Choca is the third-person singular form of the verb 'chocar', which means "to crash" or "to collide". It's a dynamic word that creates a vivid image of impact or conflict.
In this fun, upbeat song, Alvaro Soler humorously sings about his inability to dance. He uses the line "Creo que mi cintura choca con mi cultura" (I think my waist crashes with my culture) to joke that his awkward dance moves are in direct conflict with his cultural expectations, making this a very memorable and funny word to learn.
Have you ever seen someone so amazing you just had to dance with them, but then remembered you have two left feet? That's the hilarious and sweet story of "La Cintura"! Alvaro Soler spots a girl who "Brilla como el sol" [Shines like the sun] and makes a huge impression. He wants to get close and dance with her, but there's a big problem.
He confesses, "Porque mi cintura necesita tu ayuda" [Because my waist needs your help]. He's a terrible dancer! He says he can't control his waist and that it "choca con mi cultura" [clashes with my culture], which is a funny way of saying he feels like he should be a good dancer. His solution is to ask her for a private practice session on the beach in the morning. It's a super fun, self-deprecating song about being so into someone that you're willing to admit you're a clumsy dancer just to spend more time with them.
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.