Becky G celebrates forthcoming album ESQUEMAS with the release of new single “Bailé Con Mi Ex,” available now via Apple Music.
Becky spoke to Zane Lowe on Apple Music 1 about the origins of the track, making ‘ESQUEMAS’ on her own terms, her relationship with Anitta and Karol G, how her collaboration with Karol G on “MAMII” came to be, being her most authentic self, exploring other creative endeavors, the power of therapy, and more.
Becky G Tells Apple Music About Her New Song “BAILÈ CON MI EX”…
Okay, so there’s a fun story to this song because it was actually a song that was written in English for a male artist. Shout out to All Day. One of the writers on the English version. It was called Dancing With My Ex. And I heard it. I heard it, and I remember blowing up Ben, my manager’s, phone and saying, I need this song. I want this song so bad. He’s like, it was written for a guy though. Hear me out. The song didn’t get plays. The song wasn’t doing anything. It was just living in my phone. For me to enjoy privately. But I was like, the world needs to hear this. And not only that, I just thought it’d be so badass if a girl saying it, because I constantly, especially within Latin culture, there is so much machismo around what a woman does, how she dresses, how she speaks, how she exists in a room. If she does her hair, if she doesn’t do her hair, if she wears red lipstick, she doesn’t wear red lips. Just everything is so specific to categorize a woman and her place, you know? And so I was like, I don’t know. I feel like a guy singing this is expected, you know? And a guy’s way of this is the lyric isn’t bad, in my opinion. I danced with my ex and we shared a moment in time and it was a beautiful thing. And I’m happy that person is doing well. And I don’t want it to happen again, but maybe I did mess up. Maybe I wasn’t supposed to do that. And it was like this internal dialogue, as well as this confession to your partner that you did this. But I was like, it just hurts so much better when it’s a woman. And I love that because we’re not allowed to mess up. And maybe she didn’t mess up. Maybe it was just, she’s allowed to have that moment because the love is allowed to stay. Shawn Mendes said that once and I was like, oh, my heart. The love is allowed to stay. That is beautiful. And so when I was obsessed with Dancing With My Ex, I was like, Ben, we have to figure out a way to do this. Please tell All Day I need this song. And so fast forward three years later, we were in the studio and Ben goes, all right, Baile Con Mi Ex. I was like, Dancing With My Ex. He’s like, no, Baile Con Mi Ex. Spanish. I was like, I love this. And I think there’s just something so much beautiful.It’s just saucy. I don’t know.
Becky G Tells Apple Music About Making Her New Album ‘ESQUEMAS’ on Her Own Terms…
I think ESQUEMAS is a really beautiful representation of that journey of self discovery in this phase of my life. Because I think it’s funny, age and maturity are two very different things. I think a lot of people get it confused. A lot of individuals my age, I think, feel this pressure that we have to have all the answers and we have to have a plan and we have to execute. And it’s the complete opposite for me. And so this album, when I was creating it, it was in two different phases of my life. And one phase of it was very dark and very emotional, very triggering for me. Very cathartic to kind of start the beginning of that phase of the album in a writing camp with three of my girlfriends in a house. And female producer, two female songwriters who’ve got me. And we were just vibing and it so much fun. It was a different experience for me to be a part of that and create under my own terms versus okay, this is the deadline and this is what we have to do. We were just creating just to create, because it was a pandemic. We weren’t doing anything.
Becky G Tells Apple Music About Her Relationships With Anitta and Karol G…
I think we’re all just being. And I think that’s maybe the best part about it is what you see is what you get. I have the pleasure of being really great friends with Anitta, and she is just through in and throughout, from the day that I met her, and I know everyone who meets her can say the same exact thing, has always been the same person. Plays hard, works twice as hard. And then with Karol as well, I think when I was doing my thing for as long as I was at the time when she was crossing over from Colombia, I remember I was at an award show in Miami. And Spanish press sometimes really loves to feed off of the drama and creating these storylines that don’t exist. To engage an audience. And so I remember being super caught off guard when I was in an interview, and someone goes, oh, so how do you feel now that there’s another G in the house? And it was the way that they said it too. And I was like, to be honest, we need more of us. I’ve always tried to make the best effort to be so real with her and constantly making that intention to connect. Even though sometimes schedules are super busy. And so when we would see each other, it would always be great. And I invited her to be a part of a lot of songs. She’s very particular. Which I appreciate.
Becky G Tells Apple Music How Her Collaboration With Karol G on ‘MAMII’ Came To Be…
A part of me feels like I can learn something so I gravitate towards that naturally. And it was funny because when I wasn’t looking for it was when MAMIII happened. And I was in the studio working on ESQUEMAS and Ovie came by to hang out. And he had some ideas. And he had sent me the demo of the song, and I had a vision for it. And I wanted to bring more Mexican elements to the song, more guitar. The chorus was there, and I was like, I think I could do a really dope verse. And so I recorded MAMIII.And he was also working with Karol a couple days later, and I had a missed call. I was taking care of my mom because she had just gotten out of surgery. And I just saw my phone blowing up. So I’m like, is everything okay? And I look and it’s Ben, my manager, and I answer and he’s like, have you checked your phone? And I’m like, is everything okay? And he’s like, Karol’s trying to get ahold of you. And so I’m like, okay, let me see. And I hang up, and yeah, she FaceTimed me seven times. And I was like, oh man. Let me call her right back. And I did. And she was in the studio. And she was like, I just want to play something. And she plays me just the part of her doing the intro of the song.And I, in that moment, I was like… Well, I had been wanting to have a moment where the Gs came together. And really showed people because there’s very, I don’t want to say now, but at the time when we were all coming out, there was very few women in Latin music that were this next generation. We had been at it for so long. Karol is not just this overnight success. Same with Natti Natasha. Same with Anitta. There’s a lot of work that goes on to get to these moments. So I had been wanting to do something with Karol for so long and it just felt right. Like I said, it was the serendipity of it all. It just happened. And she wanted to be on the song and I was like, let’s go. And she was like, I can only do it if it’s released this date. So I scratched my entire album release plan. I was like, let’s go.
Becky G Tells Apple Music About Exploring Other Creative Endeavors…
… I’m really blessed and really lucky because I get to exercise different parts of my creative muscles through different outlets. So like my music, I strive for it to be and to only become even more authentic and representative of who I am today. And then the makeup is the transformation part, the dress up part that really is just like so fun. And then, there’s the acting side of it and the writing side and the producing side that is like the storytelling. And like, it doesn’t have to be mine. It’s always mine, but it can be representative of something else.
Becky G Tells Apple Music About Therapy…
Well, look, I just first off want to kick this off by saying I’m so thankful for this time with you, because you don’t know this. It’s a little bit nerdy of me, but during the pandemic I did a podcast. And hosting was super new for me. And so I studied a lot, and I studied a lot of your interviews. And I think you’re just so amazing.I know, I know. I just wanted to say that, though. I’m kind of geeked right now. I think that’s one of the most beautiful things about the creative mind. You don’t just have to be the face in front of the camera to have that creative desire to want to connect and be inspired by people in conversation. And it’s very enlightening. And I’m like a sponge. I love to sit and listen to people. I think that was the hardest part for me too, though, as a host was like, oh wait. But I actually really have to listen.
