With Dosis, Xavi stretches his sound in new directions without letting go of the emotional core that got him here. On his second studio album, the Mexican-American singer-songwriter moves between música mexicana, bachata, pop and other urbano flourishes with an ease that reflects both his creative curiosity and his bicultural identity. The result is a 19-track set that feels broader in scope, while still rooted in the romantic tumbado style that has connected him with a new generation of listeners.
“We tried to add a little bit of everything, so it wouldn’t always sound the same and so we could experiment with different genres,” Xavi tells Billboard Español. “It has the classic corridos sound from us that can’t be missing, and also a little bit of pop, urbano and things like that that I feel can’t be missing from an album.”
That drive is felt throughout the record. It’s in the title track, which turns an on-and-off relationship into a metaphor for emotional addiction; in “Find Us Again,” his first fully English-language song, where he explores a different vocal and emotional texture; and in “En Privado,” a bachata with Manuel Turizo that taps into one of the sounds he grew up hearing at home. Even when he shifts rhythm or language, Xavi keeps the heart of his music intact: songs about heartbreak, desire and memory sung from an open wound.
Born in Phoenix, Xavi arrives at Dosis after a run of hits that has made him one of the most visible voices of his generation, with songs like “La Diabla” and “La Víctima” now boasting more than 1.8 billion Spotify streams combined; the former also reached No. 1 on Hot Latin Songs.
The album also brings together some of the hottest names of the moment. Across the tracklist are collaborations with Gabito Ballesteros on “Cartier,” Luis R Conriquez on “Buenota,” Neton Vega on “Hija de Papi,” Carín León on “La Morrita,” Grupo Frontera on “No Capea,” Kapo on “Bien Pedos,” Fuerza Regida on “SRT,” and more. More than just a lineup of star features, those collaborations help push the album into different modes — from melancholy to party-starting, from regional to tropical.
Xavi is also gearing up to perform on May 29 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif. as part of MexTour Live. Below, he breaks down five essential songs from his new album, Dosis, in his words. To listen to the full project, click here.
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“Dosis”
Image Credit: Daniel Negrete “Dosis” is about a love that didn’t work out — a love that’s still standing, where even if they’re apart, they’re always going to be together in some way. Like the song says, “Dijimos que no y lo volvimos a hacer, yo siguiéndote el rollo, y tú sin tanto pedo te dejaste querer” (“We said no, and then we did it again — me going along with you, and you, without making such a big deal out of it, let yourself be loved”).
It’s about two young people in love, and she was his dose of love — she was his everything, his love and his fire. That’s what the “dose” is: that fire of feeling, and of feeling alive again. Like the chorus says, “Si tus besos fueran veneno, pónganle hielo que yo me los bebo…” (“If your kisses were poison, throw in some ice and I’ll drink them anyway…”). No matter how much they drift apart, and no matter how much they fight, they always end up back together — and that fire is something he’s never going to let go of.
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“Find Us Again”
Image Credit: Daniel Negrete When I sang [an English song], it felt a little different from the intention I sing with in Spanish; they’re like two different colors. “Find Us Again” is about finding each other again in a world of billions of people. It can be about finding that person again, or finding yourself again. For me, for example, I think about the old Xavi. He was really different. Sometimes I think about him and hope we find each other again. When I do shows, I also connect it to reuniting with the people who support us — finding each other again.
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“Se Me Amanece” (feat. Codiciado)
We’ve got a song with my boy Codi called “Se Me Amanece.” It’s about a guy who already knows how this goes, who’s been through it before, and doesn’t want anything anymore. And it says: “Me enloquece, se me hace que hoy se me amanece, ya no me marques por el phone, la cagaste más de mil veces, no me mereces, aunque te duela, te lo mereces” (or “You drive me crazy. I feel like I’m losing my mind today. Don’t call me anymore. You’ve screwed up more than a thousand times. You don’t deserve me, but even if it hurts, you deserve it”).
That song had a different kind of chemistry that just had to be there. I think that had a lot to do with it — Codi, Armenta, 2Tiger and a few other homies were part of making that one. Shoutout to the guys. But honestly, “Se Me Amanece” has something special. I really like that song.
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“Bellaka”
“Bellaka” is about how [a relationship] was only supposed to be one night, but [the person] ended up being the love of your life. I can imagine that situation. I can build a whole world in my head on my own, and this one was a little different.
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“En Privado” (feat. Manuel Turizo)
Image Credit: Igor Cardozo “En Privado” is our first bachata, and I’d been listening to bachata for a while, but I never thought it would come from this song. The timing of the song matched up with bachata timing, and we ended up making a bachata. I said, “We gotta send it to my boy Manuel.” We were like, “Hopefully it all comes together.” They sent me the riff, and I was like, “Damn. Wow, incredible.”
Ever since I was a kid, I’ve really liked bachata because my mom was always playing it — Prince Royce, Romeo Santos and a lot more.
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