Exes, Spite and Affirmations: Becky G Breaks Down 5 Tracks From New Album 'Esquemas'

Latin star Becky G breaks down smash hit "Mamiii" and other hits from her new album 'Esquemas.'

Becky G tried for years to collaborate with her fellow G, Karol G. She sent Karol multiple songs and proposals, but the timing was never right. When the moment for the collab finally came, Becky G wasn’t even looking for it: Instead, Karol G heard “Mamii” when her longtime producer and collaborator, Ovy on the Drums — who was also working with Becky G — played her the song. Karol G called Becky G up. She wanted in.

The subsequent collab, recorded just in January of this year, became a smash hit, debuting at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs chart and at No. 15 on the Billboard Hot 100, the highest peak to date for either artist.

And while “Mamiii” may be the most notorious smash (to date) on Becky G’s new album, Esquemas, it is certainly not the only one. Becky G describes Esquemas as “genre-bending,” and that it is — traversing rhythmic pop, merengue and R&B, among other genres.

But most overwhelmingly, it’s an impressive album of hits. Ahead of its May 13 release, Becky G broke down five of our favorite tracks for us:

“Buen Dia”

It’s never late to have a good day! There’s a reason why I chose this to be the first song in the album. That’s how I want you to start your day. That’s how I want to start my day. Hoy, voy a dejar en casa los complejos, hice un pacto con la mujer en el espejo, si yo estoy bien, ella está bien (Today, I left my complexes at home; I made a pact with the woman in the mirror; if she’s ok, I’m ok). Like, come on! It’s literally how I speak to my friends in a daily basis. It’s an affirmation song.

“Bailé con mi Ex”

When I first heard it, it was an English language song called “Dancing With My Ex” that was written for a male artist, from a man’s point of view. And I was obsessed. It was a more laid-back production, melodically very R&B influenced, and the story was so beautiful. It was this internal dialogue of this play-by-play in this guy’s head of getting maybe a little too lit, and bumping into his ex and having the time of his life.

But it was what it was: “And I didn’t mean for it to happen, but it happened, and I think you should know.” It was so captivating. So I said, “Ben [Tischker, manager], I want this song.” He said, “It was written for a guy. I think it will be hard to pull off for a girl.” I said “Why would it be hard to pull off for a girl?” Fast forward, Ben calls me and says, “B. ‘Bailé con mi ex.’ ‘Dancing With My Ex,’ in Spanish. We have to do it in Spanish.”

I said, “That is the most genius idea I’ve ever heard.” And, when we brought this concept to my crew [to work in Spanish] it was such a debate with some of the boys in the room, on if there would even be a song if their girlfriend danced with her ex, because she “cheated.” Now that it’s a girl, the fact that she danced with someone else […] Oh, dagger to my heart! As if women aren’t allowed any room to mess up. Or, did she even mess up? I loved how controversial the song became in Spanish. Because, a girl dancing with her ex? Ooh. Game over.

“Fulanito” (with El Alfa)

There’s almost a nostalgia to “Fulanito.” Like, when I go to family parties and I hear “Suavemente.” You gotta go to the dance floor. When I hear “Fulanito,” you can’t help but move. I had never done a merengue before, and El Alfa is an artist that is so talented and so unique; his delivery, his voice and his presence is so different and refreshing that he and Fulanito were the perfect match.

“Dolores”

“Dolores” is literally as if someone ripped off pages from my diary. It’s part of Phase 1 of Esquemas and very early on in the pandemic, when I think all of us were questioning things in our lives and we had, for the first time in a very long time, time to process things. I was in a writing camp in a house with my friends and I just needed a cathartic experience to let out my feelings and talk about things that meant a lot to me. I was expressing that sometimes when I experience a real high in my life, the crash afterwards is so low, it scares me sometimes. It’s like I think something bad is going to happen.

I was expressing to them how my abuelita reminds me a lot of myself. Her name is not Dolores [Which literally translates to ‘Pains.’]! Her name is Guadalupe. But my tíos make fun of her all the time because she gets really emotional [about many different things], and my tíos say: Ay, we’re going to start to call you Dolores porque todo te duele [everything hurts you]. And I thought, how beautiful that she can feel and the empathy. But I’d rather feel everything than nothing at all. So, embracing the feelings and letting them be was something I wanted to celebrate. That’s why Dolores is emotional but uplifting.

And sonically it’s very raw. When I listen to that song, I can hear me. [When I was little] I didn’t know that the little cloud that followed me for most of my life was a thing called depression. The whole conversation about mental health and labels, I understand, we can’t let things define us. But I also think it’s important to acknowledge these things. If not, they become so big and so heavy — we can’t go through that alone.

“Mamiii”

Growing up, I remember my mom listening to Ana Gabriel or Jenni Rivera, and singing those songs with that oomph. It’s so good. And although “Mamiii” isn’t a ranchera, there’s a reason why I put a grito [shout] in the beginning. It’s despecho [spite]. You sing that song at the top of your lungs and it feels good. And us two together is something the industry and fans were waiting for a long time. I was waiting for it. I don’t know how many songs I had invited Karol to be a part of. But like my grandma says, cuando Dios quiere [when God wants].

Tags: Latin