Songfacts®:

• "El Merengue" is a collaboration between Marshmello and Colombian singer Manuel Turizo. The American electronic music producer recorded the song for Sugar Papi, his first Latin album.
• Turizo sings about how he is still in love with his ex even though she is no longer in his life. He is struggling to move on and using alcohol to numb his pain.
• "El Merengue" is named after the traditional Dominican music and dance popular all-over Latin America. It takes Turizo into new territories, infusing EDM elements into merengue.
• "El Merengue" is the second song recorded by Turizo named after a traditional Dominican music genre, following "La Bachata."
• Marshmello and Turizo wrote the song with Mexican songwriter and producer Edgar "Edge" Barrera, (Maluma's "Hawái," Fuerza Regida's "Bebe Dame," Karol G's "Mi Ex Tenía Razón"). It started as a joke between Turizo and Barrera. "We said, 'We did 'La Bachata', now let's do 'La Cumbia' or 'El Merengue,'"Barrera told Billboard. "He answered, 'Bro, you know what? Doing a merengue might be interesting!'"
  
  "We were with Marshmello in the studio," Barrera continued. "I asked him, 'How would you make a merengue in your world? How would you put EDM on merengue?' Marshmello said, 'You start the production and I'll follow you.' So I started playing the chords on the piano, throwing melodies. We put the song together on the spot. Nobody [was] doing merengue at that time."
• Released as the first single from Sugar Papi on March 3, 2023, "El Merengue" gave Marshmello his first first-ever #1 on the Billboard Latin Airplay chart. It also topped Billboard's Tropical Airplay chart dated April 8, 2023, sending Turizo's own "La Bachata" to #2 after 14 weeks on the summit.
• Turizo also included "El Merengue" on his third studio album, 2000.