Eslabon Armado was formed in 2017 by brothers Pedro Tovar (lead vocals), Brian Tovar (bass), and their friend Gabriel Hidalgo (acoustic guitar). Ulises González replaced Hildago in 2021 as acoustic guitarist, and Damian Pacheco (requinto guitar) joined the trio the next year. Based in California, Eslabon Armado's music is a fusion of traditional Mexican music with modern trap and urban pop, creating a unique sound that has gained them a large following.
Peso Pluma joins Eslabon Armado on this song.
Peso Pluma is a rapper/singer from Guadalajara, Mexico, who first released music in 2020. In Portuguese, the term "Peso-pluma" translates to "lightweight" or "featherweight," which aptly captures the lively and danceable rhythms in his songs.
"Ella Baila Sola" translates to "She Dances Alone." In the song, Pedro Tovar and Peso Pluma fall head over heels for a girl they've seen dancing. She's got a perfect body and stunning eyes he can't resist. Peso doesn't waste any time and boldly tells her she's gonna be his girl in a few days. She's surprised, but she's feelin' it. Here's how the first verse translated into English goes:
Hey bro, what do you think of that girl?
The one dancing all alone, she's fine as hell
She knows she's hot, everyone's watchin' her move
I walk up and drop some smooth lines, we drink and flirt without a care
I tell her straight up, 'I'm gonna make you mine in just a few days'
She thinks I'm crazy but likes the way I play
No other guy can do it like me
In the second part of the song, Peso Pluma keeps it real and admits he's not ballin' and knows how to win her heart. But guess what? The girl takes Pedro's hand; the Mexican singer can't believe it when they leave the club together.
Pedro Tovar wrote "Ella Baila Sola" and co-produced it with Damian Pacheco.
Before the song even dropped, the lyrics went viral - especially the opening line, "Compa Qué le parece esa morra?" which means, "Hey bro, what do you think of that girl?" The Spanish-speaking community was all over it, sharing it like crazy on TikTok a few days ahead of the release.
By the time Eslabon Armado released "Ella Baila Sola" on March 17, 2023, there was huge anticipation. It debuted at #26 on the Hot 100, giving both Eslabon Armado and Peso Pluma their first hit on the chart. A month later, Eslabon Armado and Peso Pluma became the first regional Mexican acts to enter the Top 10 of the Hot 100 when the song climbed to #10.
Pedro Tovar first came up with the melody for what was to be "Ella Baila Sola" in January 2023, but initially didn't give it much thought. He filed it away for a few weeks but revisited it after exchanging direct messages on social media with Peso Pluma. Tovar revisited the tune and penned the lyrics before sharing it with Pluma.
"I called him right after I finished writing it,"
he told Billboard. "I remember he was at an airport, and I was like, 'Hey bro, I have the song.' He asked me to send it to him, but I decided to sing it to him instead. 'So, I can see your reaction,' I explained to him. He was hella hyped."
"Ella Baila Sola" is a romantic sierreño track. Sierreño music has its roots in the Mexican state of Sinaloa and is known for its use of three instruments: a 6-string acoustic guitar, a 12-string acoustic guitar, and a bass guitar. This distinctive sound is created by the interplay of these instruments and is associated with the rugged mountainous terrain of Sinaloa.
The track seamlessly blends the individual musical styles of Eslabon Armado and Peso Pluma. "Each one of us did our own thing and it became its own style. No one forced anything, which in return made the song turn out so well," said Pluma.
The core sound of the track is sierreño, with the requinto as the leading guitar, but they also added charchetas, trombone, and tololoche to add a tumbado twist and create a contemporary sound.
"We used very specific instruments to get the sound we wanted and for it to sound like what is popular today," said Tovar.
When Peso Pluma performed "Ella Baila Sola" solo on the April 28, 2023 episode of The Tonight Show, there was no mention of Eslabón by either the host or the artist.
In a live video posted to TikTok three days later, Pedro Tovar said that he was "disappointed" that Peso Pluma did not give him credit for writing the song. He also said that Peso Pluma did not share the performance on his Instagram, or say "Saludos to my compa Pedro, the song was a success," which Tovar felt was disrespectful.
