In a recent interview with American Songwriter, Carlos Santana revealed that he’d recorded a new song with Grupo Frontera, an award-winning Texas-based band that plays regional Mexican music, or “Musica Mexicana.” Now, that collaboration, titled “Me Retiro,” has been released as a digital single.
Videos by American Songwriter
The track combines Santana’s incendiary guitar with Grupo Frontera’s norteño rhythms. The song, whose title translates to “I Retire,” tells the heartbreaking story of the loss of a loved one.
The song was written and produced by Edgar Barrera, an acclaimed Miami-based musician, songwriter, and producer. Barrera has won 26 Latin Grammy Awards and a 2015 Grammy in the Best Tropical Latin Album category. Grupo Frontera joined Santana and his band on May 22 at the House of Blues in Las Vegas to give “Me Retiro” its live debut. You can check out fan-shot footage of the performance on YouTube.
“When I hear the music and lyrics of this song, it’s about healing people, sharing light, love, and joy with them,” Carlos said of “Me Retiro.” “To me, this music is meant to uplift our spirits and align our motives, purpose and intentions toward the highest good of life, people and the planet.”
Added Grupo Frontera in a joint statement, “It’s always a surreal moment when you get to collaborate with people you’ve looked up to your whole life. Edgar Barrera told us that Santana wanted to make a song together and we were shocked. Being in the same room as him, watching him work, we were speechless. We learned a lot from the experience.”
An official music video for “Me Retiro” will premiere on Santana’s YouTube channel tonight (May 29) at 8 p.m. ET.
Santana Is Planning to Work More with Grupo Frontera
Carlos noted in a statement that he loved collaborating with Grupo Frontera and was planning to team up with the band again.
“It feels beautiful to share with them,” he said. [T]his is just the beginning because we’re going to do more things in the future. We’re achieving something multidimensional—we want a South American tour, a Latino Woodstock.”
Added Grupo Frontera, “What we always learn from these iconic artists we’ve worked with is that no matter how many years you’ve been in your career, professionalism and work ethic remain the same. He arrived, greeted us, and got straight to work. He jumped right into working, and that’s something we need to learn from.”
Santana’s Upcoming Tour Plans
Santana’s namesake band wrapped up its latest Las Vegas residency engagement at the House of Blues on May 24. The group will now head across the pond for a 2025 European leg of its Oneness Tour. The trek kicks off June 9 in Lodz, Poland, and is scheduled through an August 11 performance in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Santana also has two more runs of Las Vegas residency shows in 2025, scheduled in September and November.
About Santana’s Latest Album, Sentient
Santana released a new album titled Sentient on March 28. The 11-track retrospective collection includes remastered versions of a variety previously released songs selected by Carlos. They include collaborations with a number of other famous artists.
Among the guest stars appearing on the various tracks are Smokey Robinson, Darryl “DMC” McDaniels, and the late Michael Jackson and Miles Davis. Sentient also includes three previously unreleased recordings.
(Courtesy of Sony Music Entertainment)
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