By Miurel Zamora, Contributing Writer
Selena Gomez surprised her audience in March 2021 with her new album sung completely in Spanish, titled “Revelación.” The album is a mix of reggaeton, electropop, Latin pop, R&B, and alternative R&B. The album marks the first time Gomez ventured into a Latin music album since the release in 2010 of a Spanish version of her album “A Year Without Rain.” According to Billboard, “Revelación” is the first album by a woman at No. 1 on Top Latin Albums since Shakira’s “El Dorado” in 2017, and is No. 22 on the all-genre Billboard 200 chart.
Gomez places a total of four tracks on Hot Latin Songs, including her album’s opening song “De Una Vez,” which captures the emotive empowering after a breakup. According to Elle, the song reflects Gomez’s journey working on her mental health, overcoming past heartache, and ultimately becoming who she is. Gomez also described “De Una Vez” as “such a beautiful love anthem.”
Gomez also brings a slow reggaeton style with the song “Baila Conmigo,” featuring Puerto Rican rapper Rauw Alejandro. The song follows two people as they express their attraction to each other. Even though they do not speak the same language, they are deeply in love and feel as they could get to know each other better on the dance floor. The song captures the passion and the energy from both artists and became No. 9 on Hot Latin Songs.
The bilingual track, “Selfish Love,” follows Gomez’s previous 2018 collaboration with DJ Snake and became the No. 6 Hot Latin Song. According to Rolling Stone magazine, DJ Snake wanted to mix all his favorite influences of Afro beat, Latin music, and something that felt grounded and organic.
“Selfish Love came very naturally for us, and I think it’s the perfect evolution for our history together,” said DJ Snake to Rolling Stone.
For most of the songs in her album, Gomez maintains a Latin pop style. Other songs on the album include “Buscando Amor,” “Dámelo To,” “Vicio,” ‘Adiós.”
On March 12, fans voted in a poll published by Billboard choosing “Revelación” as their favorite recently released music, beating out the latest music by Blackpink’s Rose, Nick Jonas, and Imagine Dragons.
“It’s always a bit nerve-racking before releasing any music because as artists we put so much of ourselves out there,” Gomez commented to Billboard. “For this EP specifically, I was the most nervous I have been in a long time because my heritage means so much to me and I have been talking about doing this for over 10 years. I wanted it to be perfect. I am thrilled to see the response from my fans and also from people who might not have listened to my other music.”
According to Rolling Stone magazine, Gomez started this project a decade ago, as she tweeted about it in 2011.
“I am thankful I waited though because it would have been a completely different project 10 years ago,” Gomez stated via GRAMMY. “The album is a ‘thank you’ to my Latinx fans.”
Even though Gomez faced many challenges recording the new album, she was able to do all of her sessions remotely via Zoom. The result of the arduous work she performed for years is now available on all music streaming platforms.
Everyone is welcome to enjoy the songs, since the lyrics do not have any explicit content. However young adults can create a better connection with her and her shared experiences. Overall, the album captures the rhythm of Latin music, yet keeps Gomez’s emotional and vulnerable style.
