On Thursday, September 24, Jennifer Lopez and Maluma finally brought out their two part music video collaboration, “Pa’ Ti” and “Lonely”. The Spanish/ English song duo has previously been highly promoted on social media, especially on J.Lo’s Instagram page and later on TikTok. It’s so exciting to see the product of this international, American pop and Reggaeton fusion finally out, and the highly accomplished champions of their respective genres definitely did not disappoint.
Both the songs and the music video were iconic. The song had lyrics in English and Spanish, but it was new and refreshing to hear J.Lo sing extensively in Spanish. While being Puerto Rican/ American, she has always been known for English hits and specializing in American music. This is also the first time she is really diving deeply into the Reggaeton genre. At the same time, Latin music stars increasingly continue to partner with American pop stars and rappers to produce more and more hits that are popular in multiple international music scenes. Maluma is no exception. He has previously put out many successful hits with American artists such as “Feel the Beat” with Black Eyed Peas, “Medellin” with Madonna, “Colors” with Jason Derulo, “Sin Contrato” with Fifth Harmony, and much more. This one of a kind song expands on Maluma’s impressive versatility and involvement in the American music industry, and both J.Lo and Maluma deserve this recognition for doing what they are doing.
Their music video is also very special, as the two songs in the music video tell a complex love story like that out of a movie. In the first part, J.Lo is playing a happy billionaire who flaunts her riches who seems loyal to and in love with her husband, played by Maluma. She loves him unconditionally and the two seem content together. However, the video shows J.Lo’s character being under suspicion and investigation for fraud, but she maintains her feelings for Maluma’s character and repeatedly sings the first line of the chorus, “Todo lo que tengo es pa’ ti”, or “Everything I have is for you”, passionately as Maluma echoes this line. However, as shown by Maluma’s ambiguous and nervous facial expressions, not all is as it seems. The second part of the video with the song “Lonely”, reveals a major plot twist in their love story (no spoilers!) that, as well implied by the title, leads to heartbreak, tension, and distance. The last cool part of this video is that it connects well to the younger generation, particularly by using TikTok and featuring social media personality Charli D’Amelio. Her part in the video is known as the “Behind the Video” segment, in which she is watches the music video from her phone, loves it, and imitates the main dance from the first song in the video, turning this dance into a TikTok dance and helping make the new song a trend on the platform. Check out the full amazing video on YouTube, watch the cinematic and dance heavy plot outlined by the songs, and maybe learn the TikTok dance too!
