De Cora

Rauw Alejandro announced that he was working on his debut studio album Afrodisíaco in February 2020.^[1] On October 13, 2020, he shared photos of himself along with J Balvin on social media, using the hashtag #Afrodisíaco, confirming that there would be a collaboration between the two singers on the album.^[2][3] On November 9, 2020, Alejandro revealed the album's track list, including his collaboration with Balvin, entitled "De Cora <3", as the sixth track.^[4] On November 12, 2020, the song was released for digital download and streaming by Sony Music Latin and Duars Entertainment as the fourth single from Afrodisíaco.^[5][6] During an interview with MTV News, Alejandro talked about the collaboration:

J Balvin is like my big brother. I've known him for almost two years. To me, he always opened the doors of his studio and his friendship. We always wanted to collaborate. I was waiting for the perfect time, for the perfect song. "De Cora <3" was the perfect track. It's a romantic and happy song, but the lyrics are sad. You're crying but at the same time dancing.^[7]

"De Cora <3"

A 19-second sample of the chorus

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Musically, "De Cora <3" is a Spanish language urbano song,^[8][9] written by Alejandro, Caleb Calloway, Colla, Eric Duars, D'Alexis, and Balvin. Its production was handled by Calloway and Alejandro, and the track runs for a total of 3 minutes and 10 seconds.^[5] As Alejandro explains, "De Cora", which translates to "From Heart" in English, is a common phrase in Puerto Rico, when they "really mean something".^[10] "<3" represents a "little heart symbol" which used to be popular on SMS messages in the 2000s.^[11]

Lyrically, "De Cora <3" is a romantic song about living with a young woman in a beautiful home,^[6][12] expressing the feelings of someone who still misses his partner.^[10] It talks about how you can wish your ex-partner the best, even if you are no longer with her.^[9] The lyrics include, "Extraño el sabor de tu boca / Extraño saborearte / A tu cuerpo le digo Picasso, porque tu eres arte / Me obligan a pensarte" (I miss the taste of your mouth / I miss tasting you / I call your body Picasso because you are art / They force me to think about you).^[10]

Alberto Palao Murcia from Los 40 gave "De Cora <3" a positive review, saying it "invites you to dance at all times thanks to its base".^[10] In 2022, Ernesto Lechner from Rolling Stone ranked the track as Alejandro's 13th-best song, stating that he "sounds perfectly" next to Balvin. The critic continued praising "the contrast in their voices" as "spectacular", while describing the song's chorus and pre-chorus as "addictive".^[13]

"De Cora <3" debuted and peaked at number 16 on the US Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart on November 28, 2020, becoming Alejandro's 12th entry and Balvin's 73rd.^[14][15] The song also peaked at numbers 19 and 11 on the Latin Airplay and Latin Rhythm Airplay charts, respectively.^[16][17] In Spain's official weekly chart, the track debuted and peaked at number 18 on November 1, 2020.^[18] It was later certified platinum by the Productores de Música de España (PROMUSICAE), for track-equivalent sales of over 40,000 units in the country.^[19] Additionally, "De Cora <3" reached number one in El Salvador, Honduras, Panama, and Puerto Rico,^[9][20] as well as the top 10 in Dominican Republic,^[21] Guatemala,^[22] and Mexico.^[23] In Mexico, the song was certified platinum by the Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas (AMPROFON), for track-equivalent sales of over 140,000 units.^[24]

Credits adapted from Tidal.^[32]