"Toneladas" () is a piano ballad by Colombian singer-songwriter

Shakira Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll ( , ; born 2 February 1977) is a Colombian singer-songwriter. Referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Latin Music", she has had a Cultural impact of Shakira, significant impact on the ...

, taken from her eleventh studio album, ''

El Dorado El Dorado () is a mythical city of gold supposedly located somewhere in South America. The king of this city was said to be so rich that he would cover himself from head to foot in gold dust – either daily or on certain ceremonial occasions � ...

'' (2017). The lyrics are written by Shakira, and the song is composed by Shakira and Luis Fernando Ochoa, and produced by Shakira with A.C. as an additional producer.

Background

"Toneladas" was first teased on 16 May 2017 via a game where fans were able to unlock exclusive material from Shakira's eleventh studio album ''

''. On 17 May, Shakira shared a preview clip of the song on YouTube. The preview video got over a million views in less than 24 hours from its release. Based on the preview alone, Yare Grau from '' CiberCuba'' predicted that the song "will surely become the favorite for many of the singer's followers". "Toneladas" is a piano ballad, and only the second song of the album that Shakira started to work on after "

La Bicicleta "La Bicicleta" (transl. "The Bicycle") is a song by Colombian singer-songwriters Carlos Vives and Shakira. The track was released on May 27, 2016, as the lead single from Vives' fifteenth studio album ''Vives'' (2017). It was also included as a ...

". It was released alongside the album El Dorado on 26 May 2017 and is the closing track on the album. Lyrically the song is about Shakira being happy with "toneladas masivas de amor”" ("massive tons of love"). Shakira commented on the lyrics that she "can handle hyperboles" and that she "is exaggerated from head to toe" and has "no choice not to be". According to Shakira, "Toneladas" is the favorite song of her son Milan on the album. Shakira explained that the song went through various iterations, including reggae, rock, and pop versions, before she decided on a simple arrangement with only piano accompaniment: "this song can only exist on piano and voice", she explained.

Live performances

"Toneladas" was first performed live by Shakira at a surprise pop-up show at The Wynwood Yard in Miami on 27 May, where she performed two songs, "Toneladas" and " Me Enamoré". She performed it also during the El Dorado album launch party at the Convent del Ángels in Barcelona on 9 June, where she dedicated the song to her eldest son Milan. "Toneladas" was the third last song overall and the first encore track on the '' El Dorado World Tour'' setlist. During the performances of the song, Shakira climbed onto a makeshift platform at the back of the audience, and performed "Toneladas" together with the crowd while being close to them. After taking off her golden dress worn exclusively for the song, she walked back to the main stage through a corridor of fans, stopping for hugs and pictures along the way. The live performance of the song filmed during the tour dates in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

is featured on the live album '' Shakira in Concert: El Dorado World Tour'' as the 18th track.

Reception

Stephanie Penman from ''We Plug GOOD Music'' emphasized that "Toneladas" is "heavenly elegant in every way", "a song that is there to fully appreciate the majestic and compelling vocal of Shakira", explaining how the "vulnerable song ..oozes emotion" and "is one to put on repeat when you need an element of pure class in your life". Albert Domènech from ''

La Vanguardia ' (; , ) is a Spanish daily newspaper founded in 1881. It is printed in Spanish and, since 3 May 2011, also in Catalan. It has its headquarters in Barcelona and is Catalonia's leading newspaper. Despite being mostly distributed in Catalonia, ...

'' described the song as a "heartfelt love ballad sung to the company of a piano", noting how Shakira "leaves behind the most danceable side of hers to play with the emotions and the most sentimental part of hers", and praised the song calling it "one of those perfect songs to dedicate to the people you love with a positive message". Rodrigo Rojas from ''

La Voz del Interior ''La Voz del Interior'' is a daily Spanish language newspaper edited and published in Córdoba, capital of the province of Córdoba, Argentina and the second-largest city in the country. The newspaper is the leading daily in Córdoba, and one ...

'' characterized "Toneladas" as "that perfect piano ballad to dedicate to everyone you love", portraying how on the song "the weight of love collapses on Shakira". Si Hawkins form '' The National'' reflected on the piano ballad being "beautifully understated". Chuck Campbell from ''

Knoxville News Sentinel The ''Knoxville News Sentinel'', also known as ''Knox News'', is a daily newspaper in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States, owned by the Gannett Company. History The newspaper was formed in 1926 from the merger of two competing newspapers: '' ...

'' encapsulated the song as a "gorgeous piano-based closer" and called it a highlight on the album.

References

{{Shakira singles Shakira songs Songs in Spanish Songs written by Shakira Songs written by Luis Fernando Ochoa 2010s ballads Pop ballads 2017 songs