Judging by his expression alone, Maluma is over the moon with his new collaboration with Beyoncé. It’s a hip-swiveling bilingual jam titled “Cuerpo (Tumbao),” sampling the classic “La Negra Tiene Tumbao” by Queen of Salsa Celia Cruz. The track is included in Queen Bey’s deluxe version of her sophomore album, B’Day, released on Friday (Sept. 4) to mark her 45th birthday.
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“CUERPO (TUMBAO) ft @beyonce. Out Now 🔥,” wrote the Colombian star in an Instagram post upon the release, with an accompanying image of him looking at the camera open-mouthed as in disbelief, showing the screen of his phone with the song playing on a music platform.
This is neither the first time Maluma has collaborated with a mainstream Anglo-speaking artist, nor the fist time Beyoncé has recorded with a Latin star. The former’s long list includes “Colors” with Jason Derulo, “Medellín” with Madonna, “Hawái (Remix)” with The Weeknd, “Lonely” and “Pa ti” with Jennifer Lopez, and “Feel the Beat” with Black Eyed Peas. The latter has worked previously with Shakira on “Beautiful Liar,” Alejandro Fernández on “Amor Gitano,” as well as on the remix of J Balvin’s “Mi Gente,” also featuring Willy William.
Furthermore, Beyoncé’s new deluxe album — which arrives on the 20th anniversary of B’Day –includes a posthumous duet with no other than the Queen of Tejano Selena Quintanilla, “Irreemplazable (Como La Flor),” and also features Puerto Rican rapper Voltio in a banging Timbaland remix of “Get Me Bodied.”
In a press release about the album, it says that the Cruz sample was chosen because Beyoncé has always “admired Cruz’s pride in her African culture; her refusal to bend in the wake of racism, colorism and the narrow definition of beauty. In a time when society wanted her to be bitter and broken down, she boldly claimed her Blackness. The sample was the perfect fit for a song that pushes strength and confidence on the dancefloor and in life.” The track was produced by Beyoncé, Edgar Barrera, CASTA and co-produced by Ali “Ali Ali” Alvarez.
Maluma, whose latest album, Loco X Volver, was released on May 15, said during an interview on Univision’s All Access at the time that while he was “super obsessed” with collaborating with American artists a few years back, his priorities have changed drastically. “I was chasing what you could call the American dream, right?” he shared. “Not anymore. Now it’s the Colombian dream, it’s my dream and my country’s dream.”
But hey, who can say no to a birthday request from Queen Bey, while also honoring Celia Cruz?
Malulma is set to participate in Billboard Latin Music Week 2026, which returns to Miami Beach from Oct. 19 to 22. For more information and to register, visit BillboardLatinMusicWeek.com.
Listen to “Cuerpo (Tumbao)” below:
The post “No Words, Pure Expression: Maluma Rejoices Over His New Beyoncé Collab Sampling Celia Cruz” by Sigal Ratner-Arias was published on 09/04/2026 by www.billboard.com