iLe has teamed up with Chilean rocker Mon Laferte for her new single “Traguito,” out today (Sept. 15). The Puerto Rican singer-songwriter also revealed that her new album would be coming out next month, Nacarile.
iLe, who came up in the music scene alongside her brothers in Calle 13, has been working on her third album since 2020. During that year, she released the song “En Cantos” with Mexican singer Natalia Lafourcade. At the 2020 Latin Grammy Awards, their enchanting collaboration won in the Best Alternative Song Category.
“Traguito” featuring Laferte is the newest single from iLe’s Nacarile album. iLe puts a contemporary spin on the classic bolero sound. The fiery lyrics are inspired by the poem “Yo Misma Fui Mi Ruta” by Puerto Rican writer Julia de Burgos. With Laferte, they sing about being strong women enjoying a few drinks together. “Cheers my loves, drinking is a pleasure as well as a right to take away those chest pains that can no longer be endured,” iLe sings in Spanish.
In a statement, Laferte opened up about working with iLe. “I like iLe’s voice, it has a lot of personality and I really enjoy the type of music that she makes,” she said. “Although the song was already in the works, iLe invited me to write a new part of it so it was a challenge to add something more to a story that already existed. Thank you, iLe, I enjoyed the process and I hope everyone enjoys the final recording as much as I do.”
iLe’s Nacarile album will be released on Oct. 21. The title was inspired by the Puerto Rican colloquialism “Nacarile del oriente,” which roughly translates to the expression “Not at all!” About the upcoming LP, iLe said: “It’s about accepting those moments where you feel a little lost, embracing that, but not staying in that feeling. It’s like saying, ‘Thank you, I learned a lot, but no. I’m not going to stay there.’”
Check out the music video for “Traguito” below.