.MP3 (album)

.MP3 is the second studio album by Argentine singer-songwriter Emilia, released on November 3, 2023, through Sony Music Latin and WK Records. It has been supported by seven singles: "Jagger", "No Se Ve" (with Ludmilla), "Guerrero", "GTA", "La Original" (with Tini), "Exclusive" and "Jet Set" (with Nathy Peluso).

Composition
.MP3 is a 2000s-influenced album that combines styles of pop, contemporary R&B, dance-pop, hip hop and urban music. Emilia co-wroted it and worked with producers including Big One, Mauricio Rengifo, Andrés Torres, Valyum, and Zecca.

Musical style
The concept of .MP3 revolves around a revival of the female-driven pop of the 1990s but predominantly the 2000s era, the music that Emilia listened to while growing up. As such, she has mentioned U.S. pop stars such as Beyoncé, Rihanna, Missy Elliot, Gwen Stefani and Pink as some of her biggest inspirations, as well as Latin American singers like Shakira, Thalía and Paulina Rubio. Musically, the album sees Emilia distance herself from her signature pop-reggaetón sound of her debut, in favor of experimentation with other genres such as hip-hop and various electronic styles that were popular in the 2000s, such as house music. Interviewed by NME, Emilia explained the album's concept: When I was young, the artists who inspired me were always women. It was the only music I listened to. The lyrics made me feel very, very powerful. I thought to myself, "I want to do something like that with my music." Bandana were a very popular girl group in Argentina when I was growing up [in the early 2000s]. I really love that era of music, I think it's the golden era of music and very important for me today. (...) Right now I'm doing music inspired by the 2000s, but different genres from that period. I try to weave my identity into the songs, but keep them familiar to that 2000s sound. I'm so excited because it's something new for me.

As part of the album's theme of 2000s nostalgia, the title of each of its tracks is written with ".mp3" at the end, emulating how music files were saved in portable music players. When asked by Wonderland magazine about the intention behind this, Emilia explained: "When I was young, I had an MP3 player, and I remember all the songs finish with that. It puts in context to be people about that era. There is something meaningful about that era. I want to put people who listen to my music in that era, because the music that I make right now is inspired by then. There are kids who hear me that don't know about mp3, and I want to show them that there is more than digital. I think there's something iconic about that time, and mp3 represents something important to it."

Songs
The album's second track and lead single, "Jagger" has been described as a 2000s-inspired dance-pop and urban pop song, with elements of hip hop. Writers have noted similarities between the song's style and hits by Ciara and Missy Elliot in that decade. Billboard described "Jagger" as a "steamy song that plays with different tempos" that is "sprinkled with some English but written mostly in Spanish". Emilia sings: "Lo que tengo de buena lo tengo de mala / I'm a bad bitch, 'toy volando sin alas". The song's lyrics depict Emilia embracing self-empowerment while declaring her imperviousness to detractors.

In "La Original", Emilia and Tini sing over a piano house beat about "fully embracing themselves behind the scenes once the cameras turn off". In a press release, Emilia explained the meaning behind the song: "I always try to show all parts of myself, but I feel like with all the criticism we sometimes face, we hide and don't want to show our true selves. La Original.mp3 is about that. (...) Tini and I decided to do the opposite and show that it's okay to portarse mal when there's no one there to judge or point fingers."

"GTA" is a club-oriented track with an electronic-house sound that sets it apart from Emilia's previous releases. Interviewed by NME, the singer described it as "an electronic song, heavily inspired by Kylie Minogue. I just love her." In another interview, she stated that "GTA" was "very important to me because it's a very different song for me. People will never hear me like that, so I'm excited for the next steps." Wonderland defined the song as an "immersive and groove-laden track that is designed to get listeners on their feat, rhythmically and stylistically unique". Over pulsating beats, Emilia sings about a "hot-and-heavy romance that she can't get out of her head", and "giving a private show to the man she likes".

"No Se Ve" is a "genre-bending" song that combines funk carioca with EDM.

Promotion and release
Shortly after her performance at Billboard Mujeres Latinas en la Música, Emilia announced her international 2023 Tour, which began on May 14 in Mexico City as part of the Tecate Emblema festival. While in Mexico, Emilia was interviewed for E! News Latino and Radio Disney México.

On October 9, 2023, Emilia posted a video in her Instagram account teasing the album's release, which shows her in a bedroom that resembles that of a teenager in the 2000s, with walls full of posters, synthetic hair rugs and other typical objects of the time. Three days later, the singer revealed the album's official title and artwork in her Instagram and Twitter accounts. Following the album's overall concept of 2000s nostalgia, the cover shows a CD case with a picture of the singer leaning on an MP3 player. On October 17, Emilia unveiled a new website promoting the new release. Following the concept of the album, the website has a style reminiscent of vintage social networks such as Fotolog or Myspace. Emilia published a second teaser on October 20, which shows her in the same setting as the previous clip but going through VHS cases stacked next to a television; each of the cases features the title of one of the album's tracks, and when she introduces one of the tapes to the television the screen reveals that the album's release date will be November 2. Two days later, the singer announced the complete tracklist and released the option to presave the album. On October 29, Emilia celebrated her birthday at a big party in Puerto Madero, Buenos Aires with the theme of the album and its reference to the 2000s, in addition to revealing on her social media accounts that the tracks "Iconic" and "La Original" would feature Nathy Peluso and Tini, respectively.

The album was released for digital download and streaming on November 3 by Sony Music Latin and WK Records. The song "Jet Set" remains hidden and is set for release in 2024. That day, Emilia performed the songs "GTA" and "No Se Ve" at the 2023 Los 40 Music Awards held at the WiZink Center in Madrid, where she received the Best Latin Collaboration award for the latter.

Tour
On 30 November 2023, Emilia announced that she would embark on the .MP3 Tour in 2024 and tickets went on sale on 4 December. That day, she sold out ten shows at Buenos Aires's Movistar Arena in less than ten hours.

Singles
The album's lead single, "Jagger", was released on March 30, 2023. It entered the Billboard Argentina Hot 100 on April 8 and peaked at number 5 on April 29, remaining on the chart for 28 weeks. In the Argentine Chamber of Phonograms and Videograms Producers (CAPIF)'s Top 10 ranking of the most listened to songs in the country, the single peaked at number 8 in the week of April 14. The song also entered Monitor Latino's Argentina Top 20 chart on April 23, peaking at number 11. In Uruguay, "Jagger" peaked at number 15 in Monitor Latino's chart, and reached number 16 at CUD's chart for the month of May. The single's accompanying music video was directed by Ballve and has been noted for its reference to 2000s fashion, with the singer wearing bandanas, large-size earrings and sunglasses, and low-rise jeans. It shows Emilia washing a car and doing a group choreography in the garden of a typical North American house.

"No Se Ve"—in collaboration with Ludmilla— was released as the album's second single on May 3, 2023 through WK Records. The song performed better commercially than its predecessor. It entered the Billboard Argentina Hot 100 on May 15 and peaked at number 5 on July 22, currently remaining on the list for 23 weeks. In the CAPIF's Top 10 ranking of the most listened to songs in the country, "No Se Ve" peaked at number 4 in the week of June 30, while also peaking at number 9 in Monitor Latino's chart for Argentina. On July 17, Monitor Latino published a unique feature discussing the song's "unstoppable" commercial performance in the country, stating that its success is "not only limited to the Monitor Latino charts but has also generated a great impact on the Argentine music industry. The song has achieved platinum certifications and has become one of the most requested on the most important radio stations in the country."

The album's second single also achieved commercial success outside Argentina. It appeared on Billboard's Latin Pop Airplay chart at number 17 and Global Excl. US chart at number 158. "No Se Ve" ranked in several of Monitor Latino's country charts, including Uruguay at number 15, Chile at number 5, and Ecuador at the top spot. In Uruguay, the song also reached number 7 at CUD's chart for July. In Spain, it peaked at number 13 in PROMUSICAE single's chart and at number 12 in Billboard's Spain Songs chart. The song also performed well in Brazil, where it appeared in three of Crowley's charts for the country: Top 100 Brasil at number 77, Top 10 Latino at the top spot, and Top 10 Pop Internacional at number 6. "No Se Ve" was certified Gold in Brazil by Pro-Música Brasil, double Platinum in Spain by PROMUSICAE, and Latin Gold in the U.S. by the RIAA.

The accompanying music video for "No Se Ve" was also directed by Ballve and had the particularity of being released in two versions, one of them in vertical format intended for Instagram Reels and made in collaboration with Meta, which became the first music video ever to debut on the social media platform on May 3. The clip accumulated 40 million views in the first 24 hours of its premiere, marking a new record for Emilia and Ludmilla. The full-length version was published on YouTube on May 5 and is shot in horizontal format, but with a 4:3 aspect ratio, typical of television from the 1990s and 2000s, The music video shows Emilia in a typical room of a girl from the 2000s, with walls full of posters and featuring flip phones and teen magazines of the time. In one of the magazines she looks through, she sees Ludmilla, a famous pop star, and magically transports herself to where she is. In line with the overall theme of the album, the video "brings many of the Y2K trends, including neon, lace-up tops, rose-colored sunglasses, and more."

"Guerrero" was released as the album's third single on June 15, 2023. A few days before the release of the song—which was close to Father's Day in Argentina—Emilia published photos and messages dedicated to her father, to whom the song is dedicated. The single had a poorer commercial performance than its predecessors. It entered the Billboard Argentina Hot 100 at number 88 on June 24 but left the chart the following week. The music video for the song, directed by Rocío Gastaldi, shows the singer traveling in time to her childhood home to accompany her father in his illness, but also herself as a child.

"GTA" was released as the album's fourth single on September 7, 2023. Its music video was once again directed by Ballve and depicts the singer alternating between playing a GTA-inspired video game and being a character within the same game as an erotic dancer. The release of the single and its music video was controversial to some Twitter users, who accused her of advocating prostitution. In this regard, her partner Duki defended her in a tweet—which he later deleted—in which he argued that the lyrics were not nearly as explicit as other hits of the moment, and that the music video represents a video game and not real life. "GTA" has been a commercial success in Argentina, peaking at number 2 in the Billboard Argentina Hot 100 chart and number 5 in CAPIF's chart. In Spain, the song topped Los 40's weekly chart on August 26 and months later on October 28.

"La Original" with Tini was released immediately before the album as its fifth single on November 2, 2023. Directed by Ballve, the music video "walking onto a runway while watched by fashion critics before they start singing the lyrics to their catchy track as they sport headpiece mics reminiscent of Britney Spears' best performances." The video then shows the two singing and dancing on the empty runway after everyone has left.

Accolades
On May 7, 2023, Emilia received the Rising Star Award at the inaugural edition of Billboard's Mujeres Latinas en la Música, an Latin-focused expansion of the Billboard Women in Music franchise.

At the 2023 Los 40 Music Awards, Emilia was nominated for the Best Latin Breakthrough Artist and won the Best Latin Collaboration for the song "No Se Ve."

Track listing
Notes
 * All tracks are stylized with an underscore between words and ".mp3" at the end.
 * "Jet Set" is stylised as "JET Set"
 * "Iconic" is stylised as "IConic"

Personnel

 * Emilia Mernes – vocals
 * Zecca – mastering, mixing, engineering (tracks 1–3, 8–10, 13)
 * Andrés Torres – mastering, engineering (tracks 4–6)
 * Mauricio Rengifo – mastering, engineering (tracks 4–6)
 * Tom Norris – mixing (tracks 4–6)
 * Daniel Ismael Real – mastering, mixing, engineering (tracks 7, 11, 12)