"Medellín" is a song by American singer Madonna and Colombian singer Maluma released as the lead single from Madonna's fourteenth studio album Madame X (2019). The song was produced by Madonna, Mirwais, who wrote it alongside Maluma and Edgar Barrera. It was released as the lead single from the album on April 17, 2019, by Interscope Records. The song is named after the city in Colombia, in which Maluma was born, and is a Latin pop track with elements of reggaeton and dance-pop. Lyrically, it finds Madonna and Maluma reflecting on past struggles while dreaming about a trip to Medellín.
"Medellín" received generally positive reviews from music critics, who called the song Madonna's best work in years, while noting an improvement from her previous two lead singles. They also compared the song to Madonna's previous Latin-inspired releases, particularly "La Isla Bonita" (1987). It became Madonna's 47th chart topper on the Dance Club Songs chart, extending her record as the artist with the most number ones on the chart. It also reached the top 10 in Colombia, Hungary, and Venezuela, as well as on the digital charts in Finland and Portugal.
The accompanying music video was directed by Diana Kunst and Mau Morgó, and was released in April 2019 as part of a live MTV special. It features several scenes of Madonna and Maluma interacting, ending with a Latin-inspired feast taking place. The music video received acclaim from critics, who noted resemblances to Madonna's past work. The song was performed live by the singers at the 2019 Billboard Music Awards, with the performance featuring several digital effects that were provided by augmented reality, including four virtual versions of Madonna's Madame X alter-ego. "Medellín" was later performed during Madonna's Madame X Tour (2019–2020) and Maluma's 11:11 World Tour (2019–2021).
Background and release In 2017, Madonna relocated to Lisbon when seeking a top football academy for her son David Banda, who wanted to become a professional association football player. While living in the city, she began meeting artists; painters and musicians, who would invite her to "living room sessions". In the sessions, they would bring food and sit around the table, and musicians would start playing instruments, singing fado and samba music. For the album, she worked with longtime collaborator Mirwais, who had previously contributed to her albums Music (2000), American Life (2003) and Confessions on a Dance Floor (2005), as well as Mike Dean, who served as a producer on Rebel Heart (2015), and Diplo. During the recording process, Madonna presented an award at the 2018 MTV Video Music Awards in New York City, where she met Colombian singer Maluma backstage. Madonna mentioned that she and Mirwais started "listening to his music more closely and liked all the reggaeton that he does", as they wanted to do something slightly different, though still have a connection to the music he makes. Afterwards, they started working on music as Maluma began to comment and adding things, and eventually got into the studio together.
In February 2019, Maluma posted a photo on Instagram in the studio with Madonna. He revealed in an interview that they were working together, saying: "Madonna and I are cooking there together, making some beautiful songs. I'm very excited. That's a huge step for my culture, for Latin culture, it's very very big." On April 15, 2019, Madonna revealed the title of her upcoming fourteenth studio album, asMadame X, with the Maluma collaboration "Medellín" as the lead single. She also shared the cover art, featuring her sitting next to Maluma while wearing a wedding dress. Madonna revealed after the album was released that she decided to collaborate with Maluma after she realized that Maluma loves horses, which they bonded over a mutual love for. The singer described Maluma as "so great to work with", while adding that he is "one of the most easygoing, open, warm, generous – doesn't leave the studio until the work is done. Has great work ethic. I adore him. Nothing but great things to say about him." "Medellín" was premiered on April 17, 2019, through Beats 1 radio, where Madonna also was interviewed by Zane Lowe.
Composition and lyrics
"Medellín" was written by Madonna, Maluma, Mirwais and Edgar Barrera, while production was handled by the singer and Mirwais. "Medellín" is named after the city in Colombia where Maluma was born, being written bilingually in English and Spanish. Musically, it is a Latin pop song, with elements of "classic" reggaeton and a "breezy" dance-pop sound, which is centered around a "classic cha-cha-chá groove". According to the sheet music published by Musicnotes.com, "Medellín" is set in Time signature of common time with a tempo of 92 beats per minute. It is composed in the key of A major, following a basic sequence of A–G–E in its chord progression throughout its verses.
Madonna begins the song by whispering the verses, "One, two, one, two, one two, cha cha cha", while she delivers "breathy" vocals in an ASMR-like style and later she sings "reflective" lyrics: "I took a pill and had a dream/ I went back to my seventeenth year/ Allowed myself to be naïve/ to be someone I've never been." Maluma then begins his part by singing in Spanish, asking Madonna to take a trip with him to Medellín, with him acting as her tour guide. At one point, Maluma references Madonna's hometown, Detroit: "And if you want, we'll go to Detroit (You know)/ If I know where you come from, then I know where to go." Interspersed with Maluma's vocals, Madonna sings about how "another me can now begin" and does not have to hide herself for once. As the song reaches the chorus, the musicians sing, ", let's take a trip/ , I'll be so good for you", in a "lovey-dovey call-and-response" alongside a "deep house euphoria". Madonna also references Medellín's violent past from when it was the home base of narcoterrorist Pablo Escobar as she sings, "We built a cartel just for love/ Venus was hovering above us."
Critical reception "Medellín" was met with mostly positive reviews from music critics. Rolling Stones Jon Blistein deemed it "sultry and slinky", further commenting that the song "moves effortlessly between a sparse, understated verse and a brilliant chorus bursting with deep house euphoria". Also from the magazine, Rob Sheffield considered it "scandal-bait". Writing for NME, Charlotte Gunn called the song a "surprising, self-reflective gem of a pop song", as well as "arguably [Madonna's] best work in years". For Variety, Jem Aswad felt that while "Medellín" was not "the dancefloor-filling that fans might be hoping for, it's a sultry and promising introduction to Madonna's latest era". Sal Cinquemani from Slant Magazine compared the track to Madonna's 1987 single "La Isla Bonita", and highlighted her "sugary harmonies" that "balance out Maluma’s gigolo routine with a dreamy sweetness". In his review of the song, Owen Myers of The Guardian, said it was the singer's "most subdued lead single since 1998’s stately 'Frozen'"; nonetheless, he concluded that the song was a "potent reminder of Madonna's genre-mashing skills" and proved that she's "well equipped to weather the demands of today’s listening trends while bringing global styles into her own world". On a similar note, Gay Times Daniel Megarry ranked it as the third best song on Madame X, and deemed it her "most risky" lead single since "American Life" (2003), and said that, with time, it would become "one of her best". Jaime Tabberer, from Gay Star News, opined that the song was "undeniably fresh", "relaxed" and "catchy", and a better lead single than "Living for Love" (2014) and "Give Me All Your Luvin'" (2012). Eve Barlow of Vulture noted that it was Madonna's best lead single since "Hung Up" (2005), while also viewing the song as an updated version of "La Isla Bonita". Entertainment Weeklys Joey Nolfi called the song a "breezy summer anthem".
For the HuffPosts Daniel Welsh, "Medellín" was an "intriguing" listen, with him praising Madonna's lyrics for showing a more vulnerable side. Welsh said that despite seemingly following "the reggaeton trend that has been dominating the charts in recent years", it was far from "Madonna chasing a hit". Jeremy Helligar for Variety said "Medellín" is a "deceptively lovely opening statement that only hints at the fire raging just ahead". Helligar also praised the sexual tension between Madonna and Maluma, adimitting that the singer "sounds as inviting as she did cooing about the tropical island breeze in 1987", with the last part being a reference to "La Isla Bonita". From The Guardian, Ben Beaumont-Thomas said that even though it lacks an "absolutely diamond pop chorus", the song has an "elegant, sinewy melody that twines around you rather than jabbing you into submission". El Hunt from NME compared it to Madonna's 2008 single "Give It 2 Me". Louise Bruton from The Irish Times praised the song's playfulness and deemed it "quirky". According to Nicolas Hautman from Us Weekly, the song's "breezy and summery vibe almost make it feel like a subdued sequel to 'La Isla Bonita'". While reviewing Madame X, Daniel Welsh from HuffPost opined that the song was one of the album's "party tracks tinged with sadness".
Caryn Ganz from The New York Times gave a mixed review of the song and noted that "while its missteps aren't barbed enough to deflate a reverie", the song was "more like a stride in the right direction than an emphatic stomp forward". On a more critical note, Pitchforks Jillian Mapes felt "Medellín" would be a bigger hit for Maluma rather than for Madonna. Mapes explained that while it was "more sonically restrained" than some of Madonna's previous works, she still sounded like she was struggling to "find a balance between campy bangers and more mature balladry", and that it was Maluma who truly stood out, writing that "the chorus pops off into a joyous celebration because of him". Concluding her review, Mapes referred to "Medellín" as "something of a sexy, stylish middle ground" for Madonna, but criticized the line "We built a cartel just for love" for being "cringe-y". Robbie Barnett from the Washington Blade, in a less favorable review, opined that "when compared to the other offerings on the album, this comes off as one of the weaker tracks".
Commercial performance
In the United States, "Medellín" debuted at number one on the Billboard Latin Digital Songs chart after two days of sales and streaming activity, with sales of 5,000 digital copies. According to BuzzAngle, the song earned 16,000 units including streaming figures during the first-week in the US. It debuted at number 35 on the US Dance Club Songs chart for the week ending May 11, 2019, becoming Maluma's second song to enter the chart since "Hands on Me" (2018). On May 30, 2019, the song reached number seven on the chart, extending Madonna's record as the artist with the most top 10 singles on a Billboard component chart, with 67 singles. It eventually reached the summit of the Dance Club Songs chart on the week ending June 29, 2019, becoming her 47th and Maluma's 1st number-one single, extending Madonna's record as the artist with the most number ones on the chart. She pulled further ahead of the runner-up Rihanna, who had 33 chart-topping singles at the time. "Medellín" debuted at number 34 on the US Hot Latin Songs chart, for the week dated April 27, 2019. It became Madonna's fourth entry on the chart and her first since "Celebration" (2009). A week later, the song peaked at number 18, surpassing the peak of Madonna's single "You'll See" (1995), which reached number 21.