is the first

extended play An extended play (EP) is a Sound recording and reproduction, musical recording that contains more tracks than a Single (music), single but fewer than an album. Contemporary EPs generally contain up to eight tracks and have a playing time of 1 ...

by Puerto Rican singer

Ricky Martin Enrique Martin Morales (born December 24, 1971), known professionally as Ricky Martin, is a Puerto Rican singer, songwriter and actor. He is known for his musical versatility, with his Ricky Martin albums discography, discography incorporati ...

. It was released on May 28, 2020, through Sony Latin. ''Pausa'' is the first studio release by Martin since his 2015

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

, '' A Quien Quiera Escuchar''. Originally planned as a full-length album, Martin changed the concept following the spread of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

and his experience with

panic attack Panic attacks are sudden periods of intense fear and Comfort, discomfort that may include palpitations, otherwise defined as a Tachycardia, rapid, Arrhythmia, irregular Heart rate, heartbeat, Hyperhidrosis, sweating, chest pain or discomfort, s ...

s. He split the album into two EP's, ''Pausa'' which consists of slower songs and

ballads A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of Great Britain and Ireland from the Late Middle Ages until the 19th century. They were widely used across Eur ...

and ''Play'' which is set to include more up-tempo songs. The EP features six songs, out of which, five are collaborations with

Sting Stimulator of interferon genes (STING), also known as transmembrane protein 173 (TMEM173) and MPYS/MITA/ERIS is a regulator protein that in humans is encoded by the STING1 gene. STING plays an important role in innate immunity. STING induces typ ...

Carla Morrison Carla Patricia Morrison Flores (born July 19, 1986) is a Mexican indie-pop guitarist and singer. She has released three studio albums and has received various awards and nominations including two Grammy Award nominations and three Latin Grammy A ...

Pedro Capó Pedro Francisco Rodríguez Sosa (born November 14, 1980), known professionally as Pedro Capó, is a Puerto Rican singer who is a grandson of singer Bobby Capó and former Miss Puerto Rico Irma Nydia Vázquez. He studied at Colegio Calasanz in ...

and

Bad Bunny Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio (; born March 10, 1994), better known by his stage name Bad Bunny, is a Puerto Rican rapper and singer. Known as the " King of Latin Trap", Bad Bunny is credited with helping Spanish-language rap music achieve m ...

among others. Following its release, ''Pausa'' charted at number eight on the US

Latin Pop Albums The '' Billboard'' Latin pop charts began in 1985 when an album chart were introduced as Latin Pop Albums in the June 29 issue of the magazine. In October 1994, ''Billboard'' then established Latin Pop Airplay, which initially rank the most-played ...

chart. It was promoted with two singles, "

Cántalo "Cántalo" () is a song recorded by Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin with Puerto Rican rappers Residente and Bad Bunny for Martin's first extended play, ''Pausa (EP), Pausa'' (2020). The song was written by Residente, Bad Bunny, Danay Suárez, ...

", with Bad Bunny and

Residente René Pérez Joglar (; born February 23, 1978), known professionally as Residente (often stylized as Resīdɛntə), is a Puerto Rican rapper, singer, songwriter and filmmaker. He is best known as one of the founders of the alternative rap ban ...

, and "

Tiburones "Tiburones" () is a song recorded by Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin for his first extended play, ''Pausa (EP), Pausa'' (2020). The song was written by Oscar Hernandez and Matisse (Mexican band), Pablo Preciado, while the production was handle ...

". The latter became Martin's 49th entry on US

Hot Latin Songs The ''Billboard'' Hot Latin Songs (formerly Hot Latin Tracks and Hot Latin 50) is a record chart in the United States for Latin music, Latin songs, published weekly by Billboard (magazine), ''Billboard'' magazine. Since October 2012, chart ranki ...

charts, making him the first and only artist in history to enter the chart in five different decades. Additionally, it became his 50th entry on the US

Latin Pop Airplay Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area around Rome, Italy. Through the expansion of ...

chart. ''Pausa'' was nominated for Album Of The Year and won Best Pop Vocal Album at the

21st Annual Latin Grammy Awards The 21st Annual Latin Grammy Awards were held on Thursday, November 19, 2020 and broadcast on TelevisaUnivision. The 2020 Latin Grammy ceremony was anchored from the American Airlines Arena in Miami, though the health protocols enacted due to the ...

. It also has been nominated for Best Latin Pop or Urban Album at the

63rd Annual Grammy Awards The 63rd Annual Grammy Awards ceremony was held in and around the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles on March 14, 2021. It recognized the best recordings, compositions, and artists of the eligibility year, running from September 1, 201 ...

Background and development

In 2015 Martin released his tenth studio album, '' A Quien Quiera Escuchar''. The album spawned four singles, including the international hit, "

La Mordidita "La Mordidita" (transl. ''The Little Bite'') is a song recorded by Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin, featuring Cuban singer Yotuel Romero, from his tenth studio album, A Quien Quiera Escuchar (2015). It was released on April 21, 2015, through ...

"; it became Martin's twenty-sixth top ten hit on the US

chart making him the fourth artist with the most top tens in the history of the chart. At the

58th Annual Grammy Awards The 58th Annual Grammy Awards was held on February 15, 2016, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The ceremony recognizes the best recordings, compositions and artists of the eligibility year, which was from October 1, 2014, to September 30, 201 ...

, ''A Quien Quiera Escuchar'' won the

award An award, sometimes called a distinction, is given to a recipient as a token of recognition of excellence in a certain field. When the token is a medal, ribbon or other item designed for wearing, it is known as a decoration. An award may be d ...

for Best Latin Pop Album. In 2016, Martin released, "

Vente Pa' Ca "Vente Pa' Ca" () is a song recorded by Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin, featuring a guest appearance from Colombian singer Maluma. It was co-written by Ricky Martin, Maluma, Nermin Harambašić, Anne Judith Wik, Ronny Svendsen, Carl Ryden, C ...

", a collaboration with Colombian singer

Maluma Juan Luis Londoño Arias (born 28 January 1994), known professionally as Maluma, is a Colombian singer. Born and raised in Medellín, he developed an interest in music at a young age, recording songs since age sixteen. Arias released his debu ...

. It became Martin's 16th number-one single on the US

Latin Airplay Latin Airplay is a chart published weekly by Billboard (magazine), ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It was established on October 20, 2012. This chart lists the 50 most-played songs on Spanish-language radio stations across the country ...

chart and topped the charts in eight other countries. Two years later, he released another collaboration, " Fiebre", featuring

Wisin & Yandel Wisin & Yandel were a Puerto Rican reggaeton duo consisting of Wisin and Yandel. They started their career in 1998 and stayed together until 2023, winning several awards including a Grammy Award in 2009. They became the first and the only regga ...

; it received a platinum certification (

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

) from the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

(RIAA) for moving over 60,000 units in the US. In January 2020, Martin announced the release of his eleventh studio album, initially titled ''Movimiento''. The record was supposed to be inspired by Puerto Rico's recent history including

Hurricane Maria Hurricane Maria was an extremely powerful and devastating tropical cyclone that affected the northeastern Caribbean in September 2017, particularly in the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico, which accounted for 2,975 of the 3,059 deaths. It is the ...

in 2017, the 2019 political protests and the 2019–20 earthquakes. However, following the spread of

, Martin started experiencing

s, "I spent two weeks with a poker face so my family wouldn't be affected, but finally I was able to raise my head and say ‘eh, something very good has to come out of this, get creative.’ And I started making music and it was my medicine, honestly, because I really felt like I was gasping for air." Subsequently, he contacted his label,

Sony is a Japanese multinational conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at Sony City in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. The Sony Group encompasses various businesses, including Sony Corporation (electronics), Sony Semiconductor Solutions (i ...

, and decided to split the album in two

s, ''Pausa'' and ''Play''. Martin described the former as more "chill" and "relaxed", while the latter will consist of more upbeat songs. ''Pausa'' was released on May 28, 2020, while ''Play'' would be slated for a September release, though the ''Play'' release did not occur yet. Martin's husband,

Jwan Yosef Jwan Yosef (born 6 September 1984) is a Swedish-Syrian painter and artist. He specializes in plastic arts and is based in London, England. Early life and education Yosef was born in Syria, to a Kurdish people, Kurdish father and an Armenian peo ...

, shot the artwork for ''Pausa''; it features the singer's naked back.

Recording and composition

''Pausa'' consists of six songs, five out of which are collaborations. Musicians featured on the EP include, English singer

, Mexican singer-songwriter

, Spain Romani

flamenco Flamenco () is an art form based on the various folkloric music traditions of southern Spain, developed within the Gitanos, gitano subculture of the region of Andalusia, and also having historical presence in Extremadura and Region of Murcia, ...

singer Diego el Cigala and Puerto Rican artists

and

. Regarding his collaboration with Morrison, Martin stated, "It's the singer's sound, her storytelling, her tone, the way she writes. I love her. I love her stories." Martin's sound engineer Enrique Larreal, based in New York, helped record the material with the other artists being based in London, Paris, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic, "My engineer was able to create a system where everyone — my producer in Miami, me in L.A. — had a sharp, immaculate audiovisual experience. I can be recording and literally see in my laptop the movement he is making in his console table in New York." Inspired by the singer's fears, insecurities, and panic moments he experienced during quarantine, Griselda Flores of ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' described the lyrics as "introspective", "poignant" and "melancholic". The EP opens with "Simple" a collaboration with Sting, described by Flores as "simple yet forceful and grand". Martin contacted Sting who accepted the duet-offer and decided to sing in Spanish, "I

artin Artin may refer to: * Artin (name), a surname and given name, including a list of people with the name ** Artin, a variant of Harutyun Harutyun ( and in Western Armenian Յարութիւն) also spelled Haroutioun, Harutiun and its variants Har ...

called him tingstepping out of my comfort zone because I don't really like asking people and he said yes, to send him whatever I had and he liked what I sent him. It's a dream come true." "Recuerdo", the collaboration with Morrison, is an emotional song with "heart-wrenching" lyrics. According to Martin, the song came out of a rough moment and sadness he and Morisson were experiencing when they wrote it. Elias Leight of ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'', regarding "Recuerdo", wrote that the singers showcase "complementary vocal styles"; Morrison has more "light and lilting", while Martin opts for a "creamier, more forceful approach". "Cae de Una", a duet with Capó, has an "infectious" beat, with a light melodic tune and "heartbreak" lyrical content. "Quiéreme" is a "flamenco-tinged"

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop! (British group), a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Album ...

song and was co-produced by Spanish musician

Raül Refree Raül Fernández Miró (Barcelona, 1976), better known as Raül Refree, is a Catalan music producer, musician and composer. Career In 1996, Raül joined the melodic hardcore group from Barcelona, Corn Flakes. In 2007, he created with the Ar ...

in Barcelona. Refree turned the melody to "an explosion of sounds" on which Martin and Cigala trade "dramatic and powerful vocals". "

" is an emotional

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of Great Britain and Ireland from the Late Middle Ages until the 19th century. They were widely used across Eur ...

co-written by Pablo Preciado and Oscar Hernandez. It contains deep lyrics that advocate for peace, love, unity, and acceptance. "

" is the only exception on the album tempo-wise and features a variety of genres including

salsa Salsa most often refers to: * Salsa (food), a variety of sauces used as condiments * Salsa music, a popular style of Latin American music * Salsa (dance), a Latin dance associated with Salsa music Salsa or SALSA may also refer to: Arts and ent ...

reggaeton Reggaeton (, ) is a modern style of popular music, popular and electronic music that originated in Panamanian reggaetón, Panama during the late 1980s, and which rose to prominence in the late 1990s and early 2000s through a plethora of Puert ...

and trap. It is based on the original master of Hector Lavoe's 1974 song, " Mi Gente". A collaboration with Residente and Bad Bunny, it was inspired by the #RickyRenuncia movement (a campaign against former Puerto Rican governor,

Ricardo Rosselló Ricardo Antonio Rosselló Nevares (; born March 7, 1979) is an American former politician, businessman, neurobiologist and educator. He served as Governor of Puerto Rico from 2017 until his resignation in 2019. In 2021, he returned to active ...

) and includes lyrics like, "Nobody stops us today/ Not even with elephant soothing/ Money, although abundant, it is not worth."

Singles

"Cántalo" was released as the first single from ''Pausa'' on November 12, 2019. Its artwork was inspired by the protest posters issued in Puerto Rico during the riots that demanded the resignation of Roselló. Commercially, it reached number 35 on the US Hot Latin Songs chart and was certified Latin gold by the RIAA, for moving over 30,000 units in the country. Martin alongside Residente and Bad Bunny performed "Cántalo" at the

20th Annual Latin Grammy Awards The 20th Annual Latin Grammy Awards were held on Thursday, November 14, 2019, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas and was broadcast on Univision. The telecast marked the 20th anniversary of the Latin Grammy Awards and honored outstanding a ...

held on November 14, 2019, in Las Vegas. "Tiburones" was released on January 23, 2020, as the second single from the EP. It became Martin's 49th entry on US Hot Latin Songs charts, where it peaked at number 34 in May 2020. With this feat, he became the first and only artist in history to enter the chart in five different decades. "Tiburones" also became the singer's 50th entry on the

. It peaked at number nine and became Martin's 38th top-ten single on the chart. Additionally, topped the

Monitor Latino Monitor Latino (stylised monitorLATINO) is a singles chart founded in 2003 which ranks songs on chart based on airplay across radio stations in Latin American countries and Hispanic radio stations in the United States using the Radio Tracking Data ...

singles chart in Puerto Rico for three consecutive weeks and reached the top 10 in nine other countries. Kacho Lopez filmed the music video for the song in Puerto Rico. According to Martin, "Both the song and the video embody all the emotions, energy and feel, which are emblematic of when we come together as people." Martin performed the song at the

Lo Nuestro Awards The Lo Nuestro Awards or Premios Lo Nuestro (Spanish language, Spanish for "Ours") is a Spanish-language awards show honoring the best of Latin music (genre), Latin music, presented by TelevisaUnivision, and is carried by its Univision network in ...

on February 20, 2020. The song was nominated for "Song Of the Year" at the

where Martin also gave it a performance along with his song " Recuerdo". An official remix of "Tiburones", featuring singer

Farruko Carlos Efrén Reyes Rosado (born May 2, 1991), known professionally as Farruko, is a Puerto Rican singer. He rose to fame collaborating with Daddy Yankee, J Balvin, Don Omar, and J Álvarez. He came to prominence in 2010 with his first solo alb ...

, was released on April 10, 2020. On July 23, 2020, "Recuerdo" released as the only

promotional single A promotional recording, promo, or plug copy is an audio or video recording distributed free, usually in order to promote a recording that is or soon will be commercially available. Promos are normally sent directly to broadcasters, such as mu ...

from the extended play. ''

'' picked the song as one of the Best Female/Male Latin Collaborations of 2020 and one of the most beautiful ballads released that year. The song reached the top 10 in Martin's native Puerto Rico and became his third top 10 hit in the country from his EP.

Critical reception

Griselda Flores from ''

'' gave the extended play a positive review, saying: "Packed with introspective, poignant and melancholic lyrics, the six-track set is born from a state of vulnerability and the need to heal through music." It was also ranked as one of the Best Latin Albums of 2020 by ''Billboard''.

Awards and nominations

Track listing

Notes

* signifies a vocal producer

Personnel

– composer, executive producer, producer, writer, vocals *Alberto Lozada Algarín – composer, producer, writer *Ender Zambrano – composer, writer *

– composer, writer, vocals * Carla Patricia Morrison Flores – writer, vocals *Alejandro Jimenez – composer, recording engineer, vocal producer, writer *Demian Jimenez – composer, writer *Chiara Stroia – composer *

Jean Rodríguez Jean Carlos Rodríguez López-Cepero (born December 10, 1980), also known as Jean, is a Puerto Rican singer, the younger brother of Luis Fonsi. Rodríguez has released a handful of solo albums and mixtapes, hitting number one on ''Billboard'' L ...

– vocal producer *

– composer, vocals, writer *Gabriel Edgar "Rec808" González Pérez – composer, guitar, recording engineer, writer *

Julio Reyes Copello Julio Reyes Copello (born April 26, 1969) is a Colombian producer, composer, songwriter and record engineer. Throughout his career he has worked with various artists such as Jennifer López, Marc Anthony, Thalía, Chayanne, Kany García, Ale ...

– keyboards, performance arranger, programmer, producer, recording engineer *Nicolas "Na 'vi" de la Espriella – keyboards, performance arranger, programmer, producer, recording engineer * George Noriega – vocal producer *

Beatriz Luengo Beatriz Luengo González (born 23 December 1982) is a Spanish musician, composer, actress, dancer, singer and entrepreneur based in Miami. She gained international recognition by portraying Lola Fernández in the Antena 3 series '' One Step For ...

– composer, writer *

Yotuel Romero Yotuel Omar Romero Manzanares (born October 6, 1976), mononymously known as Yotuel, is a Cuban singer, actor, and current lead singer and co-writer of the 2003 Latin Grammy Award-winning Platinum album-selling rap group Orishas (band), Orishas. ...

– composer, writer * Diego el Cigala – vocals *

– acoustic guitar, programmer, producer, recording engineer, synthesizer, *Oscar Hernández – writer *Pablo Preciado – writer *Natalia Ramírez – vocal producer * Benito Antonio "Bad Bunny" Martínez Ocasio – vocals, writer * René "Residente" Pérez – composer, producer, vocals, writer * Danay Suárez – background vocals, composer, writer *

Rubén Blades Rubén Blades Bellido de Luna (born July 16, 1948), known professionally as Rubén Blades (, but in Panama and within the family), is a Panamanian musician, singer, composer, actor, activist, and politician, performing musically most often in th ...

– writer *

Johnny Pacheco Juan Pablo Knipping Pacheco (25 March 1935 – 15 February 2021), known as Johnny Pacheco, was a Dominican musician, arranger, composer, bandleader, and record producer. Born in the Dominican Republic, Pacheco became a leading figure in the New ...

– writer *Trooko – producer, recording engineer *Rafa Arcaute – recording engineer *José Ricardo Lugo – bass *Carlos Valencia – cello *Jorge Laboy – guitar *Felipe Tichauer – mastering engineer *Gustavo Celis – mixing engineer *Richard Bravo – percussion *Héctor Iván Rosao – recording engineer *Karlo Floreso – violin *Bart Schoudelo – vocal engineer *Christian J. Pérez – vocal engineer *Donal Hodgson – vocal engineer *Enrique Larreal – recording engineer, vocal engineer *Francisco "Paco" Aldonado – assistant engineer *Jaycen Joshua – mixing engineer *Ela Taubert – background vocals, percussion *Natalia Schlesinger – background vocals, percussion, recording engineer *Daniel Uribe – guitar, recording engineer *Nicolás Ramírez – percussion, recording engineer *Yamil Otero – viola *Alen Saucedo – vocal engineer *Alberto Sánchez – vocal engineer *Matt Tuggle – assistant engineer *Dan Warner – guitar *Gene Grimaldi – mastering engineer *Trevor Muzzy – mixing engineer *Carlos Fernando López – performance arranger, recording engineer *Manuela López Lambuley – violloncelo *Carmela Ramírez – background vocals *Rubén Blades – background vocals *Tito Allen – background vocals *Ted Jensen – mastering engineer *Tom Elmhirst – mixing engineer *Leo Genovese – piano *Luis Quintero – timbales *Rey Alejandre – trombone

Charts

Release history

References

{{Authority control 2020 EPs Ricky Martin EPs Sony Music Latin EPs Spanish-language EPs 2020s Spanish-language albums Albums produced by Julio Reyes Copello Latin Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album