Rauw Alejandro has entered a new era — musically and personally — oozing elegance, maturity and glamour. The best indicator is his new studio album Cosa Nuestra out Friday (Nov. 15) via Sony Music Latin.
Setting the tone for the 18-track production is the title song, a sensual bolero in which he kicks off by singing “love is so short and oblivion is so long.” Now a bachelor in his early 30s, Rauw, who composed the album, demonstrates a mature, healed and liberating facet in his lyrics.
Musically, the Puerto Rican artist takes listeners beyond his signature perreo, R&B and trap sounds. He flirts with salsa on a refreshing version of Frankie Ruiz’s timeless hit “Tú Con Él.” He fuses rapid merengue with electronic beats in “Mil Mujeres. He delivers a sultry kizomba in “Khé?,” his first collaborative effort with Romeo Santos. Meanwhile, his previously released singles “Touching the Sky” and “Pasaporte” continue to hone his smooth, electro-funk sound.
Aesthetically, he transports fans to the 1970s in New York (a contrast from the galactic concept in his 2023 Saturno), declaring himself a fan of that era and of the Sicilian mafia “Cosa Nostra.”
“It was a perfect fit for what I was looking for,” he told Billboard during a press conference in Miami. “I live in Puerto Rico but we have to travel all the time and I have other bases in my life such as Miami, L.A. and Spain. I decided to make this new base in New York because my dad is from Brooklyn, and it’s like a second home for me.”
Cosa Nuestra includes star-studded collabs with Bad Bunny, Feid and Alexis y Fido — all of whom remain true to Rauw’s urban essence.
“If you lose your essence, you lose everything,” he explained. “It’s something I take care of in my career. I respect my fans a lot and I know what they like about Rauw, but I also know what I can offer new. I always try to look for a happy medium, not only what I like to listen to as an artist, but also what my fans like.”
Other collaborations on the set include Pharrell Williams, Laura Pausini and many more. Stream Cosa Nuestra below: