Natalie Peña Comas presents “Fifth Element: Earth”, inspired by Mexico and the Latin American bolero

Santo Domingo.- Dominican soprano Natalie Peña Comas presented her new album this Tuesday, “Quinto Elemento: Tierra” (Fifth Element: Earth), a production that marks the beginning of a musical series inspired by the elements of nature, starting with the cultural richness of Mexico and its influence on the Latin American bolero.

The album reinterprets five iconic songs from the Mexican repertoire, fusing contemporary sounds with elements from other cultures and the artist’s Caribbean roots, especially bachata.

“We have combined, of course, with my roots: bachata in the Caribbean, with a very well-known song, Sombras nada más, which, thank God, we have already been… two consecutive weeks at number one as the most listened to pop song and the most played on national radio”, explained the lyrical singer, Nathalie Peña Comas.  

Peña Comas detailed during the album presentation that this proposal differs from his previous works due to a vocal interpretation closer to pop and a musical exploration oriented towards world music, through the incorporation of instruments and sounds from various parts of the world.

“World music is what integrates sound elements from other countries, we have the Armenian duduk, which is an instrument from the folklore of Armenia, and it opens one of our songs, “Esclavo y amo”, which is an extremely well-known bolero ranchero with trumpets and mariachi”, said the artist energetically.

Natalie Peña Comas explores human emotions with “Fifth Element: Earth”

The artist pointed out that “Quinto Elemento” seeks to connect with human emotions and feelings, exploring the duality of love, heartbreak, happiness, and the contradictions that people experience in their relationships.

“That duality of human emotions, and especially in this era of artificial intelligence, where we are increasingly moving away from who we are as people”, pointed out the soprano.

Peña Comas finally expressed that this production seeks to vindicate sensitivity and emotions through music and invites the public to reconnect with that which defines us as human beings.

A production by the Mexican master Enrique Ramírez.

To achieve that borderless vision, the project featured the musical direction and production of Enrique Martínez, a prominent Mexican producer, arranger, and multi-instrumentalist with an extensive international career, accompanied by production assistant Wesley Amorim and creative consulting by Gabriela Martinez.

Known for his versatility as a pianist and accordionist, Martinez brings to the album his deep knowledge of Mexican traditions after having worked on productions for figures such as Joan Sebastian, Julio Iglesias, Marco Antonio Solis, Julión Álvarez, and Jenni Rivera, including the memorable album Joyas Prestadas, in addition to having participated as a musician in soundtracks for major Hollywood productions such as Disney-Pixar’s Coco and Ice Age: Continental Drift.

Regarding the experience of leading this project, the producer highlights: “Producing this EP with Nathalie has been extremely enriching both artistically and personally. From the beginning, the idea was to create an encounter between lyrical singing and popular music. Her openness and courage to explore a new language allowed both worlds to coexist naturally, without losing the essence of the songs, but bringing them a new musical dimension. Nathalie has an extraordinary artistic sensitivity and a very particular way of interpreting music, which allowed me to explore different possibilities from the production side,” he highlighted.

Likewise, Martínez highlights the value of live instrumentation and the human talent that joined the album: “For me, producing these tracks was not just about recording instruments or getting a good sound, but having a vision and knowing how to listen to create an environment where musicians of exceptional level and trajectory could contribute their personality, their experience, and their creativity. That possibility of uniting different experiences, cultures, and sensibilities in a proposal that has its own identity is what makes this production special.”

The weight of this tribute to Mexico and the attention to detail that characterizes Martínez‘s work are noticeable from the studio sessions.