Candela literally means "candle flame", but it's often used as slang for intense fire, heat, and passion. It's a word that perfectly captures the vibrant energy of Latin music and dance.
In the song, Alvaro Soler sings "ella prendió candela" (she lit the fire), describing the electrifying passion she brought into his life. It's a powerful, fiery word that embodies the spirit of the entire song.
This song is a high-energy story about a life-changing encounter. Alvaro Soler starts by describing a place where life is lived "entre colores" [among colors], and he sees a woman who is "llena de luz y de canciones" [full of light and songs]. She's the one who makes the first move, telling him, "Cógeme bien de la mano / Porque yo / No te la voy a soltar" [Take my hand tight / because I / am not going to let it go]. This one moment completely changes his world.
She teaches him how to dance with passion, "como candela" [like a flame], and he says she was the first person to teach him how to truly live. The English verse from Nico Santos adds to this feeling of instant, deep connection. He sings that there are "no smoke, no mirrors" and that he's already thinking about "wedding rings"! The song is all about the explosive, immediate feeling of meeting someone who sets your world on fire, or as the song puts it, someone who "prendió candela" [lit the flame].
Álvaro Soler was ten when his family moved to Tokyo, and seventeen when he came back to Catalonia with piano lessons and most of a second childhood behind him. He was born in Sant Cugat del Vallès in 1991, formed the band Urban Lights in 2010 with his brother and a few friends, reached the final eight of the talent show ¡Tú sí que vales! with them in 2013, and left in 2014 to work on his own.
The song that broke him was "El mismo sol" in 2015, a number one in Italy and Switzerland that was re-recorded as a bilingual version with Jennifer Lopez. "Sofia" did it again a year later, topping the charts in Italy, Poland, Belgium and Switzerland and going platinum several times over in Italy. His albums are Eterno agosto (2015), Mar de colores (2018), which carried "La cintura", Magia (2021) and El Camino (2025). He records in Spanish, English, Italian and German, wrote "Yo contigo, tú conmigo" with Morat for Despicable Me 3, and has coached on the German edition of The Voice Kids.