Maluma‘s vision was crystal clear as he delved into creating his hit single “Según Quién.” The record began during a studio session with Edgar Barrera and Keityn in Turks and Caicos as he locked into album mode for Don Juan. The Colombian musician was ready to return to his roots for a bit, but when the pair of producers played him the first guitar chords that would form the foundation of the single, he had to chase the creative spark that followed.

“It sounded kind of Mexican and I loved it because I always had the Mexican culture in my veins,” Maluma tells Rolling Stone on the latest episode of The Breakdown. “I was raised listening to Vicente Fernández, Alejandro Fernández, Antonio Aguilar — all these big artists from Mexico that actually made me the artist that I am right now.”

Following the feeling of the music, Maluma arrived at the thematic idea behind “Según Quién,” this question of: “Who said that? Because everybody’s saying around that I was suffering, but who said that, actually?” Undoubtably his strong suit, the intro and hook came easily. But when it came time to add the drums, he look the road less traveled and opted for a more vintage sound rather than his usual reggaetón rhythm.