El que dirán is a classic Spanish phrase that literally means "what they will say". It's a powerful cultural concept that refers to the pressure of public opinion, gossip, and the fear of being judged by others.
In the song, J Balvin sings about his ex posting freely on Instagram, "No te importa el que dirán" (You don't care what they'll say). He's highlighting her confidence and disregard for others' opinions, making this a very modern and relevant phrase to learn.
Colombian superstar J Balvin lays all his cards on the table in "Sigo Extrañándote", a smooth reggaeton track about someone who simply cannot move on. He is stuck in the past, reminiscing about a connection so strong that "era envidiable lo de los dos" ("what we had was enviable"). Even though things ended, he feels convinced they belong together, claiming that from day one, "sentí que ya te conocía" ("I felt like I already knew you").
Instead of keeping his cool, he admits to full-on social media stalking. He sings, "veo que subes a Instagram" ("I see what you post on Instagram") and confesses he is dying inside while watching her live her best life without worrying about "el qué dirán" (a classic Spanish phrase for "gossip" or "what people might say"). He uses the shortened slang "pa' ti" (for para ti, meaning "for you") to plead his case, begging her to pick up the phone with "por favor, responde, contéstame" ("please answer, talk to me") so they can finally work things out.
J Balvin grew up in Medellín playing guitar in a teenage rock band with Nirvana and Metallica on repeat, and spent part of his teens in Oklahoma and New York picking up English. Born José Álvaro Osorio Balvín in 1985, he had been releasing music in Colombia for about a decade before anyone outside it paid attention.
"6 AM" with Farruko changed that in 2014, and "Ay Vamos" and "Ginza" followed: "Ginza" held number one on Billboard's Hot Latin Songs chart for 22 weeks, a record at the time. He kept singing in Spanish anyway, and "Mi Gente" reached number three on the Hot 100 once Beyoncé joined the remix, before "I Like It" with Cardi B and Bad Bunny went to number one in 2018. His albums run La Familia, Energía, Vibras, Colores (every track named after a color, and a Latin Grammy for best urban album), José and Rayo, plus Oasis, a joint record with Bad Bunny. In August 2019 he became the first Latino artist to headline Lollapalooza in Chicago.