GRAMMY® Award winner Carlos Vives releases his fourteenth studio album ‘Cumbiana,’ out today May 22nd via Sony Music Latin. The Colombian singer-songwriter’s latest album is a wide-spanning sonic exploration of the origins of cumbia. It opens with the song “Hechicera” featuring Grammy-nominated Canadian-Colombian singer-songwriter Jessie Reyez. The ten songs are Vives’ most diverse collection of music to date, ranging from salsa and reggaeton fusions to the iconic vallenato accordion that’s become integral to his sound. The album was recorded in several studios across the U.S., the U.K., and Spain, as well as Vives’ native Colombia.
About the collaboration Jessie states, “If you go back to interviews I’ve done in the past, or if you scroll down my Twitter, you’ll see that I’ve been vocal about being a Carlos Vives fan for a long time. To have a collaboration with a legend who I respect, who is so tied to my heritage, a legend who is tantamount to Colombian pride whose songs have serenaded many childhood memories and family parties- is unreal; it’s a dream realized. Cumbiana is a capsule of life, love, joy and Colombian history and to have the privilege of collaborating on the first song, ‘Hechicera,’ doesn’t seem like real life. I’m honored.”
‘Cumbiana’ sees Vives bringing the history of cumbia to the modern age. The record maintains the sensibility of the north of the Colombian coast where the genre finds its roots while melding its traditional indigenous sound and spirit with modern Latin sounds. Vives is joined by the past and present of the genre, from mainstays like Rubén Blades (Canción Para Rubén) to newer voices like Jessie Reyez (“Hechicera”) and artists from outside the Latin sphere like Ziggy Marley (“El Hilo”).
Alongside the announcement, Carlos Vives releases sultry second single “For Sale” alongside Spanish singer-songwriter Alejandro Sanz. The romantic and downbeat track sees the pair swapping verses among a delirious reggaeton-cumbia maelstrom of a beat. “For Sale” is the type of story that marks a man for the rest of his life; it’s about betting on love and dying trying to obtain it,” says Vives on the track. The video, directed by Nuno Gomes.
Carlos Vives scored his 19th, Top 10 on Billboard’s Tropical Airplay chart with “No Te Vayas,” the lead single off Cumbiana. The song’s vallenato-pop, was produced by Vives, Martin Velilla & Andres Leal. Written by Vives the track hit # 1 in Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Panama, Honduras, Chile, and Dominican Republic radio airplay charts. The music video has surpassed over 10 million streams on Youtube Music. Carlos Vives recently broadcasted #NoTeVayasdetucasa, a one-hour acoustic performance on YouTube, where he performed his latest hit as well as his biggest songs of his career.
Cumbiana Track Listing
- Hechicera feat. Jessie Reyez
- No Te Vayas
- For Sale feat. Alejandro Sanz
- El Hilo feat. Ziggy Marley & Elkin Robinson
- Canción Para Rubén feat. Rubén Blades
- Vitamina En Rama
- Los Consejos del Difunto
- Rapsodia en La Mayor (Para Elena)
- Cumbiana
- Zhigonezhi
