"Oye" (lit. Listen or Hey) is a song by Cuban American singer and songwriter Gloria Estefan. It was released by Epic on July 27, 1998 as the second single from her eighth studio album, Gloria! (1998). The song was written by Estefan, her husband Emilio Estefan, Jr., Randall Barlow and Angie Chirino and produced by Estefan, Jr., Barlow and Tony Moran. However, the single still reached number one on the US Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart and in Spain. It earned the Billboard Latin Music Award for Best Latin Club-Dance Track of the Year.
On June 3, 2022, Estefan released the "Oye" English EP and its Spanish EP to all digital and streaming outlets.
J.D. Considine from The Baltimore Sun felt that "Oye" is "where latin meets disco most effectively." He added, "Basically a sort of techno-salsa fusion, it combines the thumping regularity of electronics with the soulful release of Afro-Cuban rhythm, a combination so potent it makes dancing an almost involuntary response." Also Ben Wener from Beaver County Times noted the "bouncing Afro-Cuban flourishes" of the song.
Larry Flick from Billboard remarked that the second single from "La Glo's slammin' dance opus", gloria!, "sidesteps the disco demeanor of the previous "Heaven's What I Feel" in favor of a percussive salsa flavor." He added, "Once again, the veteran singer manages to surprise and delight, delivering a bilingual performance that is fraught with smoldering sensuality. She is bolstered by an arrangement that teeters between current club sounds and the shoulder-shakin' tone of her Miami Sound Machine breakthrough, "Conga". In fact, if you've been pining away for a jam that captures the party vibe of that classic recording, look no further."
Joey Guerra from Houston Chronicle stated that it has one of the album's "strongest punches", describing it as a "sweltering bilingual cut that recalls" Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin's international smash "Maria". Victoria Segal from NME said that songs like "Oye" "speak the international language of tedium". Flick for Vibe noted that the song has a "ferocious new energy and a vocal spark that Estefan hasn't previously displayed."
The accompanying music video for "Oye" was directed by Argentinian director Gustavo Garzón and features Estefan performing the song in a nightclub.
Original versions
Remixes