When Aventura and Bad Bunny dropped a bomb on August 1: an unexpected collaboration being hours away from release, longtime fans of the band and Benito were overjoyed — and in little time, the internet exploded.
“Hoy a las 12 de la medianoche se bebeeee,” wrote Bad Bunny in his Instagram caption, paired with the Dominican and Puerto Rican flag. Aventura, and later Romeo Santos, broke many barriers during their rise, collaborating with U.S-based and Latin American international artists such as Lil Wayne, Ludacris, Drake, and Usher. Bad Bunny, alike, collaborating with artists like Drake and Dua Lipa. It wasn’t only a matter of time before these two hit-makers came together for a collaboration of their own — a move that first came to mind for fans following a 2019 selfie.
Produced by Alex Killer, “Volvi” opens with a slow, crooning verse by the bachata band’s leading lyricist, Romeo Santos. “Dime por qué le tiras piedras a la luna. Tan ilógico como extraerme de tu piel,” which translates to “Tell me why you throw stones at the moon, as illogical as pulling me out of your skin.” And of course, the braggadocious wasn’t left behind: “Después de Dios, soy tu todo, mujer,” translating to “After God, I am your everything woman,” followed by a transition to a reggaeton sound with bachata elements.
Bad Bunny’s verse implemented well-known words used in Dominican jargon like “palomerias” and “cotorra,” while keeping it sensual and sexy in the lyrics: “Las sabanas hay que botarla. Toalla pa la nena pa secarla.”
Another transition wraps up the song, with the last few seconds of a fast-paced perico ripiao, also known as merengue tipico — a close that fans are asking to be its own song. Merengue tipico is a genre created in the rural towns of the Dominican Republic and often referred to as “country music.” The main instruments found in this style are the guira, tambora, and guitar. The tambora and guira are both instruments symbolic to the country and homemade genres like bachata.
Though not fully considered a bachaton for its more commercial tones, the song is reminiscent of songs like “Ella Y Yo” featuring Don Omar, crafted for today’s pop audience. For Latines of Caribbean descent, specifically Dominican-Americans, Aventura created an overall experience that resonated with them in the late ’90s and early 2000s. Incorporating the romance and sensuality found in contemporary R&B and the storytelling found in hip-hop’s lyricism, the band created a new style of bachata which the industry considered “bachata urbana,” and would later globalize the movement. It only made sense that one of their comeback — or final, as they’re hinting — tracks would be accompanied by Bad Bunny.
Watch the video for “Volvi” below: