Image Source: Courtesy Photo/Daniel Vasquez
I've loved Leslie Grace since the moment she released her debut single "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow," a beautiful and soulful Spanglish bachata rendition of the 1960 hit by The Shirelles, written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King. At the time 16 years old, Leslie's voice and riffs captivated me and drove me to keep an eye on her. I couldn't help but wonder who she was and where she came from.
This Dominican darling didn't take long to position herself as the new bachata princess, representing her background and heritage, but also adding the fresh new perspective of her generation and upbringing in the US. With time, Leslie's sound evolved with bangers like "Como Duele el Silencio," that you'll definitely want to blast whenever you go through a heartbreak or are simply feeling a little dramatic (this may or may not be me), "Aire" featuring Maluma, "Díganle" featuring Becky G, and the remix with CNCO and Tainy, "Dulce" with Wisin, "Duro y Suave" with Noriel, "De Lunes a Jueves" with Farina, and many more that have become staples in Latin music playlists.
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Through the years, Leslie has consistently maintained a wholesome image — very fashionable and hip, but nothing too risqué. But I'm here to tell you that's all about to change with her new collaboration with Abraham Mateo, "Qué Será." "Abraham and I have been wanting to work with each other for a little while," Leslie told POPSUGAR.
Leslie had been a fan of his since he became a viral sensation for doing singing videos when he was younger. "I remember seeing him then, and when we became label mates I said, 'Damn, it would be awesome if we could collaborate together!'" Leslie added. She had originally recorded the song "Qué Será" as a solo, but felt like it wasn't there yet, and it would be better as a duet. "We showed it to Abraham and he loved it. He recorded his part and when I heard it I thought it was fantastic," Leslie said. "I'm really excited about it. The video is also amazing."
The video personally had me hyperventilating because it's not every day that we get to see Leslie Grace and Abraham Mateo taking a shower and a bath together. It was sexy, steamy, hot, intimate. They had a lot of chemistry, and it made me feel things I'm sure you'll feel once you watch it. You'll also notice that all of it is justified, and while sometimes it seems like you shouldn't be watching such a personal moment between a couple that has so much love for each other, it was all carefully presented and tastefully done.
"The director, Mike Ho, and I had this conversation, I told him this had to be very tastefully done, and had to look sweet and real, and leave the people wanting more, because the last thing I ever want to do is do something that's for shock value," Leslie said. "We see a lot of that already, so I really wanted this to align with the song and for us to really sell that love story. I just wanted to make it look real, and not over the top."
They had already planned to do a scene in a bathtub, but the shower scene took Leslie by surprise. "This setting in the shower was something that I was gonna do for a past video actually, for 'Díganle,' and we didn't end up having time to shoot it," Leslie revealed. "And the day of this video shoot Mike is like, 'So, we have this setting, and there's a bathroom, and we're already doing the tub, so . . ."' While Leslie didn't know, Abraham had a heads up. Leslie told me he knew three weeks in advance and hit the gym as hard as he could. "He was dedicated to playing his part," she said. "He did really good!"
And before you ask, no, it wasn't weird for them to do these really hot scenes. "You'd be surprised," Leslie said. "It wasn't awkward! I guess because we had just met on the day of the video shoot, so I feel like that makes it easier to do intimate stuff with someone when you don't know them. It doesn't feel weird, or the person doesn't think it's real because you just met . . . so it was cool. It was really, really cool. He's very sweet!"
On that note, I asked Leslie if anything else had developed after that, since their chemistry in the video is through the roof, and after seeing them together I think they could make the cutest couple. "No, just a friendship!" Leslie laughed. "He's very, very sweet, we're good friends, and he's very talented. As of now, there's nothing going on! He's really cool."
Watch "Qué Será" below.