KLK (song)

"KLK" (abbreviation of "qué lo qué", a colloquial expression for "what's up?") is a song recorded by Venezuelan musician Arca featuring vocals by Spanish new flamenco singer Rosalía. Written by both of the performers in Barcelona, Spain, the track was released on 22 June 2020 through XL Recordings and Columbia Records as the fourth single off Arca's fourth studio album Kick I.

"KLK"
Single by Arca featuring Rosalía
from the album Kick I
Language	Spanish
B-side	"KLK" (instrumental)
Released	22 June 2020 (2020-06-22)
Recorded	September–December 2018
Genre	Deconstructed club, reggaeton
Length	3:47
Label	XL Columbia
Songwriter(s)	Alejandra Ghersi Rosalía Luis Garban
Producer(s)	Arca Cardopusher [es]
Arca singles chronology
"Mequetrefe" (2020) "KLK" (2020) "Knot" (2020)
Rosalía singles chronology
"TKN" (2020) "KLK" (2020) "Relación (remix)" (2020)
Audio sample
file help

In December 2021, a remixed version featuring Ivy Queen and La Goony Chonga premiered exclusively on Motomami Los Santos, Rosalía's own Grand Theft Auto V radio station hosted by her and Arca.^[1]

Background

Arca and Rosalía have been friends since 2018. Their friendship started when Arca discovered the Spanish singer through her hit single "Malamente" and saw her set at the Sónar music festival.^[2] In April 2019, during an Instagram livestream, Arca teased a song titled "KLK" and stated "I can't wait to put this record out".^[3] The couple of friends were seen in public again at Frank Ocean's PrEP+ Party in New York City, where the Venezuelan played a special DJ set.^[4][5] In November 2019, Rosalía sampled Arca's voice as an interlude to transition from "A Palé" to "Con altura" during her performance at the 20th Annual Latin Grammy Awards.^[6]

On 8 March 2020, Arca revealed to Garage Magazine that her new album would be released in 2020 and that would feature collaborations with Björk and Rosalía among others, confirming the participation of the Spanish new flamenco artist in her fourth studio album.^[7] On 21 June, Arca and Rosalía had a conversation on an Instagram livestream where they discussed the track and previewed it. Without any previous announcement, "KLK" was released on digital download and different streaming platforms the day after, along with its instrumental version.^[8]

Composition

The track was first recorded in Barcelona on 17 September 2018 and was lyric empty.^[9] Since Rosalía was promoting her second studio album El mal querer (2018) in Madrid and Miami, her vocals were sent to Arca through a WhatsApp voice note.^{[citation needed]} Thus, the song has partly been recorded using an iPhone.^[10] "KLK" was also produced by Venezuelan musician and Arca's high school friend Luis Garban [es], who records under the stage name Cardopusher.

Inspired by traditional Venezuelan music and utilising a drum known as the furruco, Arca has stated that she was grateful to "studied some of the typical styles of Venezuelan music," thus noting that she had always thought of the drum when she would "program a subbass".^[11]

Critical reception

"KLK" was generally well-received by critics. Writing for Exclaim!, Kaelen Bell found the track to be "in a state of constant collapse and regeneration" and a form of "caustic reggaeton",^[12] while Dhruva Balram of NME referred to it as "hyperkinetic" and a "club-ready track."^[13] Pitchfork's Chal Ravens praised the "extra ballast" Cardopusher added to the song's production,^[14] whereas The Guardian's John Twells found that Rosalía's feature on the track added "little to the mix other than a Spanish voice in a reggaetónera’s clothing," negatively comparing it to the other collaborations on Kick I.^[15]

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal.^[16]

• Alejandra Ghersi – producer, composer
• Rosalía – lyricist
• Cardopusher [es] – producer, composer
• Alex Epton – mixer, studio personnel

Track listing

• Digital download – streaming

1. "KLK" – 3:47
2. "KLK" (instrumental) – 3:47

Release history

Country	Date	Format	Label
Various	22 June 2020	Digital download streaming	XL Recordings

References

1. "Rosalía and Arca to Host Grand Theft Auto Online Radio Station". Pitchfork. 13 December 2021. Archived from the original on 15 December 2021. Retrieved 15 December 2021.
2. "Rosalía vuelve al estudio de grabación con otro invitado muy especial | Noticias". El Quinto Beatle (in Spanish). 31 December 2018. Archived from the original on 25 June 2020. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
3. Georgiev, Nikolay (15 April 2019). "Arca Playing New Music on Instagram Live". YouTube. Archived from the original on 23 May 2020. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
4. Kornhaber, Spencer (22 October 2019). "What Frank Ocean's PrEP+ Party Understood". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on 31 July 2020. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
5. Staff (25 October 2019). "Rosalía y Arca juntas en la última fiesta PrEP+ de Frank Ocean". Revista Marvin (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 23 June 2020. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
6. "Rosalía usa un 'sample' de Arca en los Latin Grammy". CusicaPlus (in Spanish). 15 November 2019. Archived from the original on 23 June 2020. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
7. "Arca Details New Album 'KiCk i' Featuring Rosalía & Björk". HYPEBEAST. Archived from the original on 3 April 2020. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
8. Moreland, Quinn. "Arca and Rosalía Link Up for New Song "KLK"". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 23 June 2020. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
9. "Get to Know Rosalía, the Spanish Singer Giving Flamenco's Age-Old Sound a Bracingly Modern Twist". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 23 June 2020. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
10. Music, Rosalía (21 June 2020). "Hablan de cómo surgió 'KLK' y de que Rosalía grabó su parte desde su propio iPhone". Twitter. Archived from the original on 28 June 2024. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
11. "Arca publica 'KLK', su bailable tema con Rosalía". Jenesaispop (in Spanish). 22 June 2020. Archived from the original on 28 June 2024. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
12. Bell, Kaelen (22 June 2020). "Arca's Stunning 'KiCk i' Is a Fully Realized Vision of the Future". Exclaim!. Archived from the original on 24 June 2020. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
13. Balram, Dhruva (24 June 2020). "Arca – 'KiCk i' review: a new high watermark for the wildly innovative producer's experimental pop". NME. Archived from the original on 26 June 2020. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
14. Ravens, Chal (30 June 2020). "Arca: KiCk i Album Review". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 1 July 2020. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
15. Twells, John (25 June 2020). "Arca: KiCk i review – joyful sonic vision of what pop could be". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 25 June 2020. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
16. "Arca – KLK". Tidal. Archived from the original on 29 December 2021. Retrieved 29 December 2021.