Edgar Barrera wrote the song after a friend was detained by ICE
Credit: Courtesy of Sony Music
NEED TO KNOW
- Becky G and Carlos Santana’s “Mi Gran Amor” highlights the struggles of Latinx families facing deportation in the U.S.
- The song, written by Edgar Barrera, was inspired by his friend’s detention by ICE and aims to give a voice to the voiceless
- Santana describes the track as a “universal hug” and it will appear on his forthcoming album
Becky G, Carlos Santana and Edgar Barrera are standing up for the Latinx communities across the country.
On Friday, May 29, Becky and Santana released a new collaboration — written by Barrera — called "Mi Gran Amor" (Spanish for "My Great Love") and it captures the sacrifice, fear and resilience Latinx families face amid mass deportations by ICE.
The song opens with a sentiment in Spanish that translates to "a normal day in the United States," and it escalates to an emotional peak in the chorus.
"That morning was just another, a normal day," Becky, 29, sings. "She never imagined he wouldn't come back, that immigration would raid his workplace."
Credit: Courtesy of Sony Music
"My great love was taken because of immigration / My great love has been mistaken for a criminal," she continues. "I haven't slept, searching for the American dream turned into a nightmare."
The song was released as Santana's third single from his upcoming album. He previously released a collaboration with Grupo Frontera called "Me Retiro" and one with Carín León called "Velas."
In an interview with Billboard, Santana, 78, said that he wanted the song to feel like "a universal hug."
"Now more than ever in this planet, we need unity, harmony and oneness. That's a universal hug," he told the outlet.
For the "Shower" singer, joining this song meant accepting her "privilege" as someone "born here in the States."
"I will never truly understand what it is to walk those steps," the Mexican-American singer said, adding that she hoped to be "a vessel for those voices that can't speak up right now."
Credit: Courtesy of Sony Music
In Barrera's case, the song's lyrics hit close to home. According to the outlet, Barrera wrote the song after learning that a friend was detained by ICE that same morning.
"Right now the world needs more songs with purpose," Barrera, who's written for some of Latin music's biggest stars like Bad Bunny, Shakira, Maluma and Karol G, said. "This is the reason why we wrote this song… to help those people that don't have the voice."
"I was born here in the U.S., so I can't feel maybe that from the same perspective that maybe somebody that's actually going through it can feel," he continued. "But at least I can relate to it and be part of that voice."
"Mi Gran Amor" is out now.
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