"Volví a Nacer" () is a song written and performed by Colombian recording artist Carlos Vives and co-produced by Andrés Castro. Following an international hiatus, it was released as the lead single from his thirteenth studio album Corazón Profundo (2013) on September 24, 2012. The song's lyrics are in Spanish and were inspired by the events of his music career as well as his wife Claudia Elena Vásquez. It is described by Vives as a romantic song with elements of Colombian vallenato and pop music.
"Volví a Nacer" was both a critical and commercial success where it peaked at number one in Colombia, Mexico, Venezuela, and on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart in the United States. The song was well received by critics who described it as the best track on the album. The success of the song led to Vives winning six Nuestra Tierra awards in his home country and two Latin Grammys for Song of the Year and Best Tropical Song. The music video for the song was directed by Carlos Pérez and filmed in Mexico.
Background
Following the release of El Rock de Mi Pueblo in 2004, Carlos Vives left his former record label EMI Latin when he and the record label could not come to an agreement over the renewal of his contract. This resulted in a five-year hiatus where Vives did not record an album until 2009, when he released Clásicos de la Provincia II, a collection of Colombian traditional songs which was only released in Colombia.<ref>{ { cite web|url=http://www.eluniversal.com/2009/09/28/music_ava_carlos-vives-regresa_28A2802251|title=Carlos Vives regresa con "Clásicos de la Provincia II|language=es|publisher=El Universal|date=2009-09-28|access-date=2013-10-23}}</ref> On September 10, 2012, he signed a management deal with former Universal Music Latino president Walter Kolm. In addition to the deal, he also announced that he would be working on a new album to be released in 2013, with a single to promote the album to be released later that same month. The lead single, "Volví a Nacer" was released on September 24, 2012. Four months later, Vives signed a contract with his new record label Sony Music Latin, which would launch his album Corazón Profundo on April 23, 2013.
Music and lyrics
"Volví a Nacer" was written by Vives and co-produced by him and Andrés Castro. The song's composition is dedicated to his wife, former Miss Colombia Claudia Elena Vásquez, and inspired by various experiences in his life. Vives describes the music as a "song of love" with a mixture of romantic pop ballad and the "joy" of Colombian vallenato music. In addition to the original recording, vallenato and cumbia versions of the song were produced, as well as a remix featuring Puerto Rican reggaeton artist J Alvarez. A ballad version was also later included on the deluxe edition of the album.
Critical reception
In his review of the album, David Jeffries of Allmusic said that "Volví a Nacer" "kicks off the album in a warm and familiar style" and called it an "obvious highlight". Carlos Quintana of About.com claims that the song is not only the "best", but "also the most meaningful one in terms of the music career of Carlos Vives". Hector Aviles of Latin Music Café listed it as one of the "3, great happy songs" on the album. The song served as the main theme for the Chilean telenovela Solamente Julia.
At the 2013 Colombian Nuestra Tierra awards, "Volví a Nacer" won Best Song of the Year and Best Tropical Song of the Year, while Vives himself was awarded Artist of the Year and Tropical Artist of the Year, making him the biggest winner of the night. At the 14th Latin Grammy Awards award ceremony, the song received two awards for Song of the Year and Best Tropical Song, and a nomination for Record of the Year. It was recognized as one of the best-performing Tropical Songs of the Year at the 21st ASCAP Latin music awards. "Volví a Nacer" was nominated Tropical Song of the Year at the 2014 Lo Nuestro Awards. The song was recognized as one of the best-performing Latin songs of 2013 at the 2014 BMI Latin Awards.
Chart performance
In Colombia, "Volví a Nacer" debuted at number three on the National-Report chart on the week of September 30, 2012. It reached number one on the chart the following week, succeeding "Solitaria" by Alkilados featuring Dalmata. It spent sixteen consecutive weeks on top of the chart until it was replaced by Vives's follow-up single "Como Le Gusta a Tu Cuerpo" featuring Michel Teló. In the United States, the song debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart, becoming his fifth number song on the chart and the tenth artist to achieve this feat.