CNCO Pay Tribute to Celia Cruz in New Song ‘Ya Tú Sabes’
The latest release by pan-Latin boy band CNCO is dripping with drama — and azucar. Titled “Ya Tú Sabes,” or “You Already Know,” it’s the lead single off their upcoming seven-song EP, Que Quiénes Somos, out October 11th.
A hypnotic blend of salsa and Latin trap, the Tommy Brown-produced “Ya Tú Sabes” exemplifies mainstream pop’s ongoing courtship of urbano sounds. But it also pays respects to Latin pop titans past: the track samples the 2003 Celia Cruz classic, “Ríe Y Llora.” Featured in her album of the same year, Regalo del Alma, it would be the last song ever recorded by the Cuban Queen of Salsa.
The five gents’ interpretation, however, gives off a more scampish vibe. Together Richard, Zabdiel, Christopher, Erick, and Joel dedicate verses to jealous lovers on a toxic power trip: “Baby, check it out, take your time, analyze it/The way the FBI, the CSI would investigate it,” they sing. “If you don’t trust me, I’m sorry for you.”
“We have so many non-Spanish speaking fans,” CNCO member Richard Camacho told Rolling Stone in July. “[Our music] just became very Spanglish, as we’re all kind of Spanglish now,” he adds.
Que Quiénes Somos, which translates to Who We Are, is now available for pre-order. Read our interview with the band here.