Rosalía: ‘Despechá’ Track Review
Rosalía kicked off her new MOTOMAMI world tour with a concert in Almería, Spain, on July 06. At first, the singer went viral on TikTok for an orchestrated choreography for “Bizcochito,” a track off her new album MOTOMAMI: the singer looks sideways while vigorously chewing an imaginary gum, making an unfriendly yet Christian-like face. But during the first show—and at every show that followed—she also performed a few unreleased songs. Among them was the upbeat, extremely colorful “Despechá,” which quickly became a fan favorite and another viral moment. Videos of the singer sensually dancing to the song while a group of fans occupied the stage began to flood social media, and just like that, the song became a summer hit even before being released.
Now that the song is finally out, it’s easy to understand where all the hype came from. “Despechá” delivers whatever Rosalía promised: a catchy rhythm to Dominican merengue and mambo-like beats, a simple piano chord progression, and lyrics of liberation. The song is sure to become an anthem of self-esteem and detachment, with verses about forgetting someone who made you suffer and shaking it off on the dance floor. “Baby, don’t call me, I’m busy forgetting your ills,” the lyrics go, and the artist informs her estranged lover that she is going partying “with all [her] motomamis.”
Rosalía continues to do what she does best, merging converging rhythms, styles, and elements into something uniquely hers. The final product of her experimentation is something familiar enough to draw our attention but simultaneously new, just like her last album MOTOMAMI. Co-written by well-known names in the reggaeton genre alongside her previous collaborators, “Despechá” isn’t quite the organized, pretty mess that MOTOMAMI is. Still, the stand-alone single doesn’t fail to sound just as authentic and ear-pleasing. The track’s simplicity might fall short for those waiting for something more eruptive from the full song based on the TikTok snippet shared by the singer. But in the red-and-white world of the singer’s new phase, the song is the fun, carefree moment that we might have been missing. Rosalía has officially allowed you to start your summer, so reunite your motomamis and go out (but stay safe).
