"Gabriela" is a song by the girl group Katseye. It was released on June 20, 2025, through Hybe UMG and Geffen Records, as the second single from their second extended play Beautiful Chaos (2025). It reached the top ten on multiple national singles charts, as well as number 16 on the Billboard Global 200. The single also peaked at number 21 on the Billboard Hot 100, earning the group their highest positioning on the chart and first Top 40 placement after "Gnarly". "Gabriela" earned a nomination for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance at the 68th Annual Grammy Awards.
A remix of the song, featuring new verses by the Puerto Rican rapper Young Miko, was released in August 2025.
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Background and release
Following the success of "Gnarly", the group's first entry on the Billboard Hot 100, Katseye announced their second EP, Beautiful Chaos on May 7, 2025. The track list for the EP was released at the end of May, including "Gabriela" as one of its five tracks.
On June 16, Katseye released teasers for "Gabriela" and its music video, confirming it would be the second single from Beautiful Chaos. "Gabriela" was released to streaming services on June 20, alongside its music video. The song was previously offered to Anitta and Rita Ora (as a collaboration with Rich the Kid), who both recorded versions in 2018. Perrie Edwards also revealed that Little Mix recorded a version of the song, but due to Jesy Nelson not wanting the group to release it, they passed on it.
Composition and lyrics
The lyrics for "Gabriela" were written by Andrew Watt, John Ryan, Ali Tamposi, Charli XCX, and Sara Schell, with Watt and Ryan also producing the song. Described as a Latin-inspired R&B pop song, the track includes a Spanish verse sung by Daniela in falsetto. Lyrically, it explores the feelings of losing a lover to someone else; it has been described by multiple critics as a modern-day or Gen-Z "Jolene". "Gabriela" was written in the key of A minor and has a bpm of 73 (or 146 in double time).
Reception
"Gabriela" was voted by Billboard readers as the best new song of the week on June 22. The Billboard editorial staff named it the thirty-second best song of 2025, with Amanda Retotar describing it as a "fresh, modern, Latin-inspired "Jolene"" that "hits the sweet spot of being both catchy and plucking all the right emotional strings," calling the vocal cohesion as a group "impressive" and with the falsetto Spanish bridge solidifying the group as a "diverse new powerhouse." Rolling Stone ranked it at sixty-two on their year-end best songs of the year list.
Music video
A music video directed by Andrew Thomas Huang was released the same day as the single. Two teasers were released, on June 17 and 18. The video features the six members with voluminous, "retro" hairstyles in a telenovela-inspired setting, and includes an appearance by American actress Jessica Alba. Alba opens the video, acting as the CEO of "Gabriela Enterprises" who is stepping down and determining her replacement out of the six Katseye members. The members fight each other physically, sabotage a wedding, and appear on a fictional talk show, with its host played by model Soo Joo Park in a cameo appearance.
Credits and personnel
Adapted from Melon.
Location
Mixed at MixStar Studios, Virginia Beach
Credits and personnel
