"Cántalo" received widely positive reviews from music critics, who complimented its lyrics, and fusion of sounds and genres. The song reached the top 10 in Martin's native Puerto Rico, and the top 15 in Panama. It was nominated for Best Urban Fusion/Performance at the 21st Annual Latin Grammy Awards. To promote the song, Martin, Residente, and Bad Bunny performed it at the 2019 Latin Grammy Awards. For further promotion, Spotify promoted the release on billboards in Times Square.
Telegramgate, also known as Chatgate,[1] was a political scandal involving Ricardo Rosselló, then Governor of Puerto Rico, which began on July 8, 2019, with the leak of hundreds of pages of a group chat on the messaging application Telegram between Rosselló and members of his cabinet. The messages were considered vulgar, misogynistic, and homophobic toward several individuals and groups, including Ricky Martin. Therefore, Martin, Bad Bunny, Residente and several other artists, and more than half a million Puerto Ricans led the call to take to the streets of Puerto Rico, demanding Rosselló's resignation.[2][3][4] Martin started recording his eleventh studio album, initially titled Movimiento, in the second half of 2019, inspired by the political protests in Puerto Rico.[5]
On November 6, 2019, Martin shared the artwork for his new single on his Instagram and announced that it would be a collaboration with Bad Bunny and Residente, titled "Cántalo". The cover replicates Puerto Rican protest posters demanding the resignation of Roselló.[6][7] Four days later, Martin shared a photo of himself and his fellow artists in studio, and revealed the single's release date as November 12, 2019.[8] In an interview with El Nuevo Día, he told the newspaper about "Cántalo", saying it has "a fascinating story, starting with the fact that La Fania gave me the master [recordings] of 'Mi Gente' to work on this song, which is a very great responsibility and it fills my heart with pride".[9] He continued:
I've always wanted to bring generations together through my music, and I have to give much credit to Residente, an excellent producer and lyricist, and certainly to Bad Bunny, the new face of the genre and a very young person who has very important things to tell. We have many things in common and that's where magic is born. I'm really excited I can collaborate with artists as talented and special as them.[9]
Residente also told El Nuevo Día about the collaboration, saying it "continues to show the union through music and within a circle of different generations that represent our culture and heritage", going on to call the song "an incredible experience to integrate 'Mi Gente' a song with a rich history from its creation in Africa to its global impact".[9]『Cántalo』marked the first collaboration between Martin and the two other artists, while Residente and Bad Bunny had previously worked on the 2019 singles "Bellacoso" and "Afilando los cuchillos" together.[10][11]
Throughout the roaring and richly cultural song,[22] the trio sing about union and celebration.[23] The chorus of the track references Héctor Lavoe's 1974 song "Mi Gente", and reverts to "full-throttle salsa" between Residente and Bad Bunny rap verses. After Bad Bunny's verse, the song nods to a half-time tempo, before another chorus.[24][25]
The song was released for digital download and streaming as a singlebySony Music Latin on November 12, 2019.[21] For further promotion, Spotify promoted the release on billboards in Times Square.[26] Because of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent personal experiences, Martin decided to split the album Movimiento into the two EPs Pausa and Play.[10][27]『Cántalo』was included as the sixth track on his debut EP Pausa, released May 28, 2020.[10][28] On June 23, 2020, an accompanying lyric video was released on Martin's YouTube channel.[29] A headphone mix of the song, created using "Orbital Audio" technology, was included as the sixth track on the headphone mix version of the EP, released July 30, 2020.[30][31]
Martin, Residente, and Bad Bunny gave their first live performance of『Cántalo』at the 20th Annual Latin Grammy Awards on November 14, 2019,[25] which was ranked as one of the best moments of the ceremony by Rolling Stone.[32] The song was included on Martin's the Movimiento Tour, which began at the José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum in San Juan, Puerto Rico on February 7, 2020. During the performances of『Cántalo』for the tour, he wore a black outfit, and usually appeared at the top of a staircase placed in the middle of a stage.[33][34] Martin also performed『Cántalo』along with his other hits during the 61st Viña del Mar International Song Festival on February 23, 2020.[35]
Upon release,『Cántalo』was met with widely positive reviews from music critics. Suzette Fernandez from Billboard gave the song a positive review, praising it for leaving aside the commercial sound and becoming a cultural song that carries a message of union and celebration. She also complimented the song for its perfectly fusion of sounds, and admired "the combination of Martin's voice with Residente and Bad Bunny's rap style and the lyrics" that make the track "unique".[23] Writing for Hypebeast, Sophie Caraan praised "Cántalo", saying:『Fusing traditional sounds found in Latin music and Residente and Bunny's trap style, the track calls for everybody to stand for what’s right instead of turning a blind eye to injustice.』She also described the song as "[a] cultural anthem that calls for unification and celebration".[36] Alicia Alonso from Cadena Dial described it as "a song with Latin rhythms that promises to be the song that everyone is going to dance and sing".[37]
An author of Los 40 complimented the track, labeling it "a song that brings together all cultures regardless of religion or country".[38] An author of Rádio Comercial wrote about the song: "A little bit of classic salsa, a few splashes of reggaeton (enough) and a little bit of hip-hop. Everything moves, joins the power trio Ricky Martin, Residente and Bad Bunny and the result is 'Cántalo'."[39] Writing for 20 minutos, David Moreno Sáenz described the song as "a true tribute to Latin music that fuses genres from reggaeton to bossa nova through more urban music or jazz".[40]
^Martin, Ricky (November 10, 2019). "¡Vamos, Vamos, Vamos familia!" (in Spanish). Archived from the original on September 22, 2021. Retrieved March 11, 2021 – via Instagram.
^Martin, Ricky (November 17, 2019). "#spotify 🤘🏼🎶🎵 #cántalo". Archived from the original on September 22, 2021. Retrieved March 11, 2021 – via Instagram.
