"Desenfocao () is a song recorded by Puerto Rican singer

Rauw Alejandro Raúl Alejandro Ocasio Ruiz (born January 10, 1993), known professionally as Rauw Alejandro, is a Puerto Rican singer. His accolades include two Latin Grammy Awards, two Billboard Latin Music Awards, ''Billboard'' Latin Music Awards and an IHea ...

for his second studio album, '' Vice Versa'' (2021). The song was written by Manuel Lara, Rafa Pabón, Kenobi, Colla, Eric Duars, Alejandro, and

Tainy Marco Efraín Masís Fernández (; born August 9, 1989), known professionally as Tainy, is a Puerto Rican record producer, songwriter and record engineer. Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, he entered the world of reggaeton with his wor ...

, while the production was handled by Lara and Tainy. It was released to Latin American radio stations by

Sony Music Sony Music Entertainment (SME), commonly known as Sony Music, is an American multinational music company owned by Japanese conglomerate Sony Group Corporation. It is the recording division of Sony Music Group, with the other half being the ...

on August 10, 2021, as the first

promotional single A promotional recording, 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 mu ...

from the album. A Spanish language new wave,

synth-pop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a music genre that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s b ...

, and

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African-American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African-Americans in the ...

song, it finds the singer very confused after a

relationship breakup A relationship breakup, breakup, or break-up is the ending of a relationship. The act is commonly termed "dumping omeone in slang when it is initiated by one partner. The term is less likely to be applied to a married couple, where a breakup ...

, so that he barely even knows where he is. "Desenfocao 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 ...

, who complimented its fusion of genres. The song peaked at number six on

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 ...

's Honduras pop chart and was certified gold in Spain. An accompanying

music video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...

, released simultaneously with the song, was filmed as a

long take In filmmaking, a long take (also called a continuous take, continuous shot, or oner) is Shot (filmmaking), shot with a duration much longer than the conventional editing pace either of the film itself or of films in general. Significant camera mov ...

and directed by Alejandro and NINE-D. It depicts the backstage of a concert, where Alejandro parties and enjoys his night right before the show. To promote the song, he performed "Desenfocao and " Cúrame" in a special two-song set with ''

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 advertis ...

'' and Honda Stage.

Background and release

Alejandro released his debut studio album, ''

Afrodisíaco ''Afrodisíaco'' () is the debut studio album by Puerto Rican singer Rauw Alejandro. It was released on November 13, 2020, by Sony Music Latin and Duars Entertainment. After releasing several projects including a mixtape, an extended play, and m ...

'', on November 13, 2020. Two weeks after finishing the work on ''Afrodisíaco'', he started working on his second studio album, '' Vice Versa''. The latter was released for digital download and

streaming Streaming media refers to multimedia delivered through a network for playback using a media player. Media is transferred in a ''stream'' of packets from a server to a client and is rendered in real-time; this contrasts with file downl ...

Sony Music Latin Sony Music Entertainment US Latin LLC (often referred to as Sony Music Latin) is an American record label owned by Sony Music. The label focuses on artists of Latin music. Sony Latin was also a division of the Sony Discos label. History In ...

and Duars Entertainment on June 25, 2021, and "Desenfocao was included as the ninth track. During an interview with ''

Vice A vice is a practice, behaviour, Habit (psychology), habit or item generally considered morally wrong in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a negative character trait, a defect, an infirmity, or a bad or unhe ...

'', when he was asked if "Desenfocao was chosen as the next

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 ...

from the album, Alejandro responded: On August 10, 2021, "Desenfocao was released to Latin American

radio Radio is the technology of communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 3 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmitter connec ...

stations by

on August 10, 2021, as the first

from the album.

Music and lyrics

Musically, "Desenfocao is a Spanish language new wave,

, and

song, with elements of

disco Disco is a music genre, genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the late 1960s from the United States' urban nightclub, nightlife, particularly in African Americans, African-American, Italian-Americans, Italian-American, LGBTQ ...

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop! (British group), a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Album ...

, EDM, and

deep house Deep house is a subgenre of house music that originated in the 1980s, initially fusing elements of Chicago house with the lush chords of 1980s jazz-funk and touches of soul music. Its origins are attributed to the early recordings of Larry Heard ...

. The song uses

cowbell A cowbell (or cow bell) is a bell (instrument), bell worn around the neck of free-roaming livestock so herders can keep track of an animal via the sound of the bell when the animal is grazing out of view in hilly landscapes or vast plains. ...

and runs for a total of 2 minutes and 50 seconds. It was written by Manuel Lara, Rafa Pabón, Kenobi, Colla, Eric Duars, Alejandro, and

, with its production being handled by Lara and Tainy. Lyrically, "Desenfocao'" which translates to "Unfocused" in English, finds the singer very confused after a

, so that he barely even knows where he is. The lyrics include, "No sé a adónde voy, nadie sabe nada / Creo que estoy desenfocao' / Jangueando to' los día' / ¿Que salió el sol? No sabía" (I don't know where I'm going, nobody knows anything / I think I'm unfocused / Hanging out every day / When did the sun come up? I didn't know).

Reception

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

. Julyssa Lopez from ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'', ranked the track among Alejandro's 10 Essential Songs, labeling it "One of ''Vice Versa''s most interesting peaks". She described the song as "blurry" and called Tainy's production "spacey", stating that it "brings out the song's lysergic wooziness and helps Rauw swerve into unexpected directions". Writing for the same magazine, Lucas Villa highlighted the song as a "stunning standout" from the album and noted its fusion of genres. Also in his review for ''

The Fader ''The Fader'' is a magazine established in 1999 as an outlet for Cornerstone Agency, a marketing and public relations firm established by Rob Stone and Jon Cohen. The magazine covers music, style and culture. History and work It is owned by T ...

'', he called it "intoxicating". ''

'' critic T.M. Brown labeled it "a shimmering, stadium-ready track that shows off Alejandro's sonic and aesthetic range". Another author of ''Billboard'' named it a "hit". ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...

'' reviewer Pamela Avila described "Desenfocao'" and "La Old Skul" as "up-tempo songs perfect for the summer". Piet Levy from ''

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel The ''Milwaukee Journal Sentinel'' is a daily morning broadsheet printed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where it is the primary newspaper and also the largest newspaper in the state of Wisconsin, where it is widely read. It was purchased by the G ...

'' mentioned "Desenfocao as a "standout" for ''Vice Versa'', comparing it to

The Weeknd Abel Makkonen Tesfaye (; born February 16, 1990), known professionally as the Weeknd, is a Canadian singer-songwriter, record producer, and actor. He is best known for adding Pop music, pop, electronic music, electronic and hip-hop stylings ...

's ''

After Hours After Hours or Afterhours may refer to: Film and television * ''After Hours'' (film), a 1985 black comedy by Martin Scorsese * ''After Hours'' (Canadian TV series), a 1953 variety series * ''After Hours'' (1958 British TV series), a comedy s ...

'' era: "With its moody synth waves and creamy pulsing beats, the track is like the perfect marriage of the Weeknd's '80s-inspired 'After Hours' era with the more reserved and enigmatic sound from the start of his career." Happy FM staff wrote that Alejandro has managed to leave his audience "speechless" with the release of the song, "that is leaving no one absolutely indifferent". The song peaked at number six on

's Honduras pop chart in August 2021. It later appeared on its respective year-end charts in 2021 and 2022. In 2024, it was certified gold by the

Productores de Música de España Productores de Música de España (; shortened as Promusicae) is the national organisation responsible for the music charts of Spain. it is a trade association that represents more than 90% of the Spanish recorded music industry. It is the Inter ...

(PROMUSICAE), for track-equivalent sales of over 30,000 units in Spain.

Promotion

Music video

An accompanying

was released simultaneously with the song. The visual was directed by Alejandro and NINE-D. It depicts the backstage of a concert, where Alejandro parties and enjoys his night right before the show. The video was filmed as a

with a glowing "

psychedelic Psychedelics are a subclass of hallucinogenic drugs whose primary effect is to trigger non-ordinary mental states (known as psychedelic experiences or "trips") and a perceived "expansion of consciousness". Also referred to as classic halluci ...

" filter that is "a little dazed and unsteady", as it is suggested by the song's title. In the final scene, the singer appears on the stage and starts singing behind a microphone in front of thousands of attendees.

Live performances

Alejandro gave a live performance of "Desenfocao and " Cúrame" in a special two-song set with ''Billboard'' and Honda Stage. For the former, he wore a "glossy all-white suit". "Desenfocao was also included on the

set list A set list, or setlist, is typically a handwritten or printed document created as an ordered list of songs, jokes, stories and other elements an artist intends to present during a specific performance. A setlist can be made of nearly any materi ...

for Alejandro's the Vice Versa World Tour.

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 ...

. *

associated performer, composer, lyricist * Manuel Lara composer, lyricist, producer * Rafael E. Pabon Navedo "Rafa Pabón" composer, lyricist * Jorge E. Pizarro "Kenobi" composer, lyricist, recording engineer * José M. Collazo "Colla" composer, lyricist, mastering engineer, mixing engineer * Eric Pérez Rovira "Eric Duars" composer, lyricist * Marcos Masís "Tainy" composer, lyricist, producer

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{authority control 2021 songs 2021 singles Rauw Alejandro songs Songs written by Rauw Alejandro Sony Music Latin singles Songs in Spanish