer, a member of the supergroup LSD with ...
said too, "Sorry I was late on the song of the summer."
The song is part of the
FIFA 20
''FIFA 20'' is a football simulation video game published by Electronic Arts as part of the ''FIFA'' series. It is the 27th installment in the series and was released on 27 September 2019 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nint ...
game soundtrack and in the "Volta Football" new mode.
The official soundtrack of
FIFA 20
''FIFA 20'' is a football simulation video game published by Electronic Arts as part of the ''FIFA'' series. It is the 27th installment in the series and was released on 27 September 2019 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nint ...
was also released via
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 ...
,
Apple
An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple fruit tree, trees are agriculture, cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus ''Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, wh ...
, and
Deezer
Deezer is a French online music streaming service. It allows users to listen to music content from record labels, as well as podcasts on various devices online or offline.
Created in Paris, Deezer currently has 90 million licensed tracks in i ...
on September 13.
Indian rapper
Badshah released an official remix of the song on November 15, 2019. On this occasion, he said, "It is a huge pleasure for me to be on the 'Que calor' India Remix. I loved the track the moment I heard it. Major Lazer are dance music legends, I have worked with them in the past and I truly believe they have a major role in shaping the current global sound. J Balvin is a rockstar whom I really look up to and I think El Alfa has done an extraordinary job. It gives me honour and pleasure to be collaborating with these stars and bring Que calor to India." Major Lazer added, "We just dropped an official remix of Que Calor with Badshah, who brings serious heat. India holds a special place in our hearts and our Indian fans have given so much love back to us to our songs, so it was time for us to give something special to them." A week later, on November 22, 2019, the track was also remixed by California rapper
Saweetie
Diamonté Quiava Valentin Harper (born July 2, 1993), known professionally as Saweetie (), is an American rapper. After the release of her debut single "Icy Grl" in 2017, she was signed to her then-manager Max Gousse's record label Artistry Wo ...
.
Critical reception
Kat Bein 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 ...
'' described the song as "a steamy banger for peak club hours".
Writing for ''
Dancing Astronaut
Dancing Astronaut is an American media platform founded in 2009 that primarily covers the electronic dance music industry. The website covers concerts and festivals, reports on entertainment news, reviews music, and publishes original content sy ...
'', Farrell Sweeney called it a feel-good song. According to him, it's the perfect trigger to get the listener dancing.
In parallel, Brian Bonavoglia from ''DJ Times'' noted the track as a robust dancefloor anthem with summertime vibes alive. Katie Stone from ''EDM.com'' said that "Que Calor" is a vibrant track and a melding of cultures with a
dancehall
Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially, dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s.Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2004) "The Rou ...
-
dembow
Dembow is a Dominican musical genre that can be traced to a riddim that originated in Jamaican dancehall. When Shabba Ranks released "Dem Bow" in 1990, it did not take long for the dembow genre to form. Riddims were built from the song and th ...
rhythm that looks like El Alfa style.
In the same way, Mike Wass from ''
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 ...
'' called the song "a rump-shaking floorfiller with enough hooks to demolish the language barrier."
The flute at the beginning of the track was seen as a cover of 1993 Colombian cumbia classic "Curura" by the Afro-Colombian group
Totó la Momposina
Sonia Bazanta Vides (born 1 August 1940), better known as Totó la Momposina, is a Colombian singer of Afro-Colombian and Indigenous descent. She reached international attention with the release of her 1993 album ''La Candela Viva'' on Peter Gab ...
with modern pop influences.
Keely Quinlan from ''
Stereogum
''Stereogum'' is a daily Internet publication that focuses on music news, reviews, interviews, and commentary. The site was created in January 2002 by Scott Lapatine.
''Stereogum'' was one of the first MP3 blogs and has received several award ...
'' described the song as "an oriental-sounding flute plays, an infectious central melody, underscored by a speedy, tinny rhythm section".
Music videos
The official music video of the song was released at the same day through Major Lazer'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. The music video was directed by the
VMA and
BET Award
The BET Awards is an American award show that was established in 2001 by the Black Entertainment Television network to celebrate black entertainers and other minorities in music, film, sports and philanthropy. The awards, which are presented annu ...
-winning
Colin Tilley
Colin Tilley (born June 27, 1988) is an American filmmaker, music video director, and television commercial director. Tilley is the CEO and owner of Boy in the Castle Productions. He has directed more than 300 music videos.
Tilley directed, pro ...
, who worked on videos of "
Alright
Alright, All Right or Allwright may refer to:
Music Albums
* ''Alright!'' (album), a 2007 album by Bogdan Raczynski
* ''Alright'', a 2011 album by Jerry Williams
* ''All Right'', a 1982 album by Himiko Kikuchi
Songs
* "Alright" (Cast song)
* ...
" by
Kendrick Lamar
Kendrick Lamar Duckworth (born June 17, 1987) is an American rapper and songwriter. Known for his Progressive rap, progressive musical styles and Social consciousness, socially conscious songwriting, he is often considered one of the most infl ...
, "
Mask Off
A mask is an object normally worn on the face, typically for protection, disguise, performance, or entertainment and often they have been employed for rituals and rights. Masks have been used since antiquity for both ceremonial and practi ...
" by
Future
The future is the time after the past and present. Its arrival is considered inevitable due to the existence of time and the laws of physics. Due to the apparent nature of reality and the unavoidability of the future, everything that currently ...
and "
Anaconda
Anacondas or water boas are a group of large snakes of the genus '' Eunectes''. They are found in tropical South America. Four species are currently recognized.
Description
Although the name applies to a group of snakes, it is often used ...
" by
Nicki Minaj
Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty (; born December 8, 1982), known professionally as Nicki Minaj ( ), is a Trinidadian-born rapper based in the United States. She is known for her musical versatility, animated flow in her rapping, alter egos and accent ...
.
It was produced by Jamee Ranta and Jack Winter, and orchestrated by choreographer Calvit Hodge.
There are girls dancers around the artists, in a dark atmosphere, like in the clip of "
Lean On
"Lean On" is a song recorded by American electronic dance music group Major Lazer and French DJ and record producer DJ Snake featuring vocals from Danish singer MØ. It was released on March 2, 2015, as the lead single from Major Lazer's third ...
".
The girls in the clip are Major Lazer usual dancers, the Lazer Gyals, Sara Bivens and Helen Gedlu.
The video sees Diplo in a cow-print getup complete with a printed cowboy hat, around flames, while J Balvin and El Alfa spit fire.
Farrell Sweeney from ''
Dancing Astronaut
Dancing Astronaut is an American media platform founded in 2009 that primarily covers the electronic dance music industry. The website covers concerts and festivals, reports on entertainment news, reviews music, and publishes original content sy ...
'' also noted the dynamic visual accompaniment to the dance-worthy single.
On October 3, 2019, Major Lazer posted on their YouTube channel an official dance video directed by Calvit Hodge. Then, on November 1, 2019, J Balvin released through his YouTube channel a dance video compilation. To implement this third clip, the artists asked their fans to give videos showing them dancing on the song. Then, a compilation of their movements was made, accompanied by many dancers and including appearances from American rapper and songwriter
Lil Pump
Gazzy Garcia (born August 17, 2000), better known professionally as Lil Pump, is an American rapper. He is one of the most prominent artists of the SoundCloud rap scene and is known for his minimalist music and hyperactive public persona.
Li ...
, America's Got Talent's Kid The Wiz and Youtuber
Lele Pons
Eleonora Pons Maronese (born June 25, 1996), better known as Lele Pons, is a Venezuelan YouTuber, actress, and singer who holds both Venezuelan and American citizenship.
Pons came to prominence on Vine before the platform shut down in 2017 w ...
.
Commercial performance
In the week ending September 19, the song made a 487% gain in sales in the United States in its first full tracking week as it sold 4,000 downloads, according to
Nielsen Music
Luminate (formerly Nielsen SoundScan, Nielsen Music Products, and MRC Data) is a provider of music sales data. Established by Mike Fine and Mike Shalett in 1991, data is collected weekly and made available every Sunday (for albums sales) and eve ...
.
Two weeks after the release, it climbed to number one on the US
Latin Digital Songs
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 (magazine) ...
chart,
peaked at number 20 on the US Latin Streaming Songs chart, and at number 13 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. This single also marks the first time that Major Lazer joins the list of seventeen DJs who have entered Latin Digital Song Sales in 2019.
Track listing
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 ...
.
* Andre Murilo da Silva – production, composition, lyrics
* Jose Henrique Castanho de Godoy – production, composition, lyrics
* Thomas Pentz – production, composition, lyrics
* Wissem Larfaoui – production, composition, lyrics
* Alejandro Ramírez – composition, lyrics
* Antonio Fernandez – composition, lyrics
* Emmanuel Herrera Batista – composition, lyrics
* José Álvaro Osorio Balvín – composition, lyrics
* Pinheiro – composition, lyrics
* Sonia Bazanta – composition, lyrics
* Tyshane Thompson – composition, lyrics
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
References
External links
*
{{authority control
Latin music songs
2019 songs
2019 singles
Spanish-language songs
Major Lazer songs
J Balvin songs
Songs written by J Balvin
Songs written by Diplo
Song recordings produced by Diplo
Music videos directed by Colin Tilley
El Alfa songs