Ela Taubert Breaks Down 5 Essential Tracks From Her Debut Album, ‘Preguntas a las 11:11'
After winning the Latin Grammy for best new artist in 2024, Colombian singer-songwriter Ela Taubert finally released Preguntas a las 11:11, her debut album, on Friday (May 9). The 16-track set, which took two years to bring to life, is a reflection of her deepest thoughts and her tendency to overthink.
All the song titles are framed as questions except for one, which is simply titled 'Pregunta' (Question) and is the 11th track on the album.
More from Billboard
Ela Taubert Seized a Life-Changing Opportunity & Won Latin Grammys Best New Artist
Kendrick Lamar Leads 2025 BET Awards Nominees With 10 Nods
Prince Royce to Sing at TelevisaUnivision's Upfront in New York
'I've always overthought things since I was little, and that hasn't changed now that I'm an adult,' explains the 24-year-old artist to Billboard Español. 'When I started writing [these songs,] I realized all that came out were questions, which I think reflect my tendency to question everything. Obviously, when all the songs started to have this kind of title, we said, 'Well, it's going to be Preguntas, and a las 11:11 (at 11:11) because at home we always make a sacred wish at 11:11. So we unified these two universes.'
Sonically, Taubert says that for this album — released under Universal Music Latino and featuring the singles '¿Cómo Pasó' (with and without Joe Jonas, and in a third live version with Morat), '¿Quién Diría?' and '¿Cómo Haces?', among others — she drew inspiration from the pop superstars she grew up listening to.
'I used to watch the Hannah Montana movies. I literally wanted to be like that, a pop star. I'd wear sparkly gloves and everything,' she says enthusiastically. 'Maybe I'm still holding on to that childhood dream of bringing the sound of the artists I listened to as a kid, like Miley [Cyrus], Taylor Swift, and Adele, to our language, Spanish — obviously while keeping my Latin roots super present, because I also grew up listening to Reik and Jesse & Joy. So I'd say it's like a fusion.'
Designed to be listened to from start to finish, the LP weaves a narrative that feels both intimate and universal, addressing themes like love, heartbreak, and the complexities of human connection in songs like the focus tack '¿Trato Hecho?' as well as '¿Es En Serio?', '¿Te Imaginas?', '¿Qué Más Quieres?', '¿Si Eras Tú?', and more.
'This album is like a midnight diary for me. It's about those moments when there's no TV, no phone, nothing, and you can't sleep, so you start thinking about 45,000 things at once,' Taubert summarizes. 'I hope that the people who listen to me, who support me, find refuge in each of these songs and see themselves reflected in them. That's been one of the most beautiful things about these last two years — growing the family, realizing I'm not the only one who feels the way I feel, and learning to grow together through this whole process.'
Below, Ela Taubert breaks down five essential tracks from Preguntas a las 11:11. Listen to the full album here.
Contextually, the album as a whole is a love story with all its ups and downs and emotions. But '¿Quién Diría?' (Who Would Say?) is precisely the track that starts it all. It's the only love song on the album, so it opens up this universe and speaks about the first time I truly felt I was in love. I was always very rebellious about that kind of thing on a personal level — like, 'I'm not going to fall in love, I'm not in love, I don't like anything romantic.' And in the end, I fell in love, and that's how the story begins. That's why it's so special, because it opens up this world. And also because fans were always asking me, 'When are you going to release a love song?' So it's like giving them a little taste of the fact that love has existed in my life — and it still does.
I think this was one of the most fun songs to make and also one of the quickest. It's about my first heartbreak as a teenager, the first time I felt like my heart was broken. But it's very beautiful, because when we started writing it — obviously I'm in a different place now. The idea behind this song was that I wanted people to feel exactly what I felt during that strong heartbreak. I wanted to share how I truly felt. That's why at first it gives you the sense that it's a love song — just like how I felt when I got my hopes up — and then suddenly, your world falls apart and you think, 'Wow, this is a heartbreak song.' I wanted to allow people to navigate that emotion with me, the way I felt that intense disappointment.
And the twist with Joe Jonas — well, that was a dream come true for me. Joe was one of my childhood idols. I think he was for everyone, honestly, for people who watched Camp Rock and all those kinds of childhood series. It was a blessing, and I'm proof that dreams really do come true. Right when I got nominated for the Latin Grammy, I decided to look for a video of myself as a little girl singing, and I found one of me singing 'This Is Me' from Camp Rock. So I wrote him thanking him for inspiring me, and then it was crazy, because a few days later, he replied — which blew my mind, because I never thought he'd reply. And the rest is history. This version is something I'll carry in my heart forever, thinking about how it fulfilled my inner child's dream.
This is a very special song for me. It's track No. 7 on the album because, for me, 7 is the number of my family. Everything has its reason. I wrote it for my mom, because my mom has been my anchor and my grounding force — she's always there. It's a very beautiful song, and I also realized it's a song for all the people who've been there for me — the fans, everyone. So when we announced the album, the most beautiful way to do it was paying homage to her, to my whole family, my friends, and everyone who's been there. That's why, at the end of the song, during last year's tour, after 40 attempts during the show in Bogotá where my mom was, where the fans were, everyone learned the song and we were able to record them and include them in the song [with a live snippet at the end].
Well, 'Preguntas' (Questions) is the epicenter of the album. 'Preguntas' represents where I'm at in my life right now on a very personal and emotional level. It's the 2.0 version of a song I wrote for my first EP called 'Crecer'. It talks about that difficult moment I experienced back then, about how hard I found it to grow up. I left my country alone at 18 or 19. It was really hard for me as an only child. So this song is very special to me, and honestly, 'Preguntas' feels like the answer, almost three years later, to what I'm living now and how I see growth now. The fans will understand it deeply because they know what this symbolizes for me. That's why it's the 11th track, because it's the most vulnerable part of me, and it's the epicenter where questions are born.
This is one of my favorites. To me, writing music is immortalizing memories, but this song specifically — the lyrics teleport me over and over again to that same place and bring me so much peace, for some reason, [even though] is a super sad song. Sonically, it's one of the ones I feel most proud of as well, in the sense that I was able to pour all the emotions I felt in that moment into the song. That's why it's the focus track and why it's the third track — it connects the whole story of the album very well. It's been one of those promises, so to speak, that I've broken. It's like a trato hecho (done deal) that we wouldn't see each other again, but we saw each other again and tried again.
Best of Billboard
Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1
Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits
H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
7 hours ago
- New York Times
At Tribeca Festival, ‘The Scout' Spotlights a Typically Low-Profile Role
It's often said that the city a movie is set in is like a character in the story — think New York in Martin Scorsese's 'Taxi Driver,' or Hong Kong in Wong Kar Wai's 'In the Mood for Love.' But it takes a location scout to find the ordinary streets and houses that create a complete, lived-in picture of that place. This largely invisible but important role in moviemaking provides the lead character of 'The Scout,' which premieres Thursday at the Tribeca Festival. Paula González-Nasser wrote and directed 'The Scout' after toiling as a location scout for around six years. The filmmaker, who grew up in Colombia and Miami, got into the business after moving to New York in 2016, when a scout left the show where she was a locations production assistant. What followed were busy stints on the shows 'High Maintenance,' 'Search Party,' 'Broad City,' and films like 'Never Rarely Sometimes Always' — driving around, knocking on doors, and leaving fliers in neighborhoods in search of the perfect locations for scenes. She started keeping a diary of her appointments, if only to preserve more of the memories of all that she saw. When the idea struck her to tell a story about her job through a movie, she knew she didn't want to show the hustle-and-bustle on set that meta movies about filmmaking often focus their energies on. 'You never see the boring, drab, behind-the-scenes part of making a movie,' González-Nasser said during an interview in a cafe in Crown Heights, a Brooklyn neighborhood where she had scouted locations for the HBO series 'High Maintenance.' 'But,' she continued, 'I also wanted to show a character in a job that was blending the personal and professional and pulling her in many different directions.' Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Watch Shakira's Intimate Performance of ‘Antología' on ‘Fallon'
Shakira appeared on The Tonight Show to showcase her song 'Antología,' offering an emotive performance in the midst of the late-night show audience. The Colombian musician revisited the 1996 song in an intimate, sing-along style, accompanied by her live band. 'Antología' appeared on Shakira's breakthrough album Pies Descalzos. The stripped down performance marks her second time reimagining an older song on The Tonight Show. Earlier this month, she and Wyclef Jean offered a lively rendition of her hit 'Hips Don't Lie.' More from Rolling Stone Jon Stewart Slams CNN for Promoting Book on Biden's Health Amid Cancer Diagnosis 'SNL': Watch Bad Bunny Perform 'NUEVAYoL,' 'PERFuMITO NUEVO' 'SNL' Weekend Update: Michael Che Apologizes to Scarlett Johansson for That One Joke Shakira reflected on the longtime success of 'Hips Don't Lie' during an interview with host Jimmy Fallon, noting that the single 'changed my story.' 'Since that song came about people called me Shakira twice,' she said. 'Some people have used lie detectors on me.' Ths singer launched her Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran World Tour in Brazil in February, and kicked off the North American leg of the tour on May 13 at the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina. She will also perform in Washington, D.C., on May 26 as the headliner of WorldPride DC. She recently told Rolling Stone of the record-breaking tour, 'I learned that this is more than a show, this is a communion, an encounter with my most-loyal fans and also my newest fans. It's really a moment of total identification.… I didn't want to save any effort, I didn't want to save any resources to take the best show possible to Latin America, because I feel and I really truly believe that my people deserve the best.' She said that playing 'Antología' always gets her choked up on stage. 'It's the testament to this relationship that I have with with my audience,' she noted. The singer added of her goal with the tour, 'This has always been my mandate since I started my career: I wanted to show the world what Colombians, what Latinos are about. I wanted you to fight so much prejudice that we've had to encounter throughout the years, and this moment together is a celebration of who we are, how far we've come. I want the show to be representative of who we are as a community, especially during these hard times.' Best of Rolling Stone The 50 Greatest Eminem Songs All 274 of Taylor Swift's Songs, Ranked The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Shakira Reveals the Major Hit She's Adding to Her U.S. Tour — and More Surprises
Sunday was Mother's Day, and Shakira had a ton to do — but first and foremost, she was spending time with her kids, Sasha and Milan, who had surprised her that morning with a picnic they'd organized. Later in the afternoon, the Colombian superstar would be diving into performance mode: The U.S. leg of her Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran tour kicks off in North Carolina on Monday night, making her to-do list basically endless. Speaking to Rolling Stone over the phone, Shakira shared that after the call she'd be flying straight into a fitting to try on some of the wardrobe she wears in the show — she changes into a total of 13 outfits throughout the nearly two-and-a-half-hour spectacular. Her favorite? 'I love the outfit for 'Session 53,'' she says, referring to a sheer bodysuit she wears during her hit 'Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53.' 'It's like a second skin. It looks like AI, I'm telling you. The design is so cool: It's like the fabric is tattooed on my body, and it's so comfortable.' More from Rolling Stone Shakira Reflects on 20 Years of 'Hips Don't Lie': 'It Changed My Story' Watch Shakira, Wyclef Jean Revive 'Hips Don't Lie' on 'Fallon' Shakira Roams a Desolate New York City in New 'Última' Video And then, at some point during the day, she was going to find time to rehearse 'Underneath Your Clothes,' a song she's introducing into the tour set list. 'I'm going to try to add a couple of new songs, like 'Underneath Your Clothes.' I feel like a lot of my fans are probably gonna want to hear it — it's one of my classics from Laundry Service.' She has a few other surprises up her sleeves, including bringing Alejandro Sanz onstage to perform 'La Tortura' in North Carolina, and Rauw Alejandro and Ozuna in New York (she's already said that Pitbull will be joining her MetLife show in New Jersey on May 16). 'I think it's going to be very interesting and a different kind of leg for this tour,' she says. 'I'm gonna have a lot of guests, friends of mine, colleagues that have collaborated with me in the past.' Already, Shakira crisscrossed Latin America, performing massive shows in Brazil, Peru, and Colombia. She had tons of surprise guests there also — Maluma, J Balvin, and Grupo Frontera among them. She says she wanted to bring an epic show to Latin America, and make sure her fans were getting a full experience. 'I learned that this is more than a show, this is a communion, an encounter with my most-loyal fans and also my newest fans. It's really a moment of total identification.… I didn't want to save any effort, I didn't want to save any resources to take the best show possible to Latin America, because I feel and I really truly believe that my people deserve the best.' In the U.S., fans can expect the same caliber of performance and emotion. (Shakira says the moment that gets her choked up the most is when she sings her Pies Descalzos classic 'Antología': 'It's the testament to this relationship that I have with with my audience.') There are also a few interludes and bits of new music she's written for different parts of the show, including a flamenco-style arrangement and a piece of a bolero. 'Who knows,' she says, 'maybe one of these songs is worth developing because they're not just music to fill in the gaps. These are heartfelt musical pieces that have been properly produced.' The tour has also coincided with the anniversary of some of her biggest hits. This year marks the 20th anniversary of 'La Tortura,' which is why she wanted to bring out Sanz. 'That was probably very one of the very few songs that played in Spanish in America on American radio,' she says. 'So, it's like celebrating after 20 years the road that we've traveled, and how many obstacles as artists we have overcome.''Hips Don't Lie,' her mega-smash with Wyclef Jean, also turned 20, which the two artists recently celebrated on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. 'It's going to be a lot different than performing live on a real big stage, live for thousands of fans,' she says. She and Jean have kept in touch over the years, last seeing each other at the 2023 VMAs, when he presented her with the MTV VMA Vanguard Award. 'I was like, 'Damn, you look good!'' she says, laughing. 'He's just the same sweet energy and so passionate about what he does, and nothing has changed.' Most of all, as she prepares to take the stage across America, she's proud to celebrate the Latino community, particularly during a fraught political era in the U.S. and in other parts of the world. 'This has always been my mandate since I started my career: I wanted to show the world what Colombians, what Latinos are about. I wanted you to fight so much prejudice that we've had to encounter throughout the years, and this moment together is a celebration of who we are, how far we've come,' Shakira says. 'I want the show to be representative of who we are as a community, especially during these hard times.' Best of Rolling Stone The 50 Greatest Eminem Songs All 274 of Taylor Swift's Songs, Ranked The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time
