Colombian group Piso 21 is back with the new album El Amor En Los Tiempos Del Perreo. The album’s title is a nod to Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez. To help lighten the mood during the COVID-19 pandemic, the quartet is coming through with 15 songs that are taking perreo to new places. In an exclusive interview with Latido Music, the guys break down five of the most interesting songs from the LP.

This is Piso 21’s first album with new member Lorduy.

El Amor En Los Tiempos Del Perreo is Piso 21’s first album with David Lorduy Hernández, who took the place of departing member Llane in 2019. “It’s an honor to have worked with my brothers and all other artists who participated on this album,” Lorduy tells mitú. “Everything I do in Piso 21, I’m doing with all of my heart. This is a very big achievement in my career. I’ve always loved perreo and this album is that with a Piso 21 twist.”

Piso 21 highlights other Colombian artists on this collaborations-heavy LP.

Across the 15 new tracks, Piso 21 collaborates with reggaeton heavy-hitters like Maluma, Myke Towers, Zion y Lennox, and Feid. They also collaborate with acts outside of the genre like Mexican crooner Christian Nodal and the pop supergroup The Black Eyed Peas. The guys shine a light on up-and-coming Colombian artists as well like Mabiland and Lalo Ebratt.

“That’s what we tried to do,” says David “Dim” Escobar about highlighting more Colombian talent on the album. “It’s like giving a hand to Colombian artists who are our friends and colleagues and bringing them forward.”

“Tan Bonita”

With the release of El Amor En Los Tiempos Del Perreo on Friday, the guys also premiered the music video for “Tan Bonita.” Women take center stage with Piso 21 in the visual that’s just as beautiful as the song’s loving lyrics.

“We wanted to empower women with the video,” says Juan “El Profe” David Huertas. “We wanted to show that all women are beautiful no matter what their hair color, height, size, or anything like that. All women are beautiful and we want to empower them to embrace all the characteristics that make them who they are.”

“Dejaló”

On “Dejaló,” Piso 21 teams up with Mabiland, a rising Afro-Colombian artist who is also a part of the LGBTQ+ community. Earlier this year, Mabiland featured openly gay Mexican singer Georgel’s Claro EP. It’s refreshing to see Piso 21 give Mabiland a platform on their LP as well.

“We met Mabiland at the 2020 Super Bowl before the pandemic,” says Dim. “We met through our Colombian friend groups and struck up a great friendship. When we were making this song, we were searching for an artist with a soul music spirit and a striking voice. Mabiland had that. We don’t like to collaborate with the same artists. We always like to bring new sounds to the table.”

“El Amor En Los Tiempos Del Perreo”

If you listen to the title track of the album, you’ll hear a familiar sound. The song samples Kelly Rowland’s “ohhh”  from Nelly’s 2002 hit “Dilemma.” It’s a cool reggaeton spin on a song that Piso 21 fans definitely grew up listening to.

“With this album, we wanted to evoke that era that we grew up in, with artists that influenced us like Nelly and Kelly Rowland,” says Dim. “That beautiful era in music when we were watching MTV and the top 10 most-requested music videos. We loved all of that. This song has that vintage aesthetic. There’s a parental advisory sticker on the album cover and a tattoo that’s very Blink-182 and Guns N’ Roses.”

“Más De La Una”

After collaborating with Maluma for 2016’s “Me Lllamas” remix, Piso 21 reunites with him for “Más De La Una.” The colorful music video is proudly Colombian with the guys partying together in the city streets of Medellín.

“Maluma is a great friend of ours at home,” says Pablo “Pablito” Mejía. “We’re really comfortable working with him. We always flow well, including on songs that we have that haven’t come out. We always have fun working with him. We’re happy that when things are made with love, heart, and true friendship, that our fans can feel that and support it.”

“Pa’ Olvidarme De Ella”

One of the most innovative collaborations on El Amor En Los Tiempos Del Perreo is Piso 21’s “Pa’ Olvidarme De Ella” with Mexican singer Christian Nodal. The guys beautifully blend the Latin trap genre with the ranchera music that Nodal brings to the heartbreaking track.

“With Christian, that was a beautiful experience,” Pablito says. “That was something that no one expected. We wanted to make a new genre between trap and ranchera music and bring those two worlds together. The song was a hit with the people who listen to regional Mexican music as well as the young people who listen to música urbana. It’s one of the biggest songs we’ve made in our careers. I believe after that, more people starting mixing regional Mexican music and música urbana. We’ve very proud that we could be at the start of that movement.”

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