La Presa (2024) – Nathy Peluso

‘In Grasa there definitely had to be a Salsa song. People were asking for it and it’s part of my job. So in Miami we got down to work and ‘La Presa’ was born…I consume Salsa everyday of my life. When I wake up – it’s like my engine. I consume a lot. Tony Vega, Willie Colón, Hector Lavoe. The classics Frankie Ruiz. And I feel that this school of Salsa is the one that defines me. That’s the sound I’m after. Also how we recorded it with microphones from the 70’s, with the recording techniques that were used in the 70’s, with musicians playing for these artists at the time. And on top of that we had the backing vocals recorded by El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico which is the greatest blessing I could have in Salsa for me.’

– Nathy Peluso – Notas sobre GRASA

Here is some lavish salsa from one of my favourite modern music artists – Nathy Peluso who is truly at the cutting edge of Latina Music. I was putting off writing about La Presa (The Prisoner) because over the last year she has inundated this blog with a plethora of songs from different genres. But when I was at the gym yesterday and I found myself intuitively bopping away to this song in between sets I decided enough is enough – ‘let this baby rip’. I’m so enamoured with it, as I am with all of her music showcased here. Presa comes from Nathy’s 2024 album Grasa (Fat) for which she won 3 Grammy awards.

I’ve been following the Argentine-Spanish Diva Nathy Peluso for quite some time now, and I continue to track her evolution with keen interest – much like I do with all my favourite contemporary singer-songwriters. What captivates me most is how boldly and authentically she has reshaped the Latin music scene, fusing genres like hip-hop, salsa, trap, and neo-soul with theatrical flair and intellectual depth.

‘There were three pillars in my career that defined me as a musician, which is my hip-hop content, then my soulful, jazzy side and finally my salsa, bolero, latin and all other roots’.

Her artistic transformation has been nothing short of electric, blending raw intensity with conceptual sophistication. Today’s featured track, Presa, is a striking showcase of her fiery, unapologetic talent.

La Presa is a salsa-infused anthem that reimagines love as both a crime and a prison. She confesses to “killing” her lover – not with weapons, but by denying him affection – embracing incarceration over emotional submission. Through this metaphor Peluso critiques possessive relationships and asserts female autonomy, blending humor and defiance with lines like “I’d rather be behind bars than with him” which heads this blog.

‘I like to approach Salsa from a place that isn’t so traditionally feminine considering how women have navigated Salsa throughout history which has always been more romantic, more idyllic, more soap opera-like. I like to take it to the tough side, a more masculine angle as it has been throughout the history of Salsa.’

I have included two versions of La Presa below, both of which I enjoy viewing. The first is the more ‘bare bones’ live session for Vevo control and the second is the oficial video release.
P.S You may need to open the chosen video in You tube to see the English subtitles.

A loose English translation follows:

[Intro]
Police, take her away

[Verse 1]
Police, open the bars
I’m going to confess if you let me (Let me)
I’d rather be a criminal than an idiot
And for that, you have to have courage
Police (Uh-uh), take me to jail
If it’s life, I don’t care
Yes, it’s true that I killed that man
But I killed him, I killed him with love
It wasn’t with a gun, nor with a knife
It was because I denied him my kisses and that’s why he died
Because I didn’t want to give them to him

[Chorus]
Here’s a moral for you
To be with him, I’d rather be behind bars
Relax, police, I won’t be short
Whoever gives me a visit, a conjugal visit
Here’s a moral for you (Cuckoo, cuckoo!)
To be with him, I’d rather be behind bars (Salsa!)

[Verse 2]
Police, take her to jail
From the tip of her shoe to the top of her head
I’ve already left through your door, I’m not coming back through that one
Police, take her to jail
Because of my noble humanity, they call me “criminal”
Police, take her to jail
That’s why I don’t care if they put me in shackles
Let them bail me out, I have money to spare
Police, take her to jail
That man isn’t breathing
Call the police

[Interlude]
Tell him, tell him!
Cuckoo, cuckoo!

[Outro]
When love doesn’t give you freedom
It’s a prison, a disease
When love doesn’t give you freedom
You have to kill it coldly