Rauw Alejandro on Puerto Rico, salsa and working with Pharrell on his new album

Last year, Puerto Rican superstar Rauw Alejandro was in outer space.

“Playa Saturno,” the 2023 surprise spinoff to his 2022 record “Saturno,” brought his R&B-informed reggaeton to new heights on an extraterrestrial concept album. A year later, and he's completely shifted gears, finding inspiration in classic sounds and imagery, pulling from a '60s and '70s Nuyorican cool — while still doing what he’s always done best: contorting familiar genres into something novel.

Alejandro is releasing his fifth studio album “Cosa Nuestra,” a title borrowed from Willie Colón and Héctor Lavoe's 1969 album, on Friday. (There's a sample of Colón and Lavoe's “Qué Lío” in the opening title track.) It marries classic Puerto Rican instruments and genres, like salsa and merengue, with more modern sounds like reggaeton. And it is amplified by a number of inventive samples — like Frankie Ruiz's “Tú Con Él” — and all-star collaborators: Pharrell Williams, Bad Bunny and Feid among them.

Alejandro's created a kind of character for the release, whom he calls “Raúl Alejandro,” a nod to his father and the early migration of Puerto Ricans to New York, which he explored in an interview conducted in Spanish and English ahead of the 2024 Latin Grammys. It has been translated and edited for clarity and brevity.

AP: You've really challenged yourself on this album. How does it feel to get to the next level?

ALEJANDRO: I'm really happy. I think it's a different stage of my career. More elevated as a music producer, writer, artist in general. I've also grown a lot as a person. I feel more mature in every part of my life. This feels like the whole experience of my career in one whole project.

AP: If New York is homebase for hip-hop, Carolina, Puerto Rico, is a home for reggaeton. How would you describe its influence?

ALEJANDRO: Puerto Rico is in every part of the books, in history. We're in every part of the world. You mentioned hip-hop, Puerto Ricans were involved in that as well. But before that, you see a salsa world — the Fania All-Stars. New York in the '70s was a lot of jazz, soul. It's just a lot of music from New York and Puerto Ricans have always been there. Reggaeton comes from Carolina, Puerto Rico. It's the birthplace. It's special. I feel really proud to be a Puerto Rican.

In this new era, I went to New York and found great inspiration for my music but kept my essence. I keep the island at the forefront of everything that I do. I'm thinking about what it means to be Puerto Rican, our culture.

AP: Is it that pride that made you want to go back to your roots on this album?

ALEJANDRO: Of course, definitely. Salsa was a world that I had yet to explore. When I'm doing new projects, I try to look back at what I've accomplished and what I have yet to do. I try to analyze my whole career and see what's going to be next with Rauw, what's going to be new; I take my time at the studio, at home, studying, analyzing.

This project has a lot of salsa influence, a lot of African influence. I'm using the live instruments (for) the first time. Instruments traditional to Puerto Rico like the cuatro, puertorriqueño guitar, maraca, el guiro, la conga, all mixed with the digital sounds. And, you know, it sounds fresh. It sounds rich and perfect for dancing.

AP: Pharrell Williams is a producer on this album, and he's featured on “Committed.” What was it like working with him?

ALEJANDRO: We started working in New York and we finished in Paris. We have a few other records at the studio, but “Committed,” this song is really special. He was the one that wrote that, the hook. And he was like, “Rauw, you have to sing it in English.” And I was like, “I've never done this before. It's new.” It was challenge for me, you know, singing a whole hook in English. I told him, “OK, but I’ll do the verse in Spanish.” I like to write my own verses and wanted to make it my own. We fused our ideas together.

He understood the whole concept of the project. He's a legend, a mentor. You're going to hear more music from Pharrell and Rauw.

AP: How much of you is in the character you created for this album?

ALEJANDRO: I always liked the classic stuff, and being really elegant, since I was a kid. I always like to be in a suit and tie. I found excuses to be really dressed up. And I think this character borrows that from Rauw Alejandro. I'm 31. I feel like a young spirt with an old soul, living in New York, the city's vibes, the musical influence of the '60s, the long coats ... the swag of Puerto Rico. I can't deny it. I think the way that you dress is the way you express yourself and your art.

AP: You, Bad Bunny,Residente and other Puerto Rican artists have been vocal about issues facing the island. Why is it important to talk about?

ALEJANDRO: I'm from Puerto Rico, that's my island. As a civilian, I'm always going to fight for my rights and give my opinion, share a positive message, be an example for the next generation and try to find the best solutions for my island. I think Benito (Bad Bunny) and Rene (Residente) have always done the same. I think everyone expresses themselves in different ways, but as an artist, the people can always count on me to share a message.

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Associated Press Music Writer Maria Sherman contributed to this report from New York.