Vice Versa (Rauw Alejandro album)

Tainy (pictured) produced four songs for the album.

Rauw Alejandro released his debut studio album, Afrodisíaco on November 13, 2020.[1] The album experienced both critical and commercial success, being nominated for Best Música Urbana Album at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards.[2][3] Two weeks after finishing the work on Afrodisíaco, he started working on his sophomore studio album, Vice Versa. On the latter, he got a departure from his "signature reggaeton and Latin R&B", going "experimental". During an interview with Billboard, he explained:

I like to get out of my comfort zone. That's what makes me happy, to be able to explore, expand and grow. I don’t judge any artist that wants to follow their line but in my case, I don’t like getting boxed in a certain type of genre. I want to experiment with the most that I can in my career and aim to become that complete artist.[4]

Alejandro added that he tries to connect with his fans in every project that he does, by putting his "heart and soul on the table" and expressing his "art to the maximum".[4] In an interview with Vice, he told the magazine that he does not like to repeat projects and the things he does: "If we play a lot of music of that genre, people get saturated, we always have to give them a break so that when they come back again, they'll come back strong." He also wanted the album to be "more personal" than Afrodisíaco and reduced the number of collaborations on it.[2] He worked on Vice Versa with the assistance of several producers, including Tainy, Caleb Calloway, Álvaro Díaz, and Mr. Naisgai. In an interview with Rolling Stone, Calloway stated that Alejandro was "planning to make something like Vice Versa for years", and since Afrodisíaco "was his first big project", the team "wanted to make sure [they] had a more commercial approach". He added: "The next album, we wanted it to be more experimental."[5]

Vice Versa is a Spanish language album composed of 14 songs, consisting electropop and house tracks, reggaeton songs, Latin pop numbers, bolero lines, and Brazilian funk rhythms.[4][7] Lyrically, the album is divided into three facets; it begins with love songs, then there are breakup and heartbreak lyrics, and eventually a recovery and healing.[2] "Todo de Ti" (transl. "Everything About You") is a dance-pop and electropop song,[9][10][11] with elements of disco,[12] pop,[13] Latin pop,[14] dance,[15] electro,[13] and nu-new-wave.[16] The track was inspired by funk from the music of singers James Brown and Bruno Mars, as well as "the nostalgia of the 1980s".[17] is a romantic song about a girl who drives Alejandro crazy and makes his heart race, while the hopeless singer confesses he likes everything about her.[18][19] A reggaeton and electronic perreo,[8][20] "Sexo Virtual" (transl. "Virtual Sex") is an erotic song about "overcoming distance, bringing the bodies together", with Alejandro exposing "some of his deepest fantasies".[21][22][23]

In "Nubes" (transl. "Clouds"), which is a reggaeton and pop song with elements of electronic music,[7][8] Alejandro declares his eternal love to the girl who has won his heart.[24] A collaboration with Puerto Rican singer Chencho Corleone, "Desesperados" (transl. "Desperate") is an upbeat reggaeton song,[25][26] with elements of cumbia and dembow,[27][28] about two people who are apart, but still have love for each other, so they somehow try to get back together.[29] An Urbano Latin R&B song, "2/Catorce" (transl. "2/Fourteen") is about passionate and sexual moments as a couple, and situations where the temperature rises.[30][31] The trap-bolero ballad "Aquel Nap ZzZz" (transl. "That Nap ZzZz"),[12][32] features elements of R&B and reggaeton,[7] and is a romantic love song dedicated to Alejandro's girlfriend Rosalía.[33][34][35] The song includes Rosalía's vocals and was inspired by their relationship.[36]

"Cúrame" (transl. "Heal Me") is a lofi hip hop reggaeton ballad,[37] with urban and tropical rhythms,[38][39] that narrates a love story referring to two relationships; the current one and the one from the past, which continues to leave its mark today.[40] "Cosa Guapa" (transl. "Beautiful Thing") transforms from dancehall into deep house, and includes verses in English.[7] "Desenfocao'" (transl. "Unfocused") is a new wave, synth-pop, and funk song,[8][38] with elements of disco, pop, EDM, and deep house,[12][31][38] and finds the singer very confused after a relationship breakup, so that he barely even knows where he is.[41] "¿Cuándo Fue?" is a downbeat heartbreak ballad,[42] while both "La Old Skul" and "¿Y Eso?" nod to the old-school reggaeton, with the former sampling "En la Cama" by Nicky Jam and Daddy Yankee.[7][8][31] On the trap-pop song "Tengo un Pal", Alejandro collaborated with Puerto Rican singer Lyanno, while he featured Brazilian singer Anitta on the baile funk track "Brazilera".[7]

"2/Catorce" serves as the lead single of Vice Versa. It was accompanied by a music video posted to YouTube, directed by Eric Duars and Alejandro. Both were surprise-released on February 14, 2021.[30][43] It reached number one in Dominican Republic,[44] as well as the top 15 in several other countries such as Argentina and Spain, and on Billboard's Hot Latin Songs in the United States.[45][46][47] "Todo de Ti" was released for digital download and streaming on May 20, 2021, as the second single from the album.[48] The song was ranked among the Best Summer Songs of All Time by Rolling Stone.[49] It was nominated for both Record of the Year and Song of the Year at the 22nd Annual Latin Grammy Awards.[50] The track became a massive global hit,[16] reaching number one in Argentina,[45] Bolivia,[51] Chile,[52] Colombia,[53] Costa Rica,[54] Dominican Republic,[55] Ecuador,[56] El Salvador,[57] Guatemala,[58] Honduras,[59] Latin America,[60] Mexico,[61] Nicaragua,[62] Panama,[63] Paraguay,[64] Peru,[65] Puerto Rico,[66] Spain,[67] and Uruguay.[68] The track was subsequently ranked as the best-performing song of 2021 in both Latin America and Spain.[69][70] "Todo de Ti" also reached the top three on Billboard's Hot Latin Songs and Billboard Global 200 charts, becoming the third all-Spanish song in history to reach the top three on the latter.[47][71]

The third single from Vice Versa, "Sexo Virtual" was released on June 25, 2021, accompanied by a Nuno Gomes directed music video, alongside the album.[22][72] The song reached number one in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Panama.[73][74] It also debuted in the top 20 of Hot Latin Songs,[47] and was certified platinum in both Mexico and Spain.[75][76] "Desenfocao'" was issued to Latin American radio stations on August 10, 2021, as the first promotional single from the album.[77][78] An accompanying music video, directed by Alejandro and NINE-D, was released on the same date.[79] After going viral on TikTok and achieving commercial success,[80][81][82] "Cúrame" was sent to radio stations on August 27, 2021, as the fourth single from the album. A music video for the song, directed by Nuno Gomes, was released on September 16, 2021.[83][84] The song reached number one in Colombia and Dominican Republic,[85][86] as well as the top three in Spain.[87] It also reached the summit of the Billboard's Latin Airplay and Latin Rhythm Airplay charts in the United States.[88][89]

"Nubes" was released on August 31, 2021, as the second promotional single, while its music video was directed by Fernando Lugo and released simultaneously with the song.[90] The album's final single, "Desesperados" was launched for digital download and streaming on December 9, 2021.[91][92][93] The song was ranked among the 100 Greatest Reggaeton Songs of All Time by Rolling Stone.[94] It was nominated for Best Reggaeton Performance and Best Urban Song at the 23rd Annual Latin Grammy Awards.[95] The track peaked at number one in Bolivia,[96] Colombia,[97] Dominican Republic,[98] Ecuador,[99] Honduras,[100] Nicaragua,[101] Peru,[102] Spain,[103] and Uruguay,[104] and reached the top five in Argentina,[45] Chile,[105] El Salvador,[106] Latin America,[107] and Mexico,[108] and on the Hot Latin Songs.[47] It also reached the summit of the Latin Airplay and Latin Rhythm Airplay charts,[109] and peaked at number 13 on the Billboard Global 200.[110] An accompanying music video, released simultaneously with the song, was directed by Manson.[93]

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Jenesaispop[133]
Mondo Sonoro[134]	8/10
Pitchfork[135]	7.2/10
Rolling Stone[8]

Vice Versa received generally favorable reviews from music critics. Rolling Stone's Lucas Villa described the album as "great" and noted Alejandro's "versatility", starting that there is "no limits" to his "malleable flow" and that he "takes reggaeton into the future" with Vice Versa.[8] Also in his review for The Fader, Villa praised Alejandro for taking his signature "genres to new worlds altogether", proving "his ability to write captivating songs regardless of the style he chooses". He continued: "He's taking Latin pop into the future on Vice Versa; at the very least, he's set himself up as one of its biggest stars."[6] An author of Genius admired the singer for "fearlessly" displaying his "adaptability", "craftwork", and "versatility" on the album, describing it as "a memorable rollercoaster ride": "VICE VERSA is a look into how the future of Latin music should be like; filled with hard-hitting pop beats, undeniable confidence, and addicting well-produced tracks that will undoubtedly leave their thread woven in history."[136] Jon Caramanica from The New York Times, named Alejandro "the most imaginative meta-reggaeton Latin pop star" and adored his "synthetically sweet and appealingly lush" vocals.[137] Also from The New York Times, Isabelia Herrera celebrated the album for "embracing melody and an unflinching (but calculated) desire to implode the traditional structures of pop and reggaeton".[7] NPR critic Stefanie Fernández labeled it "a record that sets the standard for what a massively successful Latin pop album can, and should, accomplish".[138]

Writing for Mondo Sonoro, Luis M. Maínez named Vice Versa "the best reggaeton album in recent years" and praised Alejandro's "particular and unmistakable style that until now no one has been able to copy". He compared the album to "the most revolutionary styles in history", saying "all tracks flow into each other with precision and organicity, with Rauw's vocals making the electric shock that unites everything". The critic highlighted "Sexo Virtual", "Cosa Guapa", "Desenfocao'", "La Old Skul", and "Aquel Nap ZzZz".[134] Rolling Stone's Julyssa Lopez noted the singer's "thrillingly unpredictable breakthrough" and the album's "unexpected beat switches and sudden flashes of house, bolero, and Brazilian funk, morphs constantly", highlighting "Todo de Ti" as its "crowning jewel".[42] Jason Lipshutz from Billboard stated that Vice Versa "serves as the progressive vision for Latin urban music that Alejandro wants to set forth from the A-list" and compared Alejandro with the American rapper and singer Doja Cat as he "comfortably sings and raps in equal measures, grabbing whatever instrumental arrangement is thrown his direction".[139]

Rolling Stone hailed Vice Versa as the best Spanish-language or bilingual album of 2021 and the third-best album of the year.[42][140] The Fader and The New York Times ranked it at numbers 5 and 11 on their overall albums year-end lists.[6][137] Billboard placed it on an unranked list of the 20 Best Latin Albums of 2021, while naming it as the 37th-best album of the year overall.[141][142] Teen Vogue and NPR listed Vice Versa among the best albums of 2021 and best Latin albums of the year, respectively, and Genius ranked it as the 23rd best album of 2021.[136][138][143] The album has received a number of awards and nominations. It was nominated for Favorite Latin Album at the American Music Awards and Top Latin Album at the Billboard Music Awards, both in 2022.[144][145]

Vice Versa debuted atop the US Top Latin Albums and Latin Rhythm Albums charts with first-week sales of 21,000 units, consisting of 29.1 million on-demand streams and less than 1,000 pure sales, according to data compiled by Nielsen SoundScan for the chart dated July 10, 2021. It became Alejandro's first number one album on both charts, spending two weeks at this position on each chart.[154][155][156] The album also debuted at number 17 on the US Billboard 200, becoming the singer's second entry on the chart and his highest peak in his career, surpassing Afrodisíaco, which peaked at number 75 on November 28, 2020. By July 2022, Vice Versa had spent 54 weeks on Billboard 200, making it the sixth Spanish album in history to spend more weeks on the chart.[157][158] The album was certified octuple platinum (Latin) by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), for sales of over 480,000 units in the United States.[159] In Spain, the album debuted at number one on July 4, 2021, and spent eight non-consecutive weeks atop the chart. It was later certified double platinum by the Productores de Música de España (PROMUSICAE), for selling over 80,000 units in the country.[160] The album was also certified 3× platinum by the Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas (AMPROFON), for sales of over 420,000 units in Mexico.[161]

Track listing adapted from Tidal.[162]

Credits adapted from Tidal.[162]

Musicians

Technical