"La Nota" () is a song recorded by Colombian singer Manuel Turizo, with Puerto Rican singer Rauw Alejandro and Puerto Rican rapper Myke Towers for Turizo's second studio album, Dopamina (2020). It was written by Juan Medina, Turizo, Towers, Michael Torres, and Alejandro, while the production was handled by Zenzei, Tainy, and Julián Turizo. The song was released for digital download and streaming by La Industria, Inc. and Sony Music Latin on October 8, 2020, as the second single from the album. A Spanish language reggaeton song, it is about a young unmarried woman, whose mysterious and flirtatious manner drives men crazy. The track received widely positive reviews from music critics, who complimented its energy and catchy melody.
"La Nota" was nominated for Urban Song Of The Year at the 2022 Premio Lo Nuestro. The song was commercially successful, reaching number one in five countries, including Mexico and Spain, as well as the top five in several other countries such as Dominican Republic and Peru, and on Billboards Hot Latin Songs in the United States. It also reached the summit of the Latin Airplay and Latin Rhythm Airplay charts. The song has received several certifications, including Latin 11× platinum in the United States. An accompanying music video, released simultaneously with the song, was directed by Daniel Duran and depicts the three singers turning into real-life toys, trying to catch the attention of their desired girl at an empty arcade cabinet and toy store. To promote the song, Turizo, Alejandro, and Towers performed it at the 2020 Billboard Latin Music Awards.
Background and release
Inspired by good vibes and fun, Manuel Turizo and his team composed "La Nota" for Turizo's second studio album, Dopamina (2021). Since he wanted "a strong rapper" on the song, he showed it to Myke Towers, who was one of his favorite artists, and asked him to collaborate on it. Then the team decided to include Tainy to contribute to the production and finally, as Turizo "felt that a strong contrasting voice was missing", Rauw Alejandro joined the recording. During an interview with El Espectador, Turizo told the newspaper that the track "has a different sound" from what he usually hears on his songs, "but that's the idea of this album that's on the way".
On October 8, 2020, "La Nota" was released for digital download and streaming by La Industria, Inc. and Sony Music Latin as the second single from Dopamina. It was included as the sixth track on the album, released April 9, 2021.
Music and lyrics
Musically, "La Nota" is a Spanish language reggaeton song, written by Juan Medina, Turizo, Towers, Michael Torres, and Alejandro. Its production was handled by Zenzei, Tainy, and Julián Turizo, and the track runs for a total of 3 minutes and 36 seconds. Lyrically, "La Nota" which translates to "The Note" in English, is a sensual song about a young unmarried woman, whose "flirtatious and mysterious" manner "drive[s] men crazy". The lyrics include, "Sin hablar tú y yo nos entendemos / Ambos sabemos lo que sigue / Y aprovecha que nos conocemos / Colaboremos pa' que se dé / Que la nota le suba pa’ que mueva su cintura" (Without speaking, you and I understand each other / We both know what's next / And take advantage of the fact that we know each other / Let's collaborate so that it happens / Let the grade go up so that you move your waist).
Critical reception
Upon release, "La Nota" was met with widely positive reviews from music critics. Writing for Los 40, Jermaine Miller Miller described it a "great song" that features "a lot of energy and sensuality, but with a flow that is very contagious", naming Alejandro and Towers "the leaders of the new generation of urbano music". Happy FM critics called the melody "very catchy", saying "you won't be able to stop listening to [it] from the first moment". Billboard staff labeled the song "[a] bop", while an author of Billboard Argentina described the artists as "three of the greatest performers in the urban industry". In 2022, Ernesto Lechner from Rolling Stone ranked the track as Alejandro's 42nd-best song, naming the singer as the one who "steals the spotlight" in the collaboration, "adding tension and adrenaline to a hit that would remain middle of the road if not for the fiery inspiration of his verses".