Candy (Rosalía song) explained

Candy
Cover:RosaliaCandy.png
Alt:A closeup of Rosalía eating a rainbow-colored strip of candy. The artist name is written in blue ink on the image with the song's title written vertically on the strip. The letter "C" is seen becoming a swirl.
Type:promo
Artist:Rosalía
Album:Motomami
Language:Spanish
Recorded:2020
Studio:
  • Angel Sound (Barcelona)
  • Dejavú Apartment (Los Angeles)
  • Motomami House (Miami)
  • Larrabee (Los Angeles)
  • Kiss the Chief (Miami)
Genre:Reggaeton
Length:3:13
Label:Columbia
Composer:
Lyricist:
Producer:

"Candy" (stylized in all caps) is a song recorded by Spanish singer and songwriter Rosalía. It was released on 18 March 2022 through Columbia Records as a promotional single from her third studio album Motomami (2022). The song was written and produced by Rosalía herself alongside El Guincho, Frank Dukes, Noah Goldstein, Michael Uzowuru and Tainy.

"Candy" is a mid-tempo reggaeton track featuring pop and electropop elements, filtered instrumentation and light vocals. The song title references the 2014 track of the same name, by Puerto Rican duo Plan B. "Candy" samples "Archangel", performed by Burial, which samples "One Wish", performed by Ray J.

An accompanying music video for "Candy" filmed in Shibuya, Japan and inspired by Sofia Coppola's Lost In Translation was shared on YouTube upon the release of Motomami. Commercially, "Candy" entered major market charts including the Argentina Hot 100, Swiss Hitparade, and the Billboard Hot Latin Songs, and became the singer's eighth number one single on the PROMUSICAE chart in Spain. A remix featuring Chencho Corleone of Plan B was included in the deluxe version of the album, released later that year.

Background

In November 2018, Rosalía released her second studio album El Mal Querer, which she wrote and co-produced with el Guincho, her long-time collaborator. The album reimagines the folk and flamenco sound of Rosalía's previous album, Los Ángeles (2017), by mixing it with elements of radio-friendly pop and urban crossover in an experimental key. Rosalía would expand her horizons and venture in reggaeton the following year, reaching mainstream audiences worldwide with songs like "Con Altura" or "Yo x Ti, Tu x Mi".

On El Mal Querer's follow-up Motomami, Rosalía aimed to experiment beyond her earlier albums' new flamenco sound. Initially planning to confect four different projects, Rosalía committed to a color palette at the sound level. "Candy" is one of the many songs Rosalía wrote during her time in the United States in the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic before starting a nine-month mixing and mastering process in Los Angeles. The song's original working name was "Olvidao". Rosalía ended co-producing the song as well as any other track on the album. "Candy" was recorded by engineers and songwriters David Rodríguez, Sean Matsukawa and Tyler Murphy; and mixed by Manny Marroquín at Larrabee, in Hollywood. Chris Gehringer mastered the track in New Jersey. Rosalía first teased "Candy" on TikTok on 31 December 2021 to great reception from fans.[1]

Music video

Rosalía announced the release of a music video for "Candy" during an interview on El Hormiguero on 17 March 2022 and shared a preview.[2] It was released the following day on digital platforms. The music video was produced and directed by Stillz and filmed in Shibuya, a special ward in Tokyo, Japan. Heavily inspired in the 2003 film Lost in Translation, it sees the singer in a short pink wig and American model Alton Mason at a karaoke bar.[3] In the music video, Rosalía wears a tight blue dress personally designed by late American fashion designer Virgil Abloh in July 2021, one of his lasts creations before his death later that year.[4]

Remix

A remix of "Candy" featuring Plan B's Chencho Corleone was released on 9 September 2022 as part of the bonus tracks on the deluxe edition of Motomami.[5]

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Motomami.[6]

Publishing

Production personnel

Technical personnel

Charts

Chart (2022)! scope="col"
Peak
position
Argentina (Argentina Hot 100)94
Global Excl. US (Billboard)59
Mexico Airplay (Billboard)[7] 10
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[8] 1
Spain Songs (Billboard)[9] 2
Switzerland (Swiss Hitparade)83

Release history

Region! scope="col"
DateFormatVersionLabel
Various 18 March 2022SoloColumbia
9 September 2022Remix

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Sources . Rosalía . 31 December 2021 . Rosalia adelanta 'CANDY', una canción de 'MOTOMAMI', su próximo álbum. . 2022-09-16 . Twitter . en.
  2. Web site: 2022-03-18 . Rosalía en el 'El Hormiguero' Todos los detalles de su entrevista tras la presentación de 'Hentai' . 2022-09-16 . La Vanguardia . es.
  3. Web site: 2022-04-03 . 'Candy' es el 'Lost in Translation' de Rosalía . 2022-09-16 . jenesaispop.com . es.
  4. Web site: 2022-03-31 . El vestido azul eléctrico de Rosalía en 'Candy' que fue diseñado por Virgil Abloh poco antes de morir . 2022-09-16 . El Español . es.
  5. Web site: 2022-09-09 . Rosalía lanza el álbum 'MOTOMAMI+', una versión con 7 canciones nuevas . 2022-09-16 . La Vanguardia . es.
  6. Web site: Rosalia Official Site . 2022-07-21 . Rosalia Official Site.
  7. Rosalía Chart History (Mexico Airplay). Billboard. 12 April 2022.
  8. Web site: Top 100 Canciones: Semana 12. Productores de Música de España. 29 March 2022.
  9. Rosalía Chart History (Spain Songs) . Billboard. 13 March 2022.