Shakira Puts a Dreamy New Spin on Camilo, Pedro Capó’s ‘Tutu’

In a time when música urbana is queen, the most successful pop singer-songwriters are the most adaptable. This summer the Latin Grammy-nominated songwriter Camilo Echeverry teamed up with his fellow nominee, Puerto Rican hitmaker Pedro Capó, in “Tutu”: an alluring love song, fashioned with a dembow bounce. Now, after amassing over 175 million YouTube views, “Tutu” is further expanding its reach with a surprise A-list remix — starring none other than Colombian pop icon, Shakira.

“It’s like a dream come true,” Echeverry tells Rolling Stone of working with Shakira. “I tried to be the most professional that I could, but I was like fangirling all the time. The first cassette that I had in my life was Shakira’s ¿Donde Están Los Ladrones?.”

Last week, Shakira posted a video of herself singing along to “Tutu” on Instagram — “I can’t get this song out of my head!” she wrote — then privately messaged Echeverry, asking to jump on the track. Shakira lends the remix an airy, feminine touch, treating Echeverry’s lyrics with the utmost care. Three’s not a crowd, but a celebration in the latest incarnation of “Tutu.”

“I’ve discovered that when you that when you write a song in the most honest way and full of love, there’s no other way for the people to receive it,” Echeverry says of his first hit, which has already been certified platinum in the U.S. “It’s surreal for me because I wrote that song on the carpet of my house.”

As a songwriter, Echeverry is no stranger to multi-platinum hits, having helped pen Becky G and Natti Natasha’s “Sin Pijama,” Mau y Ricky’s “Desconocidos,” and Bad Bunny’s “Si Estuviésemos Juntos.” One of his most recent co-writes, Juanes and Alessia Cara’s “Querer Mejor,” sees him competing with Capó’s 2019 monster smash, “Calma,” for Song of the Year at the Latin Grammy Awards.

Echeverry’s success with “Tutu” shows that he can be both the songwriter and the performer. “Now if I think, ‘Oh, who is the artist I want to write for?’ The answer right now is Camilo,” he says. “It’s 100% Camilo. That’s who I want to work with and write for.”

“Tutu” is the first of many singles that Echeverry will drop ahead of his debut album, due out next year. Meanwhile, Pedro Capó is co-hosting Univision’s new Spanish-language singing competition, Reina de la Canción.

“Tutu (Remix)” marks Shakira’s first release since she announced her upcoming Super Bowl halftime show with Jennifer Lopez.