LISTEN: Selena Gomez & The Marías Remake Jeanette’s ‘Muchacho de Los Ojos Tristes’
Art by Stephany Torres for Remezcla.
Selena Gomez is putting a new spin on a Spanish classic. The Mexican-American star teamed up with The Marías to take on “Muchacho de Los Ojos Tristes” by Jeanette. The song is part of Gomez’s new collaborative album with her fiancé Benny Blanco, released today (March 21).
In December, Gomez announced her engagement to the hit producer. On Valentine’s Day, the couple revealed that they worked on an album together called I Said I Love You First. The LP about their relationship dropped today with a surprising interpolation of “Muchacho de Los Ojos Tristes” by Spanish-British singer Jeanette.
Gomez’s Spanglish version is called “Ojos Tristes.” She worked on it with Blanco and The Marías’ María Zardoya and Josh Conway. The song opens with the melancholic melody of “Muchacho de Los Ojos Tristes.” In the first half, Gomez translates the angst of the original version into English. Zardoya, who is uncredited as a featured artist, then swoops in to sing the iconic chorus in Spanish. At the end, both Gomez and Zardoya harmonize together in Spanish. “Ojos Tristes” is a beautiful revival of a beloved classic that plays to the allure of their whispery voices.
Gomez’s fans, especially the Latine ones, are loving her unexpected collaboration with The Marías. Over on X, one person wrote in Spanish, “Only Selena Gomez, The Marías and Benny Blanco made my mom’s generation and mine come together to listen to a song and they did a spectacular job.” Another person added, “ojos tristes by selena gómez and benny is the best song on this album. adding the maria’s makes it 100x better!”
Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco’s album also includes their 2019 collaboration “I Can’t Get Enough” with J Balvin and Tainy. Gomez is no stranger to singing in Spanish. In 2021, she released the Latine EP Revelación, which was nominated for a Grammy.
Check out the song below.