Maná’s ‘no’ to record ‘the torture’ that opened the doors of the Shakira duo – Alejandro Sanz | Music
There are decisions that change the course of music forever. One of them occurred in the early 2000s, when the Mexican group Manna refused to record a song that had offered them Shakira. The theme, a bold mixture of Latin pop with incipient reggaeton, was called torture. At that time, no one imagined that “no” would open the door to one of the most iconic pop collaborations in Spanish: that of Shakira and Alejandro Sanz.
According to sources close to production, Maná considered that the song did not fit with his style. The theme, with its sensual rhythm and its letter full of emotional ambiguity, seemed too risky for the Tapatío quartet.
It was then that the musical environment of Barranquilla thought about joining his way with a Spanish artist who at that time was on the mouth of everyone on either side of the Atlantic. Alejandro Sanz, the Madrid singer -songwriter who was already a consolidated figure in Hispanic music.
Chemistry was immediate. The torture, launched in 2005, was not only a resounding success, ”sales records dominated, dominated Billboard lists and became a generational anthem – but also marked the beginning of an artistic relationship that has lasted two decades.
A connection beyond the study
It was not necessary to be the smartest in the class to know that the images of the video clip of the torture were going to give much to talk. In fact, the rumors that talked about a connection beyond the recording studio were soon.
And as always happens in this kind of rumors, the fact that neither of the two artists gave them more importance and that no one could deny their incredible feeling to the cameras fed the yellow, pink or color that you prefer to dress sensationalism. And even if it would have been true, who cared?
After the success of the torture, Shakira and Sanz repeated formula in 2006 with I appreciate it, but no, a pop ballad with flamenco dyes included in the album the train of the moments of the Madrid. The most intimate and melancholic song showed another facet of its connection: the ability to narrate heartbreak with a complicity that crossed the microphone.
Since then, their paths have crossed multiple occasions. They have shared the scenario in memorable concerts such as the one with which the Olympic Games in Madrid wanted to promote until their double recent collaboration in Miami in this 2025. Their joint performances has not been only a musical collaboration but a conversation between two artists who understand themselves without words.
Kiss me, the most anticipated return
In May 2025, twenty years after that first musical encounter, Shakira and Alejandro Sanz united their voices again In Kissame, a romantic and nostalgic ballad that is part of the new Sanz album, and now what? The song, with soft guitars and a minimalist production, is a return to the essence of both: pure emotion, without artifice.
The launch was not accidental. Days before, they surprised the public in Charlotte (USA) When interpreting the subject together in one of the concerts of the Shakira world tour. The ovation was immediate. Then they repeated the feat in Miami demonstrating that its connection is still as alive as in 2005.
What began as a fortuitous collaboration after Maná’s rejection, has become one of the most beloved Latin pop alliances. Shakira and Alejandro Sanz have not only shared songs, but also an artistic vision that transcends genres and generations. And what could have changed if instead of an there was no yes.
