Joe Nilson Explores Unrequited Love in Latin Pop Single ‘Cuando despiertes con él’

Joe Nilson Brings a Story of Lost Love to Life on ‘Cuando despiertes con él.’

Some heartbreaks are harder to shake than others, especially when the person you love is with someone else, and you still haven’t given up on them. Joe Nilson writes from that place in “Cuando despiertes con él,” a bachata-pop song about waiting for someone to wake up one morning and realize they’re with the wrong person.

The song blends the warmth of bachata with a lighter Latin pop sound, making it easy to get into on the first listen. Nilson keeps the story simple. He’s hurt, he misses her, and part of him still thinks she’ll come back. Anyone who's held on to someone longer than they probably should have knows exactly what he means.

Joe Nilson Blends Romantic Bachata and Latin Pop on ‘Cuando despiertes con él.’

The song also matters to Nilson personally. The Dominican singer-songwriter, who now lives in New York City, spent years writing songs before deciding to record and release his own music. This time the story is his, and so is the voice telling it.

If you like romantic bachata or Latin pop about messy relationships, this one is worth a listen. It’s about the moment you know someone has moved on, and you haven’t, and you keep wondering what might have happened if things had gone differently.