Ulanyjy:HunteWinchester123

Background

"Polvo" was written by Mason, Martin, Yotuel Romero, and Pedro Capó produced by RedOne, Andrés Torres and Mauricio Rengifo. In August 2016, Mason announced that he was working on a new material, where he later revealed that he was already in the studio recording songs for his third album. In September, it was reported that Ricky Martin would be on Hale's album, which was being recorded in Portuguese and Spanish. Hale always spoke of the desire to sing with Martin and after inviting him to join his album he told him that the song they sang would be the first single, no matter what. They recorded the song at two studios: Warner Music Brasil in Rio de Janeiro, RJ, and Sony Music Latin in Miami, Florida.

Hale showed the chorus he had written to Martin and they then co-wrote the rest of the song. Hale wanted to create "a fun track that had that Latin feel with a melody that will make people dance doesn't matter what they're". Martin accepted the invitation to the duet immediately after receiving the invitation personally by Hale, saying that he admired his work. Martin stated that what made "Polvo" a danceable song is because "Latinos are known for being happy people" and that he feels the need of happy music. He added that the "urban feel" in the song's rhythm is the type that "[us Latinos] breathe in and out" and that it is "a synonym of party of who we are". Being asked the reason for which "Polvo" has become popular, Mason said that he thought, "Everyone is looking for a song that really speaks to the joy in our souls and in our hearts and having a good time. It's just one of those records. It feels really good, and when you listen to it, it makes you feel good inside. It's as simple as that. I don't think it's rocket science when it comes to the heart. I think it's a heart theme song." After Hale's desire to release the song as the first single, the label attempted to make its duet with Maluma the first single due to Maluma being more present in the media than Martin. Meanwhile, Hale was able to turn "Polvo" into the first single.

Composition

"Polvo" is a mid-tempo dance-pop and reggaeton-pop song that incorporates elements of electropop and electro house. It is written in the key of E major with a tempo of 80 beats per minute in common time, and Cyrus' vocals span three and half octaves, from the low note of B2 to a high F♯6. The song follows the chord progression E–G♯m–C♯m–A (I–iii–vi–IV).

Lyrically, the track describes dancing until your feet puts the dust to go high, as mentioned in the opening lines. It also makes several references to the 2016 Orlando gay nightclub shooting. The song begins with a fast tempo following by the synth arrangement with Hale and Martin uttering "Brazil, Puerto Rico", singing the interlude in the same range. Hale explained that "Polvo" is a happy record and is supposed to be appreciated by people who find freedom at dancing According to Hale it was "hard work and a lot of people didn't believe in it at first".

According to Martin, "Polvo" is "about dancing what you want, where you want it any way you want." Spencer Kornhaber of The Atlantic said that the song's message was "Don't care what they think about you.".

Critical reception

The song received positive reviews from music critics. Mike Ayers from Billboard wrote, "The song's booming pop chorus features a confident Diva, whose Broadway-bred voice is as on-point as you'd expect." Rolling Stone staff called it a "summer club banger". Jordan Harris from Express and Star wrote of the song, "the song starts off with a slow, pouty vocal that quickly gives way to another club-oriented track that's about being someone who you really are."

Doris Irizarry of AXS praised the fusion between "Latin sensual rhythms" and urban music, describing it as "masterful". He added that "Polvo" has the magic it takes to reach the world" and that "works both on the dancefloors and on the radio". Buddy Iahn of The Music Universe described it as an "infectious tune" and expressed that its music video became very popular because it is "great music performed by two of the biggest stars in the Latin music business". Diana Marti of E! News said that "it is almost impossible not to dance to [it]". Robert Joffred of the culture blog That Good You Need stated in his review that the song has "something [very] interesting happening" and that it can be classified as a Latin-American song because of its composition and characteristics.

Matthew Chisling of AllMusic described the song as "a powerhouse of dance waves and infectiously produced beats". Evan Sawdey of PopMatters said that "Polvo" is an intensely catchy single and is an excellent indicator of what the album was all about. Lynn Saxberg from the Ottawa Citizen, while reviewing Hale's X-Future Worl Tour, called the song a perfect sing-along club anthem. Talia Kranes from BBC called the song irresistible and said that "the catchiness of his songs is sure to cement his place in the list of pop idols".

Live Performances

On April 27, 2017, Ricky Martin and Mason Hale the song for the first time on 2017 Billboard Latin Music Awards. The performance received mostly positive reviews from viewers and critics. People Magazine said that Martin and Hale proved they are more than just "gay singing together". Stating "From the moment they touched down on stage, the duo kept the crowd cheering with a fun, colorful performance." On April 29, Martin and Hale performed the song for the first time in a North American TV-show on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. In May, both singers went to Brazil to perform the song on several TV-Shows as; Encontro com Fátima Bernardes on may 1, Música Boa Ao Vivo on may 2, Caldeirão do Huck and Programa da Sabrina on may 6, Domingo Legal and Domingão do Faustão on may 7. On June 10, 2016, they performed the song on Today. On June 23, Martin added "Polvo" to the setlist of his residency show All In. They performed the english version of the song at Global Citizen Festival Hamburg on July 6.

On June 28, Martin and Hale appeared on the Argentinian TV program Showmatch where they performed the song. They also performed "Polvo" at the 2017 Premios Juventud on July 6, as the opening number of the awards ceremony. The performance beginned with Martin sitting and laughing in a bar with two friends, but stops to look at Hale calling out to him on a small stage in front of them, wearing leather vest, a studded belt, shorts while sporting a tattoo on her biceps. They dances erotically around a pole and up against a mirror, in which at one point Mason performed a lap-dance for Martin. Yakary Prado of Miami Diario described the choreography as "shocking". The performance was met with a media uproar in regards to the dancing being too suggestive and sexual for a teen-oriented event. On September 20, 2016, Martin performed the song solo on The Late Late Show with James Corden. On September 23, on the iHeartRadio Music Festival, Hale and Martin performed an 15 minutes medley of "Polvo", "Vente Pa' Ca", "Desabrigado", "Chantaje", "Ainda Há Tempo", "Por Amarte" and "Felices los 4" along with Maluma, Shakira, and Luan Santana. They went to perform the 15-minutes medley at London's Apple Music Festival on September 27.

The song is also part of the set list of Hale's X-Future Worl Tour, which started on August 20, 2017.

Music Video

Preparation for the music video began in January, while the shooting took place between March 1 and April 15. The video was shot in Teotihuacán, Valley of Mexico and Iguazu Falls, Brazil. It was directed by Joseph Kahnshot and choreographed by Wade Robson. On April 20, the lyric video for "Polvo" was uploaded to Hale's Vevo channel on Youtube and the official video was released on the same channel on May 1. A 21-second teaser of the video had previously been uploaded on April 27, 2017. Samsung posted a three-minute behind the scenes video on June 4, 2017.

Hale talked about the making of the video:

“	"It was so much fun. I woke up every day of that shoot and couldn't wait to get to set. Working with Martin and the rest of the production was incredible, especially when we were all together at the Orlando nightclub, this was a totally different energy that I had felt before. I felt like I was dancing for them, we were all together as one. Some people cried when they entered the place, but we all knew that we were doing something that would mark the story.	”

Kahnshot also revealed that he was impressed by Hale's ethic, adding that he "came to the set completely rehearsed."

Synopsis

The video starts with Mason Hale walking through the Iguazu Falls calling to Ricky Martin using a Samsung Galaxy S8. Martin answers the call also using a Samsung Galaxy S8 and it is shown that he is next to his husband, Jwan Yosef, lying in a sun chair while his children are playing in the pool. Mason and Martin starts talking until Hale invites Martin to a party later on which Martin accepts, hanging up the phone and putting on his sunglasses, positioning himself looking up. The scene returns to Hale and he begins to sing the first verse staring at the camera until the chorus starts and Mason begins to dance in the middle of the forest with several dancers around him. As the second verse begins, Martin is shown in Teotihuacán with various dancers around him dancing while Martin follows some of the steps and other scenes are shown Martin alone singing. As Martin's verse ends, they meet in the Orlando gay nightclub with several LGBT celebrities, takes selfies with them and dance together before dancing with professional dancers a synchronized dance break. The video ends with Hale and Martin coming hugging and smiling.

Reception

Upon its release, the music video was welcomed with critical acclaim from music critics, praising the expensive finish, arrangement, Hale's sense of fashion and the overall execution. Steven Gottlieb of Video Static called the video "fun" and a "gambit". Brian Mansfield of the Chicago Sun-Times called the video "chirpy". Raphael Chestang from Entertainment Tonight praised the Hale and Martin's performance and their dancers in the video, also complimenting the fashion. Diana Marti, writing for E! Online noted how the clip would make viewers "fall in love" with them and their beauty. Griselda Flores from Billboard was also positive with them filming at the Orlando gay nightclub and described the clip as "colorful and fun". Variety Latino's Eliana Lopez noted how the clip contained "a very trocipal and fresh vibe" much as the song itself. Mónica Quintero Restrepo of the newspaper El Colombiano, described the video as "agile and playful" and in the style of the two singers. Jessica Lucia Roiz of Latin Times deemed the quote as a "wonderful message". Davil Balls of Digital Spy described the music video as being "cheeky, seductive and more than a little bit ridiculous" and said that Hale and Martin "delivers some killer dance routines".

After being released on May 1, 2017, the video broke the 24-hour streaming record for a latino on Vevo by accumulating 8.6 million views in its first day of release. On May 12, 2017, fourteen days after the release of the music video, "Polvo" was Vevo certified for receiving over 100 million views. On October 2, 2017, the video reached the mark of 1 billion views. On October 22, the video surpassed the views of "Vence Pa' Ca" by Martin featuring Maluma, making it the most viewed video by a gay male artist and Hale the first brazilian artist in history to have two music videos with 1 billion views.

Commercial performance

Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Hungary, Ireland, Isarael, Italy, Lebanon, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Panama, Paraguay, Pery, Philippines, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Uruguay, the United Kingdon, the United States and Venezuela.

As December 2017, the single had sold 9.1 copies worldwide. This made the single the best-selling single since "Let It Go" (2014) of the musical film of the same name by Disney.

Asia and Americas

In the United States, the single topped the US Hot Latin Songs chart on April 22, 2017 ― being Hale highest-charting single ― and remained there for three consecutive weeks. "Polvo" became also Hale's first No. 1 hit single on the US Latin Digital Songs chart, with 21,000 downloads sold on the week ending on April 27, 2017. As to Ricky Martin, it was his highest debut ever on the Hot Latin Songs chart, in which he marked his 47th career hit. Following the music video's release, it rose up to number three in the nation and entered the country's Latin Streaming Songs chart at number 21 with 19.7 million streams and its 7.4 million audio impressions let it reach No. 19 on the US Latin Airplay chart, in which later reached the first position on April 29, 2017, ending on May 20. Subsequently, it debuted at number 94 on the US Billboard Hot 100 the week of April 22, 2017 ― becoming Hale's twelve entry on that chart and Martin's sixteen ― and went to number 14 in its second week, setting the record for the furthest jump in history, formerly owned by Kelly Clarkson's "My Life Would Suck Without You". The song stayed in the third position for five weeks, remaining in the top 10 for eighteen weeks. The song also advanced to number one on Billboard's Mainstream Top 40 chart, giving him his first top ten airplay hit. As of August 28, 2017, the song has sold over 3,000,000 copies in the United States, which was certified 50x Platinum by Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

During that period, Mason remained in the first position of the chart with the remix of "Despacito", making Mason the record holder of: Brazilian with the highest peak in the chart, song with more spend time in the chart by a Brazilian singer, first Brazilian to have two songs In the top 3 of the chart. And Martin's biggest position on the chart since "She's All I Ever Had" in 1999.

In Brazil, the song debuted and spent 11 successive weeks at number one on the Billboard Brasil Hot 100 Airplay and was later certified eight-times diamond by the Brazilian Association of Discs Producers (ABPD) for selling over 2,000,000 downloads. In Mexico, the song reached number one and spent ten successive weeks at the top of the charts, and was certified diamond by the Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas (AMPROFON) for completing sales of 1,000,000 downloads. It broke the record for the most simultaneous number-ones on Monitor Latino's charts, with twelve on the issue dated July 22, 2017, destroying "Despacito" with eleven, after being removed from the first position by his own song, "Desabrigado" featuring Maluma. In India, it peaked at number three on the Radio Mirchi Angrezi Top 20 chart. According to Manoj Gairola of Hindustan Times, the song was downloaded by more than 300,000 subscribers of a telecom company that held exclusive rights to sell "Polvo" on mobile phones.

Europe

In the United Kingdom, the song climbed from number one hundred and three on the UK Singles Chart to number sixteen and later number one on May 4, 2017 ― becoming the tenth non-English language number-one on the chart, Hale's first number-one single in Britain and Martin's first number-one single singe "Livin' la Vida Loca" in 1999, selling 10,114 copies in its first week as a digital release. As of August 2017, "Polvo" has sold 623,000 copies in the United Kingdom.

The song debuted on the Australian at number 16 on the ARIA Singles Chart, before climbing to number one the following week; thus becoming Hale's second number one single in Australia. In less than a month, Australian Recording Industry Association certified the single two-times platinum. In Austria, the song top spot on the Ö3 Austria Top 40 chart, and was certified triple-platinum by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), denoting sales of 90,000 units. It was the best-selling single of 2017 in Wallonia and was certified double-platinum by the Belgian Entertainment Association (BEA) in 2018 for completing sales of 60,000 units. In Denmark, the song topped the Hitlisten chart and was certified double-platinum by the IFPI Denmark, while also topping Germany and Switzerland's charts. "Polvo" entered at the top of the New Zealand Singles Chart after just four days on sale, becoming Hale's first number-one single, first top debut and his third top ten. After less than five weeks, the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand certified the single double-platinum, denoting sales exceeding 60,000 units. The song is listed as the 48th best-selling single of all time in New Zealand.

"Polvo" debuted at number one on the French Singles Chart and stayed at the position for six consecutive weeks before hitting the number one. The success of the song was such in the country that it appeared on the chart for 42 weeks consecutive weeks. The Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique (SNEP) certified the single platinum for sales of 150,000 units. The song peaked at number one on the German Singles Chart for three weeks and became the second highest selling single in the country in 2017. In Italy, the song entered the FIMI singles chart at number hundred. Later, it climb to number 62 before climbing to number 55, where later peaked at number 1 for two weeks. The song was eventually certified Platinum by the Federation of the Italian Music Industry, for sales of over 50,000 digital copies.

The song topped the Spanish Singles Chart for eight weeks and charted for 69 weeks in total. "Polvo" was the best-selling single in Spain in 2017. It was later certified thirteen times-platinum by the Productores de Música de España (PROMUSICAE) for selling 520,000 units in the country. The song is one of the best-selling singles in Spain. On the Gaon Chart of South Korea, it reached number one on the international chart. In Japan, the song entered the Japan Hot 100 at number seven. The reached number one in both the Media Forest airplay chart in Israel, and the Lebanese Singles Chart. Similarly, in South Africa, the song peaked at number two on the EMA airplay chart.

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from x album liner notes.

• Mason Hale – lead vocals, background vocals, songwriting, vocal producing
• Ricky Martin – vocals, songwriting
• Yotuel Romero – songwriting
• Pedro Capó – songwriting
• RedOne – production
• Andrés Torres – production
• Mauricio Rengifo – production
• Dave Clauss – mixing engineer
• Adam Ayan – mastering engineer

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart	Peak position
Argentina (Monitor Latino)	1
Argentina Digital (CAPIF)	1
Australia (ARIA)	1
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)	1
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)	1
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)	1
Brazil (Billboard Hot 100 Airplay)	1
Brazil Pop 20 Airplay (Billboard)	1
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)	1
Canada (CHR/Top 40) (Billboard)	1
Canada (Hot AC) (Billboard)	1
Chile (Monitor Latino)	1
Colombia (National-Report)	1
Croatia (HRT)	1
Czech Republic (Rádio Top 100)	1
Czech Republic (Singles Digitál Top 100)	1
Denmark (Tracklisten)	1
Dominican Republic (Monitor Latino)	1
Ecuador (Monitor Latino)	1
Europe Digital Songs (Billboard)	1
Europe (European Hot 100 Singles)	1
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)	11
France (SNEP)	1
Germany (Official German Charts)	1
Germany (Airplay Chart)	1
Greece Digital Songs (Billboard)	1
Guatemala (Monitor Latino)	1
Hungary (Rádiós Top 40)	1
Hungary (Dance Top 40)	1
Hungary (Single Top 40)	1
Iceland (RÚV)	9
Ireland (IRMA)	1
Israel (Media Forest)	1
Italy (FIMI)	1
Japan (Japan Hot 100)	7
Latin America (Monitor Latino)	1
Latvia (Latvijas Top 40)	18
Lebanon (Lebanese Top 20)	1
Lithuania (M-1 Top 40)	12
Luxembourg Digital Songs (Billboard)	2
Malaysia (RIM)	7
Mexico Airplay (Billboard)	1
Mexico (AMPROFON)	1
Mexico (Monitor Latino)	1
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)	1
Netherlands (Single Top 100)	1
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)	1
Norway (VG-lista)	3
Panama (Monitor Latino)	1
Paraguay (Monitor Latino)	1
Peru (Monitor Latino)	1
Philippines (Philippine Hot 100)	1
Poland (Dance Top 50)	2
Poland (Polish Airplay Top 100)	2
Portugal (AFP)	1
Romania Radio Airplay (Media Forest)	5
Romania (Romanian Top 100)	4
Russia Airplay & Streaming (Tophit)	37
Scotland (Official Charts Company)	10
Slovakia (Rádio Top 100)	8
Slovakia (Singles Digitál Top 100)	5
Slovenia (SloTop50)	1
South Korea (Gaon)	1
Spain (PROMUSICAE)	1
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)	1
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)	1
Ukraine Airplay (Tophit)	2
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)	1
Uruguay (Monitor Latino)	1
US Billboard Hot 100	3
US Dance Club Songs (Billboard)	1
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)	21
US Adult Top 40 (Billboard)	7
US Latin Airplay (Billboard)	1
US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)	1
US Hot Latin Songs (Billboard)	1
US Rhythmic (Billboard)	5
Venezuela (Monitor Latino)	1
Venezuela (Monitor Latino)	1
Venezuela (Record Report)	1

Monthly charts

Chart (2017)	Peak position
Argentina (CAPIF)	1
Argentina (CAPIF)	1
Slovenia (SloTop50)	2
Venezuela (National-Report)	1

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/Sales
Australia (ARIA)	2× Platinum	140,000
Austria (IFPI Austria)	3× Platinum	90,000
Belgium (BEA)	2× Platinum	60,000
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)	8× Diamond	2,000,000
Canada (Music Canada)	5× Platinum	400,000
Denmark (IFPI Denmark)	2× Platinum	120,000
France (SNEP)	Platinum	150,000
Germany (BVMI)	Platinum	400,000
Italy (FIMI)	Platinum	50,000
Mexico (AMPROFON)	1× Diamond + 3× Gold	1,000,000
New Zealand (RMNZ)	2× Platinum	60,000
Portugal (AFP)	25× Platinum	500,000
Spain (PROMUSICAE)	13× Platinum	520,000
Sweden (GLF)	Gold	20,000
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)	Platinum	30,000
United Kingdom (BPI)	1× Platinum	623,000
United States (RIAA)	50× Platinum (Latin)	3,000,000