"Tusa" is a song by Colombian singer-songwriter Karol G and Trinidadian rapper Nicki Minaj. Written alongside Keityn and producer Ovy on the Drums, the song was released on November 7, 2019 by Universal Music Latino and Republic Records, as the lead single from Karol G's third studio album, KG0516 (2021).
The song was announced a day prior to its release through Karol G's social media platforms, with a snippet of the music video and release date. The song was officially released on November 7, 2019.
"Tusa" is a reggaeton song that is three minutes and 20 seconds in length. It was written by the two artists alongside Keityn and Ovy on the Drums, with production being handled by the latter. Lyrically, Karol G's verses tell the story of a woman who struggles to forget her former boyfriend, while Minaj's rap tells the man that the woman has moved on with her life.
The word is Colombian slang for someone's heartache and feeling of incapability to overcome their ex-partner, accompanied by a desire for revenge. A person affected by this feeling is described as /.
Karol G explained how the song came to be: "I took the initiative to reach out that I wanted to write a song with her, and she loved the idea. When the opportunity came to work with Nicki, it wasn't something I wasn't looking for at the time, destiny gave me that surprise. I had a list of English speaking artists that I always wanted to work with, but I felt that Nicki Minaj was still on a higher level to which I had to work a little bit more."
In an interview with Billboard Giraldo revealed how Nicki Minaj's verse came to be:
At a Pollstar conference, Minaj spoke on her part on "Tusa", stating: "She had sent me another song, and she really loved it, and I tried to write to it but I couldn't, and instead of brushing her off, [I] finally was like 'You know what, I love you, but I don't like this song. Could you send me something else?' And she sent me 'Tusa'."
In the United States, "Tusa" debuted at number one on the Hot Latin Songs, becoming the first song by two lead female artists to debut atop the chart, and also the first song by a female act in a lead role to chart at number one since 2016, when Shakira's "Chantaje" featuring Maluma reached the top. It became Minaj's sixth entry on the Hot Latin Songs chart, and her second top 10, following 2017's "Krippy Kush" remix with Farruko, Bad Bunny, 21 Savage and Rvssian.
On the US Billboard Hot 100, the song debuted at number 78, and later peaked at number 42. "Tusa" also debuted at 56 and later peaked at number 41 on the Rolling Stone US Top 100 Songs chart on the week ending 30 January 2020, with 67,200 sales plus track-equivalent streams. The song peaked at number one in numerous other countries. The song is the longest-running number one single on the Argentina Hot 100, spending 25 weeks on the top of the chart.
In 2022, the single became highest certified song in Mexico (AMPROFON), and the second-highest certified song by a female collaboration by the Latin division of the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), after "Mayores".
The song became the longest running number one single on the Argentina Hot 100, spending 25 consecutive weeks atop the charts. The song passed one billion streams on Spotify.
The music video for "Tusa" was directed by Mike Ho and was released on Karol G's YouTube channel on November 7, 2019.
On December 8, 2019, Karol G premiered "Tusa" at Pixel 4's Motion Sense Concert Series. Karol G performed the song on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on January 10, 2020. On November 19, 2020, Giraldo performed the song at the 21st Annual Latin Grammy Awards. On February 19, 2023, Karol G was the headlining act for Viña Del Mar International Song Festival, where "Tusa" was performed. "Tusa" has been present on the set list of all of Karol G's solo headlining tours, including the Bichota Tour, Strip Love Tour and the Mañana Será Bonito Tour. Nicki Minaj performed "Tusa" multiple times during the Pink Friday 2 World Tour, although it was not present on the main set list.