Barbie: The Album knows exactly what we need, in whatever language we want it. Not only is the Greta Gerwig-directed movie one of the most buzzed-about upcoming projects this Summer, but the accompanying album is packed full of the most buzzed-about stars. Remember when Karol G and Shakira made history this year with their collab single “TQG”? Me too! Now, she’s on Barbie: The Album. Somehow, I called this.
“Watati” follows the lead single “Dance the Night” by Mermaid Barbie Dua Lipa. Following the release of the single, it received high praises from critics, with NPR proclaiming that “Lipa sings with the confidence of a siren.”
Okay, back to Karol G and Aldo Ranks’ “Watati”: “This Barbie is singing in Spanish,” but don’t worry, we’ll translate. “Daddy, let’s go to the disco to have a good time / Lots of smoke, brandy to get dizzy ( I got dizzy ) / And, daddy, Let’s go to the disco to have a good time ( Hey, hey, hey ) / A lot of smoke, brandy to get dizzy,” Karol G and Aldo Ranks sing together in the chorus. If you’re thinking the lyrics are not so child-friendly, well, no one ever said Greta Gerwig’s Barbie was for children.
“Watati” is a party track about having a great time dancing on “the floor.” “The hands’ for the air, the pum-pum for the ground / With the little hands’ placed’ on the hips’ / Whoever moves it as they want pays,” the English version of the first verse goes, with the traditional Latin beat really doing its best to motivate you to sway your hips to the music.
Karol G is just coming out of her history-making North American tour, “$trip Love Tour,” which ranked in on Pollstar’s Top 10 most successful music tours in the world. On top of this, she is currently the most watched artist – notice I didn’t say female – on YouTube, excluding features, with over 990 million views this year alone.
The companion album to Warner Bros Pictures’ highly anticipated movie is packed with a number of big names to keep us excited for days. There’s Lizzo, Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice, Charli XCX, HAIM, GAYLE, Ava Max, FIFTY FIFTY and Ryan Gosling, aka Ken, and many other big names. It’ll be pretty hard not to find a favorite of yours on Barbie: The Album. There’s also a TBA on the album, and I’m expecting the song to come attached with the name of a global superstar – I’m manifesting Taylor Swift or Rihanna (this Barbie is a beauty mogul).
