Some songs take years to finish because the writer is not ready for what finishing them would mean. Juanes began writing "Madre" three or four years ago, when his mother Alicia Vásquez was gravely ill and the family did not know how much time was left. He finished it in time for her to hear it. She passed away last year at 95. On Tuesday, the Colombian singer released a new acoustic performance video for the song, timed to Mother's Day, as the closing track of his 12th studio album "JuanesTeban."

Juanes has spent 25 years as one of Latin music's most decorated artists. Billboard named him the top Latin rock and pop artist of the 21st century. He holds 29 Grammy and Latin Grammy wins, 17 number-one songs, and 20 billion career streams, according to Billboard. His catalog spans rock, cumbia, pop, and folk. None of it quite sounds like "Madre."

Juanes on Writing "Madre": A Song That Changed Direction Over Time

The track started somewhere else. In a statement accompanying the release, Juanes described the first version as slow and heavy with grief. When he brought in album co-producer Nico Cross, the two agreed to rework it entirely: raise the key, push the tempo, reframe the whole thing as a celebration rather than a lament.

"I worked on the lyrics with Alexis Díaz Pimienta, an incredibly talented Cuban poet and great friend," Juanes said. "I also invited Sofía Montoya to sing the backing vocals. She's part of Cantoalegre. She brought in several friends who were also part of that choir, which is so important in Medellín's musical history."

Cantoalegre is one of the most recognized children's choirs in Colombia, rooted in the folk and popular music traditions of Medellín. Its presence on the track is not incidental. It ties the song back to the city where Juanes grew up, and to a sound that predates his career entirely.

The moment that defined the song, though, came before any of that. "The most beautiful part was that my mom got to hear the song before she passed away," he said. "She loved it, and that moment was deeply special to me." He dedicated the song to her directly: "So this song is for you, Doña Alicia."

"JuanesTeban" and the World Tour Now Framing Everything Around It

"Madre" closes a 16-track album that Rolling Stone described as exploring "profound, emotional, and existential themes, but also joyful and lighthearted." The record was built around the concept of duality, with Juanes and his alter ego Teban representing opposite sides of the same person. The collaborators across the album include Bomba Estéreo, Mon Laferte, Rawayana, and Conociendo Rusia. String arrangements on two tracks came from Davide Rossi, who has worked extensively with Coldplay.

Billboard called "JuanesTeban" a career highlight, describing it as "a kaleidoscope of sound that bridges the intimacy of Colombian folklore with the power of rock spectacle." The performance video for "Madre" was directed by Juanes alongside Diego Cadavid and Mario Alzate.

Juanes recently announced a world tour for 2026, following sold-out appearances at Viña del Mar, Vive Latino, and a standalone show at Madrid's Movistar Arena. The tour will span Latin America, Europe, and North America, with the live presentation built around the duality concept of "JuanesTeban" alongside material from his full catalog.

"Madre" is the kind of song that exists outside the promotional cycle. It was written in private, revised slowly, and delivered as a gift to one specific person. That it now travels to millions of people in time for Mother's Day is the kind of thing Juanes probably understood when he changed its direction from mourning into celebration.

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