Ozuna didn’t intend to make an entire full-length with Beéle. As the Latin superstar behind countless singles and multiple chart-topping albums, he hadn’t anticipated what hopping on the Colombian hitmaker’s “Frente al Mar” remix would lead to. “I think our chemistry comes from our friendship and not music or what we were going to do,” he tells Apple Music. “I think things go down much better when they’re not planned—and this wasn’t planned.” Unsurprisingly, the resulting Stendhal is the genuine product of the veritable mutual admiration society between both artists. “His ability to bring ideas to life artistically and visually really surprised me and resonated with me,” Beéle says of working with Ozuna. “We were connecting on a deeply human level, bonding by the fact that we enjoy art in a way that we actually know what it feels like to experience it.” Fans of both artists will find the pair’s distinct vocal styles in a synergistic balance, with neither dominating nor seeking to one-up the other. An unmistakable Afrobeats aura recurs throughout, manifesting in breezy and fluidic forms through songs like “Cookie” and “Pikito.” Yet there’s never a sense of sameness or trend-hopping on any of these cuts, the inherently exploratory nature of their collaborative work both evident and ever-present. “It really was crazy because songs and music just kept coming out,” Ozuna says. “It wasn’t like we focused on it and said, ‘Let’s go to the studio and make a song.’ No, that wasn’t the case.” Adding to the instrumental diversity here are the subtly acidic polyrhythms of “One and Only,” the playful club deconstruction of “Te Culié,” and the jazzy pulsations of “Liberal.” When producer Ovy On the Drums steps in for the standout “Enemigos,” the totality of this popwise, dance-floor-adjacent experience becomes ever clearer. And given Stendhal’s jetset origins in the cities of Bogotá and Ibiza, there’s a blend of bold and beachy sounds on display via tracks such as “Ale” and “Playa Marina” that continually pushes the album’s momentum forward. But if it were up to them, they wouldn’t call this an album. “It’s a vibe, really,” Beéle says.