La Reina

"La Reina" is a song recorded by American singer Christina Aguilera for her ninth studio and second Spanish-language album, Aguilera (2022). It was written by Aguilera, Luigi and Santiago Castillo, Servando Primera and Yasmil Marrufo, and its production was handled by the latter, alongside Rafa Arcaute, Federico Vindver, Afo Verde as co-producer, and Jean Rodríguez as a vocal producer. "La Reina" was conceived in 2017, when Aguilera invited Primera to work with her on the album. The song was then recorded in 2021 and serves as the closing track on the album's first of three parts, La Fuerza, which was released as a separate extended play (EP). Musically, "La Reina" is a ranchera song, a genre that originates from Mexico. It was inspired by Vicente Fernández's 1973 rendition of José Alfredo Jiménez's "El Rey" (1971), serving as a "respectful response". The song is in theme with the rest of La Fuerza, which focuses on female empowerment, telling a man that he can be the king, but he will be nothing without his queen. The song received critical acclaim and was labelled as a standout track on the record. Time and Latina named it one of the best Latin songs of the year. A music video for "La Reina" was released on May 6, 2022, though it has not been confirmed as a single. Background and composition In 2017, at Aguilera's request, A&R of RCA Records Katie Welle invited composer and singer Servando Primera of Servando & Florentino to help Aguilera with writing in Spanish. Primera wrote the song with Aguilera. "La Reina" was recorded along with the rest of the album at Art House studios in Miami in early 2021. The song was released on January 21, 2021, as the final track on the first EP from Aguilera, La Fuerza. "La Reina" is a ranchera, written in the key of E major at 174 beats-per-minute. Lyrically, the song takes an empowering approach to a breakup song, where the protagonist swears to never let a man break her heart again, with Aguilera singing, "And I cried, and I cried, and I cried the day you left. And I swore, and I swore, and I swore that no man would ever make me sad again,". Serving as a "respectful response" to Vicente Fernández's rendition of El Rey (1973), Aguilera's response emphasizes "how a king wouldn’t be a king without his queen".