Selena Gomez’s new Spanish EP is finally here. Selena has been talking for months about this project and her desire to honor her heritage by singing in Spanish. Being only 7 tracks (with 3 already being released as singles), this is a quick listen. The final product she delivers is a mixed bag.
The three singles off the EP are Baila Conmigo, De Una Vez, and Selfish Love. Of those three singles, Selfish Love is one of the best songs of the year so far. Baila Conmigo is a good song. Rauw Alejandro carries the track but Selena plays an important supporting role. As I talked about back when it was released, I was not a fan of De Una Vez. To me, this track highlighted the fact that Gomez was not a native Spanish speaker. That’s not something you want to highlight. It only serves to take you out of the song.
The highlights of the EP are the moments in which Selena is not on her own. Bailia Conmigo and Damelo To’ are both carried by their features. DJ Snake is the star player on Selfish Love. On Vicio and Adios, Selena does a serviceable job carrying the tracks on her own but they aren’t really anything special. They’re songs you’ll enjoy if you like Selena but if you’re even so much as indifferent towards her, they won’t do much for you. The production on the album is very good. Tainy has established himself as the primer Latin producer in the game right now.
Unfortunately, the same issue that appears in De Una Vez reappears in Buscando Amor. Selena is not a native Spanish speaker which is an issue when you’e trying to put out a project completely in Spanish. When Justin Bieber sang in Spanish on the Despacito remix, his Spanish was not great either. It was worthy of criticism. But he wasn’t trying to put out an album in Spanish. At a minimum, this EP proves that Selena can have a role in Latin music even though she clearly isn’t all the way there yet.
Overall, Selena Gomez’s foray into Latin music is a mixed bag. There are several moments where the effort feels inauthentic and of a lower quality than we would expect of an artist of Selena’s caliber. There are some highlights on this EP, including one of the best songs of the year. Instead of sounding like a Latina returning to her roots, this EP comes across as an American artist trying to cash in on the Latin American market.
Final Score – 6.5/10