Almost a month since releasing “Monstruo,” the first single off his upcoming sophomore album and his collab with Feid, acclaimed Puerto Rican producer Tainy finally teams up with Colombian superstar Karol G.
After a decade of parallel careers that never intertwined, the two artists are joing forces with the release of “Única.” The song is an emotional and melancholic dusk-dream that has Karol — fresh off two Latin Grammy wins, including Song of the Year — reminiscing about a passionate romance that promised something special, but ended up being fleeting and difficult to forget.
When asked why this long-awaited collaboration didn’t happen sooner, Tainy was frank about how it all came down to timing. “It’s something we’ve talked about quite a bit, and I’ve tried to make it happen several times, but like everything, sometimes our schedules and obligations didn’t align,” he says. “I think things happen when they’re meant to happen, without forcing them, and that’s how it was here. We made time to go to the studio, talk, work, and everything flowed.”
He adds, “I feel like Karol fits perfectly on the album. ‘Única’ covers that emotional and sonic aspect I was looking for on the record.”
The music video, directed by industry go-to Stillz, was filmed in the hills of Malibu, not too far from Los Angeles where the song itself was recorded. The visuals are less gothic than the previous single, but still imbued with a dramatic and dreamy aesthetic: Open spaces and enclosed hallways mirror the song’s longing, loneliness, and a tinge of resentment. Sleuths have already taken it upon themselves to dissect (and probably overthink) the track’s lyrics, tying them to what light they could mean about Karol’s relationship with longtime partner Feid.
When asked what surprised him the most about working with Karol G, Tainy was quick to highlight their “chemistry.” “I feel like we understood each other very well in terms of what we wanted to achieve,” he says. “So, seeing her translate the emotion I wanted to convey with the instrumental into the lyrics and melodies was incredible.”
Now, fans eagerly await for what will be rolled out next as the album (presumably) draws near. Will he give us an early holiday gift in December with a third single in as many months? And if so, who will be the artist this time? Someone old, someone new, or someone Bad?
Tainy released his LP Data back in 2023. It topped Rolling Stone’s Latin Albums of the Year list then.
