Tag Archives: Pausa

Ricky Martin Offers Sneak Peek at New Music Video

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Ricky Martin is offering a sneak peek at his latest music video…

After a busy weekend shooting the music video for his upcoming new single, the 50-year-old Puerto Rican singer, songwriter and actor has given fans a sneak peek to the clip via social media, along with a behind-the-scenes photo of him in action.

Ricky Martin“In this photo, a little tease of what the video of my next single is going feel like,” Martin wrote in the post. “It was a really long day, but everything flows amazingly well when surrounded by the right group of people. Nothing but love and light throughout the day. et, which is the second part to his Latin Grammy-winning EP Pausa. “I’ve created two separate albums. Pausa is more chill and relaxed,”

Martin told Billboard back in 2020 when he released the first part of his project. “The second one called Play has more upbeat music.”

Besides working on new music, Martin is busy with television projects as well. He will be the male lead in Mrs. American Pie, a new Apple TV+ comedy series. The cast will also include Kristen Wiig, Alison Janney and Laura Dern, who is executive producing the show.

Set to play Robert in the 10-episode series based on the novel by Juliet McDaniel, Mrs. American Pie is Martin’s first television project since Ryan Murphy’s drama The Assassination of Gianni Versace on FX, in which he played Antonio D’Amico.

Pabllo Vittar Earns GLAAD Media Awards Nomination

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Pabllo Vittar has extra reason to be gla(a)d…

GLAAD has announced the nominees for the 32d GLAAD Media Awards, with the 26-year-old Brazilian drag queen, singer and songwriter earning a nod.

Pabllo Vittar 

Vittar is nominated in the Outstanding Music Artist for her album 111.

She’ll compete against Ricky Martin, nominated for Pausa, and then Kehlani for her album It Was Good Until It Wasn’t.

Arca has picked up a GLAAD nod…

The 31-year-old Venezuelan record producer, DJ, singer, and songwriter, whose full name is Alejandra Ghersi, is nominated in the Outstanding Breakthrough Music Artist category for the album KiCk i.

Gloria Estefan’s daughter Emily Estefan is nominated in the Outstanding Variety or Talk Show episode for “Emily’s Coming Out Story” from Facebook Watch’s Red Table Talk: The Estefans.

Jesse & Joy have earned a special callout…

The Mexican sibling duo will receive special recognition for their hit single “Love (Es Nuestro Idioma).”

Josie Totah , D.J. ‘Shangela’ Pierce, and Jonathan Bennett took to GLAAD’s TikTok page to unveil the nominees. The winners will be announced during a virtual ceremony scheduled for April 2021.

The GLAAD Media Awards honor media for fair, accurate, and inclusive representations of LGBTQ people and issues.

“During an unprecedented year of crises and isolation, the nominees for the 32nd Annual GLAAD Media Awards reached LGBTQ people with powerful stories and inspired countless others around the world with bold looks at LGBTQ people and issues,” said GLAAD President & CEO Sarah Kate Ellis. “As GLAAD continues to lead the fight for LGBTQ acceptance, this year’s nominees remind us that even in times of political and cultural division, diverse LGBTQ representation and visibility can enlighten, entertain, and create lasting change.”

Here’s the full list of nominees:

NOMINEES FOR THE ENGLISH-LANGUAGE CATEGORIES

Outstanding Film – Wide Release
The Craft: Legacy (Sony Pictures)
Happiest Season (Hulu)
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Netflix)
The Old Guard (Netflix)
The Prom (Netflix)

Outstanding Film – Limited Release
Ammonite (NEON)
And Then We Danced (Music Box Films)
The Boys in the Band (Netflix)
The Half of It (Netflix)
I Carry You With Me (Sony Pictures Classics)
Kajillionaire (Focus Features)
The Life Ahead (Netflix)
Lingua Franca (ARRAY/Netflix)
Monsoon (Strand Releasing)
The True Adventures of Wolfboy (Vertical Entertainment)

Outstanding Documentary
Circus of Books (Netflix) Disclosure (Netflix)
Equal (HBO Max)
For They Know Not What They Do (First Run Features)
Howard (Disney+)
Mucho Mucho Amor (Netflix)
Scream, Queen: My Nightmare on Elm Street (Virgil FIlms/Shudder)
Visible: Out on Television (Apple TV+)
We Are The Radical Monarchs (PBS POV)
Welcome to Chechnya (HBO) 

Outstanding Comedy Series
Big Mouth (Netflix)
Dead to Me (Netflix)
Everything’s Gonna Be Okay (Freeform)
Harley Quinn (HBO Max)
Love, Victor (Hulu)
Saved by the Bell (Peacock)
Schitt’s Creek (Pop)
Sex Education (Netflix)
Superstore (NBC)
Twenties (BET) 

Outstanding Drama Series
9-1-1: Lone Star (FOX)
Killing Eve (BBC America)
P–Valley (Starz)
Ratched (Netflix)
Star Trek: Discovery (CBS All Access)
Supergirl (The CW)
The Umbrella Academy (Netflix)Vida (Starz)
The Wilds (Amazon)
Wynonna Earp (Syfy) 

Outstanding TV Movie
Alice Júnior (Netflix)
Bad Education (HBO)
The Christmas House (Hallmark Channel)
The Christmas Setup (Lifetime)
Dashing in December (Paramount Network)
The Thing About Harry (Freeform)
Uncle Frank (Amazon Studios)
Unpregnant (HBO Max)
Your Name Engraved Herein (Netflix) 

Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series
Dispatches from Elsewhere (AMC)
The Haunting of Bly Manor (Netflix)
Hollywood (Netflix),
I May Destroy You (HBO)
Little Fires Everywhere (Hulu) 

Outstanding Reality Program
Deaf U (Netflix)
Legendary (HBO Max)
Queer Eye (Netflix)
RuPaul’s Drag Race (VH1)
We‘re Here (HBO)

Outstanding Children’s Programming
“Challenge of the Senior Junior Woodchucks!” DuckTales (Disney XD)
“Dogbot” Clifford The Big Red Dog (PBS)
“Nancy Plays Dress Up” Fancy Nancy (Disney Junior)
The Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo (HBO Max)
Summer Camp Island (HBO Max) 

Outstanding Kids & Family Programming
Craig of the Creek (Cartoon Network)
Diary of a Future President (Disney+)
First Day (Hulu)
Kipo and The Age of the Wonderbeasts (Dreamworks Animation/Netflix)
The Loud House (Nickelodeon)
“Mary Anne Saves the Day” The Baby-Sitters Club (Netflix)
“Obsidian” Adventure Time: Distant Lands (HBO Max)
The Owl House (Disney Channel)
She–Ra & The Princesses of Power (Dreamworks Animation/Netflix)
Steven Universe (Cartoon Network) 

Outstanding Music Artist
Adam Lambert, Velvet (More Is More/Empire)
Brandy Clark, Your Life Is a Record (Warner Records)
Halsey, Manic (Capitol)
Kehlani, It Was Good Until It Wasn’t (Atlantic)
Lady Gaga, Chromatica (Streamline/Interscope)
Miley Cyrus, Plastic Hearts (RCA)
Pabllo Vittar, 111 (BMT/Sony Music Brasil)
Peppermint, A Girl Like Me: Letters to My Lovers (Producer Entertainment Group)Ricky Martin, Pausa (Sony Latin)
Sam Smith, Love Goes (Capitol) 

Outstanding Breakthrough Music Artist
Arca, KiCk i (XL)
Chika, Industry Games (Warner Records)
FLETCHER, The (S)ex Tapes (Capitol)
Keiynan Lonsdale, Rainbow Boy (Keiynan Lonsdale)
Kidd Kenn, Child’s Play (Island Records)
Orville Peck, Show Pony (Columbia/Sub Pop)
Phoebe Bridgers, Punisher (Dead Oceans)
Rina Sawayama, Sawayama (Dirty Hit/Avex Trax)
Trixie Mattel, Barbara (Producer Entertainment Group/ATO Records)
Victoria Monét, Jaguar (Tribe Records) 

Outstanding Video Game
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla (Ubisoft)
Borderlands 3: Guns, Love, and Tentacles (2K Games)
Bugsnax (Young Horses)
Hades (Supergiant Games)
If Found… (Annapurna Interactive)
Ikenfell (Humble Games)
Immortals Fenyx Rising (Ubisoft)
The Last of Us Part II (Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Tell Me Why (Xbox Game Studios)
World of Warcraft: Shadowlands (Blizzard Entertainment)

Outstanding Comic Book
Empyre, Lords of Empyre: Emperor Hulkling, Empyre: Aftermath Avengers, written by Al Ewing, Dan Slott, Chip Zdarsky, Anthony Oliveira (Marvel Comics)
Far Sector, written by N.K. Jemisin (DC Comics)
Guardians of the Galaxy, written by Al Ewing (Marvel Comics) Juliet Takes a Breath, written by Gabby Rivera (BOOM! Studios) Lois Lane, written by Greg Rucka (DC Comics)
The Magic Fish, written by Trung Le Nguyen (Random House Graphic)
Suicide Squad, written by Tom Taylor (DC Comics) Wynd, written by James Tynion IV (BOOM! Studios)
X-Factor, written by Leah Williams (Marvel Comics)
You Brought Me the Ocean, written by Alex Sanchez (DC Comics) 

Outstanding Variety or Talk Show Episode
“Andy Cohen Calls for Change So He Can Donate His Plasma” Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen (Bravo)
“Black Trans Lives Matter” Full Frontal with Samantha Bee (TBS)
“Emily’s Coming Out Story” Red Table Talk: The Estefans (Facebook Watch)
“Laverne Cox – Exploring Trans Representation with ‘Disclosure’” The Daily Show with Trevor Noah (Comedy Central)
“Lilly Responds to Comments About Her Sexuality” A Little Late With Lilly Singh (NBC)

Outstanding TV Journalism Segment
“Black Trans Activists on Being the ‘Blueprint for the Struggle for Black Freedom’” MSNBC Live with Hallie Jackson (MSNBC)
“Dwyane Wade One-On-One: Basketball Legend Opens Up About Supporting Transgender Daughter” Good Morning America (ABC)
“Faith, Foster Care and LGBTQ Rights Collide in Supreme Court” ABC News Prime (ABC News Live)
“One-on-One with Transportation Secretary Nominee Pete Buttigieg” State of the Union (CNN)
“Trans and Non-Binary People Face Voting Barriers Ahead of 2020 Election” (CBSN) 

Outstanding TV Journalism – Long-Form
“
ABC News Joe Biden Town Hall” (ABC)
“The Deciders” (CBS)
“Pride and Protest: Being Black and Queer in America in 2020” (NBC News NOW)
“Pride on ABC News Live: The Landmark Decision” (ABC News Live)
“Prideland” (PBS) 

Outstanding Print Article
“20 LGBTQ+ People Working to Save Lives on the Frontline” by Diane Anderson-Minshall, David Artavia, Tracy Gilchrist, Desiree Guerrero, Jeffrey Masters, Donald Padgett, and Daniel Reynolds (The Advocate)
“The AIDS Quilt Marches Home” by Jason Sheeler (People)
“As Homeless Shelters Brace for Funding Cuts, LGBTQ Youths Take Desperate Measures to Get By” by Samantha Schmidt (The Washington Post)
“Delaware’s Sarah McBride Makes History as the Nation’s First Openly Transgender State Senator” by Meg Ryan (Delaware Today)
“How a March for Black Trans Lives Became a Huge Event” by Anushka Patil (The New York Times)
“It’s Time for a New Tipping Point for Transgender Folks in Hollywood” by Tre’vell Anderson (Out)
“LGBTQ Americans Are Getting Coronavirus, Losing Jobs. Anti-Gay Bias is Making it Worse for Them.” by Petruce Jean-Charles (USA Today)
“Lutheran High School Athletic Trainer, Coach Says She Was Fired for Being Gay” by Arika Herron (The Indianapolis Star)
“States Won’t Collect LGBTQ Data on COVID-19 — and Advocates Aren’t Happy” by Chris Johnson (Washington Blade)
“Why Billy Porter is a National Treasure” by Tre’vell Anderson (Essence) 

Outstanding Magazine Overall Coverage
The Advocate
Billboard
People
Plus
Variety

Outstanding Online Journalism Article
“The Battle Over Title IX and Who Gets to be a Woman in Sports: Inside the Raging National Debate” by Katie Barnes (epsnW.com)
“Gay Men Speak Out After Being Turned Away from Donating Blood During Coronavirus Pandemic: ‘We are Turning Away Perfectly Healthy Donors’” by Tony Morrison and Joel Lyons (GoodMorningAmerica.com)
“Here’s how Reggie Greer Takes on LGBTQ Outreach for Joe Biden in this ‘Very Personal’ Election” by John Gallagher (LGBTQNation.com)
“No Medicine, No Food: Coronavirus Restrictions Amplify Health Risks to LGBT+ People with HIV” by Nita Bhalla and Oscar Lopez (Openlynews.com) “An Oral History of Fashion’s Response to the AIDS Epidemic” [series] by Phillip Picardi (VOGUE.com)
“Queer Spaces Project” [series] by Nico Lang, Samantha Allen, Marke B., Matt Baume, Steven Blum, Alexander Cheves, Devlyn Camp, Michael Cuby, James Factora, KC Hoard, Sophie Hurwitz, Michelle Kim, and Daniel Villareal (them.us)

“Trans Athletes’ Fight for Inclusion in World Rugby” [series] by Dawn Ennis, Alex Reimer, Karleigh Webb, and Cyd Zeigler (Outsports.com)
“Trans Freedom Fighters” [series] by Sam Levin (TheGuardian.com) “Trans, Imprisoned — and Trapped” by Kate Sosin (NBCNews.com)
“‘You Don’t Belong Here’: In Poland’s ‘LGBT-Free Zones’ Existing is an Act of Defiance” by Ivana Kottasová and Rob Picheta (CNN.com) 

Outstanding Online Journalism – Video or Multimedia
“A Closer Look: Transgender in Kashmir” by Robert Leslie (Business Insider)
“I’m an Immigrant Fighting for Queer Rights and Racial Justice” by Abigail E. Disney, Catherine King, Maria Nunez, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, Patty Quillin, Julie Parker Benello, Susan Sherrerd, and Lynda Weinman (Refinery29)
“Stop Killing Us: Black Transgender Women’s Lived Experiences” by Talibah Newman Ometu, Thomas Blount, Juliana Schatz Preston, and Mariah Dupont (Complex World)
“They Will See You: LGBTQ+ Visibility in Advertising” by Brent Miller, Otto Bell, and Jordan Shavarebi (Great Big Story)
“Why LGBTQ Rights Hinge on the Definition of ‘Sex’” by Laura Bult, Ranjani Chakraborty, Melissa Hirsch, and Sidnee King (Vox)

Outstanding Blog
Gays With Kids
JoeMyGod
Pittsburgh Lesbian Correspondents
The Reckoning
TransGriot 

Special Recognition
After Forever (Amazon)
Deadline’s New Hollywood Podcast
Happiest Season Soundtrack (Facet/Warner Records)
Noah’s Arc: The ‘Rona Chronicles (Patrik Ian-Polk Entertainment)
Out (Pixar/Disney+)
Razor Tongue (YouTube)
“The Son” Little America (Apple TV+)

NOMINEES FOR THE SPANISH-LANGUAGE CATEGORIES

Outstanding Spanish-Language Scripted Television Series
Ana (Amazon/Comedy Central/Pantaya)
Élite (Netflix)
#Luimelia (Atresplayer Premium)
Someone Has to Die (Netflix)
Veneno (HBO Max) 

Outstanding Spanish-Language TV Journalism
“Decisión de la Corte Suprema Para Comunidad LGBTQ” Un Nuevo Día (Telemundo)
“La Hermana de Aleyda Ortiz Narra Cómo Salió del Clóset y Cómo se lo Comunicó a su Familia” Despierta América (Univision)
“Proyecto ser Humano: La Terapia del Engaño” Camilo (CNN en Español)
“Refugio para Pacientes de COVID-19 y Comunidad LGBTI en México” Un Nuevo Día (Telemundo)
“Sanación Milagrosa” Despierta América (Univision)

Outstanding Spanish-Language Online Journalism Article
“El Brutal Asesinato de una Mujer Transgénero Conmociona a Puerto Rico y Renueva una Conversación Sobre la Transfobia” por Harmeet Kaur y Rafy Rivera (CNNEspañol.com)
“Desapareció en México, Solo se Hallaron sus Restos: La Historia de la Doctora María Elizabeth Montaño y su Importancia para la Comunidad Trans” por Albinson Linares y Marina E. Franco (Telemundo.com)
“Entrevistas para el mes del Orgullo LGBT+” por Paula Velasco, Aurora Villaseñor, y Sofía Viramontes (Gatopardo.com)
“Elliot Page y el Dilema Social del Género” por Marcos Billy Guzmán (ElNuevoDía.com) “La Historia de un Amor Moderno” por María Torres Clausell (Quién.com)

Outstanding Spanish-Language Online Journalism – Video or Multimedia
“Abril Zamora: Sin Filtros” (Elle España)
“Ciudad de México Prohibe las ‘Terapias’ Contra la Homosexualidad” por Elías Camhaji, Jonás Cortés, y Rodrigo Floriano (El País)
“La Liga Deportiva de la Diversidad” por Lucía Anaya (VICE en Español) “Mujeres LGBT+ en México: Ari Vera” (Homosensual)
“Soy Trans: El Camino a un Nuevo Despertar” por Sarah Moreno, Esther Piccolino, y José Sepúlveda (El Nuevo Herald)

Special Recognition (Spanish-Language)
Jesse & Joy, “Love (Es Nuestro Idioma)”

Ricky Martin Officially Launches New Venture Martin Music Lab

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Ricky Martin is making sound music in the industry…

The 48-year-old Puerto Rican superstar has officially launched his new venture Martin Music Lab, a brand-new company centered around the breakthrough patent-pending audio technique that creates a new type of immersive, headphone listening experience.

Ricky Martin

Martin had originally worked with the audio technique, called “orbital audio,” on his re-released Latin Grammy-nominated album Pausa.

In partnership with multi-Grammy award winner and music mix engineer Jaycen Joshua and music engineer Michael Seaberg, Martin is now focused on offering artists and studios a new breed of immersive audio.

“We were happy with the album, we high-fived each other when it was released,” Joshua tells Billboard. “Then I get a call form Ricky basically saying that he’s heard something that ‘blew his mind’ and he wants to do it to his album. So, here I am thinking I’m going to help my brother out with some audio stuff but little did I know that the rabbit hole was so deep.”

It was then that Martin, Joshua and Seaberg began the creative process behind a technique that could be applied and optimized for any type of audio entertainment –– from music and movies, to gaming and sports –– to create a personal sound experience.

“I received this immersive audio from a friend of mine in Brazil and he said ‘you should do music like this’ and I really enjoyed what I was listening but I thought, we really need to make this perfect and what is perfect to me is to be able to grab track for track, channel for channel and individualize it,” Martin says.

The goal is to “engulf listeners within the complexities of a particular track and all of its nuances,” according to a statement from the newly-established company which has hired 10 master mixers who are working with different clients. “The Lab’s mission is to build a true audio journey that you can feel and one that resonates on an individual level.”

How the patent-pending audio technique works is that it creates an immersive headphone listening experience by using any type of headphone (wired or wireless). No need for an expensive surround system. “Everybody gets to experience this – even with cheapest headphones you have,” says Martin.

But nailing that technique sounds easier said than done, according to Joshua. “I discovered so many things about immersive audio, how advanced it is in virtual reality right now and how it’s going to pretty much take over the gaming industry,” says Joshua. “In music, it’s pretty complicated because it’s a whole different math. You have multiple signals coming in – meaning different instruments and vocals coming in at the same time. But Ricky would not give up and I wasn’t going to give up after seeing his passion and excitement to achieve this.”

After the trial and error period in the studio, “I saw the look in Ricky’s eyes and he said, ‘we need to give this to the world’ and that’s why we formed the company,” says Joshua, who adds that the “orbital audio” technique can be added at any point of the mixing process and it really just depends on an artist’s vision.

“With Pausa it was done after the fact it was released and after I mixed it. So, I took those recordings and put them in our orbital audio program and just started moving stuff to wherever Ricky wanted to place it. That’s how personal this process is.”

With artists A$AP Rocky, Residente, Bad Bunny and Myke Towers already on board to work with Martin Music Lab, the company will also boast an executive advisory board comprised of top music executives like Noah Assad (Bunny’s manager), Rodney Jerkins and Chris Taylor.

“I chose them because these are people that are constantly pushing forward music and are constantly challenging the dignity of music,” says Martin. “These are powerful people that simply put know music.” Joshua adds, “the advisory board will let us know how to be better because we always want to evolve and grow. We wanted tastemakers to be game changers, too, and for them to be part of this process.”

With the hope of expanding this technique beyond the music industry and tap into the movies, sports and, most notably, the wellness and meditation space, both Joshua and Martin see this as an opportunity to heal and improve people’s mental health via music.

“We started with music but the idea is for people to start healing,” says Ricky. “For me personally, music is a release, it helps me focus and helps remove anxiety. I want to harness that power and unlock its potential to help others find the same level of calm and serenity. As much as this is about giving people a more personalized music experience, it’s also about improving their overall mental health.”

Ricky Martin Releases ‘Headphone Edition’ of Latest Album “Pausa,” Featuring ‘Orbital Audio’ Technique

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Ricky Martin is giving the world an aural treat…

The 48-year-old Puerto Rican superstar has released a special “Headphone Edition” re-release of his latest album Pausa, which was originally released in May.

Ricky Martin

The new version, complete with a new cover, features a new audio technique called “Orbital Audio.”

The patent-pending audio technique, developed by Martin with mix engineer Jaycen Joshua, creates an immersive headphone listening experience, that’s supposed to allow the listener to “engulf listeners within the complexities of a particular track for a true musical journey you can feel.”

The album features an enhanced surround sound, where each musical layer can be clearly heard and picked apart, even as it becomes part of a whole.

In the headphone mix, “Recuerdo,” featuring Carla Morrison, starts with Morrison’s voice on the left headphone, and it gradually engulfs the entire sound before Martin comes in on the right. 

But the instrumental layering is most impressive, with the listener able to extrapolate every element of sound. It’s indeed a very different experience from the original recording; almost like listening in 3D.

“This new ‘Orbital Audio’ technique has enabled me to deliver an extra layer of richness and immersion that enhances and enriches the tracks and the way fans can experience music via headphones — which is especially important in this time where fans can’t share the magic of being in a live concert setting,” said Martin in a statement.

Joshua added, “What Ricky and I did was set out to solve something that’s been bothering us as well as fellow musicians for a while. We wanted to find a new way for fans to be realistically deeply entrenched in the music.”

The new version of Pausa includes a new unreleased track, “Mi Sangre” featuring Bollywood star Neha Mahajan — produced using “Orbital Audio.” 

Pausa features collaborations with Sting, Morrison, Residente, Bad Bunny, Diego El Cigala and Pedro Capó.

Ricky Martin Releases Surprise Six-Track Album of Heartfelt Music, “Pausa”

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Ricky Martin is pressin’ play on Pausa…

The 48-year-old Puerto Rican superstar surprised fans on Thursday, May 28 with new music… a new EP titled Pausa, his first collective set since 2015’s A Quien Quiera Escuchar.

Ricky Martin

Martin’s new album features collaborations with Sting, Carla Morrison, Pedro Capó, Diego El Cigala, Bad Bunny, and more.

Packed with introspective, poignant and melancholic lyrics, the six-track set is born from a state of vulnerability and the need to heal through music. 

“[Through this music] I share my fears, my insecurities, my moments of panic that I’ve felt throughout this quarantine,” Martin tells Billboard.

In times of turmoil, Martin offers Pausa in lieu of a different album slated to be released called Movimiento. 

“I like to party but it’s not the moment for that. We had to change the concept and I’ve created two separate albums. Pausais more chill and relaxed and hopefully in September we can release the second one called Play with more upbeat music,” he says.

All songs on the EP, except for previously released “Tiburones,” are collaborations with artists Martin had never collaborated with before, including Mexican singer-songwriter Morrison. 

“I’m obsessed with Carlita’s voice and I’m obsessed with the way she tells a story. So, I called her. Initially, she thought I was asking her to write a song for my album and I said, ‘No, I want to sing with you,'” Martin recalls.

From Martin and Morrison’s “Recuerdo” to the Sting-assisted “Simple,” the “She Bangs” singer opens up to Billboard about all of the collaborations featured on Pausa:

“Simple” with Sting
The stunning collaboration with Sting, who sings in Spanish, sets the tone for the rest of the album: simple yet forceful and grand. “The big things are always simple, like the love there is in a sigh and reminds me why I’m alive,” Martin sings. About how the song and the melody were created, Martin says. “I called Sting and told him, ‘Something beautiful has to come out of this moment and that has to be music.’ I called him stepping out of my comfort zone because I don’t really like asking people and he said yes, to send him whatever I had and he liked what I sent him. And, he didn’t mind singing in Spanish. It’s a dream come true.”

“Recuerdo” with Carla Morrison
Possibly one of the most beautiful ballads released this year (so far), the heart-wrenching lyrics in this emotional track call for an introspection of the mind and soul. “This is a special song and it’s born out of the sadness I was feeling. Carla was also going through a rough moment and we had this urge to write again. We wanted to make sure that we each didn’t lose our essence when creating this fusion and it was born very organically.”

“Cae de Una” with Pedro Capó
As a true testament to Martin and Capó’s ability to turn heartbreak song into a bright melodic tune, “Cae de Una” becomes an instant hit with its infectious beat and the two Puerto Rican powerhouses trading cheeky verses. “You’re probably in a bar dancing without me. Don’t know whose skin you’re touching to forget the love you have for me,” they sing.

“Quiéreme” with Diego El Cigala
Martin and Spanish singer Diego El Cigala join forces for this flamenco-tinged pop song that is a standout duet in the EP. “We sent this song to producer Raul Refree in Barcelona because I wanted to see what he could do with this song. I didn’t say anything to him because I didn’t want to have any sort of influence on him and I’m now presenting you the end result,” Martin says. The result is an explosion of sounds and an exchange of dramatic and powerful vocals.

“Cántalo” with Residente & Bad Bunny
The previously released “Cántalo,” featuring fellow Puerto Rican hitmakers Residente and Bad Bunny, is a hybrid of sounds and genres including tambora, trumpet, salsa and trap. The thought-provoking track born post the #RickyRenuncia movement, calling for the removal of the now former Puerto Rican governor Ricardo Rosselló, some of the lyrics include: “Hoy no nos paran ni con tranquilizante de elefante/ El dinero, aunque sea abundante, no vale” (Nobody stops us today/ Not even with elephant soothing/ Money, although abundant, it is not worth).