2015 studio album by Ricky Martin
A Quien Quiera Escuchar (transl. "To Whomever that Wants to Listen") is the sixth Spanish album and tenth studio album by Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin. It was released on February 10, 2015, through Sony Music Latin. It won the Grammy Award for Best Latin Pop Album at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards.
Background
Martin's ninth studio album, Música + Alma + Sexo was released by Sony Music Latin in February 2011.[1] It peaked at number three on the United States Billboard 200[2] and received a platinum certification in the Latin field by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), indicating shipments of over 100,000 copies in the country.[3] In the following years, Martin was chosen to be a coach on The Voice in Australia;[4] while being part of the show, he released Greatest Hits: Souvenir Edition (2013)[5] and embarked on Ricky Martin Live tour in the country.[6] Additionally, he released several singles including "Adrenalina", a collaboration with Wisin and Jennifer Lopez, and "Vida" included in the One Love, One Rhythm – The 2014 FIFA World Cup Official Album.[7]
In late December 2014, using his social network sites, in a video, Martin revealed that the name of the album is going to be A Quien Quiera Escuchar and that it will be released on February 10, 2015, "We're going to have a very interesting year full of music, partying and romantic times".[8] In another video he unveiled the track list for the record while writing the names of the songs on a paper.[9]
Singles
"Adiós" was released as the lead single from A Quien Quiera Escuchar. It premiered on September 22, 2014 on Uforia's radio stations in the United States and Puerto Rico[10] and was released to digital retailers on September 23 in three versions, Spanish, English and English-French.[11] "Adiós" is a world music-flavored song with a length of three minutes and fifty-eight seconds.[12] The single features "original sound" and influences from throughout different parts of the world in which Martin traveled in 2014.[10] Reviewer Haley Longman of OK! praised Martin's multilingualism and wrote that with "Adiós" he transformed it in a song form.[11] The single debuted at number 22 on the US Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart becoming his 41st entry on the chart.[13] Following Martin's performance at the 15th Annual Latin Grammy Awards, "Adiós" jumped from number 16 to number nine on the Hot Latin Songs chart and became the singer's 24th top-ten single on the chart. With that feat, it pushed Martin ahead of singer Gloria Estefan on the list of acts with the most top-ten hits on the chart.[14]
"Disparo al Corazón" was released on January 13, 2015 as the second single from the album. On January 19, 2015, "Disparo al Corazón" debuted at number thirty-four on the US Latin Airplay chart and at number nineteen on Latin Pop Airplay.[15] Martin extended his lead for most top twenty hits on the Latin Pop Airplay to forty (followed by Enrique Iglesias with thirty-six).[16] "Disparo al Corazón" also debuted at number thirty-five on Hot Latin Songs becoming Martin's forty-second hit on the chart.[16] Additionally, the song opened at number seven on the US Latin Pop Digital Songs.[16] Two weeks later, "Disparo al Corazón" also debuted at number twenty-three on the Tropical Songs chart.[17] On February 16, 2015, "Disparo al Corazón" topped Latin Pop Airplay.[18] So far, it spent four consecutive weeks at the top.[19] The song also reached a new peak on Hot Latin Songs, climbing to number nine in its fifth week.[20] On March 2, 2015, Martin earned his fourteenth Latin Airplay number one with "Disparo al Corazón."[21][22] In the chart's history, only Enrique Iglesias boasted more leaders (twenty-six), and Gloria Estefan ranks third with eleven number ones.[21][22]
Eventually, "Disparo al Corazón" peaked at number nine on the US Hot Latin Songs chart, number one on Latin Airplay and number twenty on Latin Digital Songs.[23][24]
The third single, "La Mordidita", was released on April 21, 2015.[25] Following the release of the album in February 2015, "La Mordidita" debuted at number seventeen on the Billboard's US Latin Digital Songs chart, with 2,000 digital downloads sold.[26] In May 2015, Martin extended his record for the most top twenty singles on Latin Pop Airplay, when "La Mordidita" jumped 40–20 on this chart.[27] In mid-August 2015, "La Mordidita" earned Martin his twenty-sixth top ten hit on Hot Latin Songs.[28] He became the fourth artist with the most top tens in the 29-year history of the chart.[28] In late August 2015, Martin earned with "La Mordidita" his fifteenth number-one on the Latin Airplay chart (up 58 percent, to 11.8 million audience impressions).[29] Eventually, "La Mordidita" peaked at number six on the US Hot Latin Songs chart, number one on Latin Airplay and number seven on Latin Digital Songs.[23][24] It also reached number one on Latin Pop Airplay, number two on Latin Pop Digital Songs, and number twenty-six on Tropical Songs. On the 2015 Billboard Year-End charts, "La Mordidita" reached number nine on Latin Pop Songs, number twenty on Latin Airplay, number twenty-three on Hot Latin Songs, and number thirty-two on Latin Digital Songs.[30][31]
In Spain, the song reached a peak position of number three and was later certified Platinum.[32]
"Perdóname" was released to radio stations as the fourth single from the album on January 15, 2016. It was announced on his Facebook page the same day.
Critical reception
A Quien Quiera Escuchar received positive reviews from music critics. Clint Rhodes of The Herald-Standard gave the album a positive review and praised its composition and lyrics about love naming it "deliciously drenched in infectious dance-floor beats and sizzling sex appeal with touches of vulnerability, passion and blissfulness."[34] According to Allan Raible of Yahoo! for GMA "this is not an album that rests on the easy clichés. This is Latin pop done well with an equal eye on instrumentation and spectacle."[37] The album earned Martin a nomination for Best Contemporary Pop Vocal Album at the 16th Latin Grammy Awards.[40]
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