Ensaya comes from the verb ensayar, which means "to rehearse" or "to practice". It's a word you might associate more with a play or a band than a romantic encounter, which makes its use here so unique.
In the song, Manuel Turizo sings, "Pero un beso robado no se ensaya" (But a stolen kiss isn't rehearsed). This beautiful, poetic line captures the spontaneity and passion of an unplanned moment, suggesting that some of the best romantic moments can't be practiced.
Colombian singer Manuel Turizo delivers a smooth reggaeton party track where time is running out. He spots someone across the dance floor and decides she is the only reason he left the house tonight: "Eres el motivo por el cual esta noche quise salir" ("You are the reason why I wanted to go out tonight"). But there is an obvious catch: the night is ending, and she is getting ready to leave. Before she slips away, he shoots his shot with some cheeky audacity. His main goal? "Quiero robarte un beso y después pedir perdón" ("I want to steal a kiss from you and apologize later"). He even jokes about crossing the line ("Tal vez me pase de la raya"), insisting that you cannot rehearse a stolen kiss.
What makes the track so fun is how completely honest he is about the situation. He invites her on a detour to the beach, but he does not pretend this is true love. He outright admits he does not even know her name ("Aunque tu nombre yo ni me lo sé"). Instead of promising forever, he points out that nothing in life is permanent ("en la vida no hay nada fijo") and tells her to just dance. He knows this fling is strictly for the memories, joking that after tonight, their encounter will just be a "TBT"—internet slang for "Throwback Thursday," meaning a great moment you look back on in a photo.
Manuel Turizo was studying to be a veterinarian in MonterĂa, on Colombia's Caribbean coast, when a song he and his older brother Julián put out themselves in 2016 took over Latin radio. "Una Lady Como TĂş" sets Julián's ukulele against Manuel's low baritone, and its video has since passed two billion views on YouTube. He was sixteen then, born in MonterĂa in April 2000 into a family of musicians.
His debut album ADN (2019) reached number eight on Billboard's Top Latin Albums with Ozuna, Nicky Jam, Anuel AA and Sech along for the ride, and "Sola" gave him his first Latin Airplay number one. Dopamina followed in 2021, then 2000 in 2023, the album built around "La Bachata": number six on the Billboard Global 200, number one in Spain, and fifteen weeks atop the Argentina Hot 100. He has recorded with Marshmello ("El Merengue") and Shakira ("Copa VacĂa"), and his fifth album Apambichao, released in April 2026, goes back to Colombian merengue and vallenato with Maluma on the title track.