Jose Alfredo Reclaims A Gay Slur And Turns It Into A Pop Anthem
Puerto Rican singer-songwriter Jose Alfredo has dropped Perro, a pop-dance single that takes a word long used to slur gay men and flips it into something sexy, self-possessed, and built for the dance floor. Released on 12 April 2026, the track marks a new phase in his career and arrives with a clear line drawn in the sand: the word is his now.
What the song is actually about
In Spanish-speaking cultures, perro, meaning “dog”, has been used for decades as a derogatory term aimed at gay men. Alfredo is having none of that. On the new single, he takes the word back, reworking it into a term of desire, attraction, and pride in one’s own skin.
“Perro is my way of saying I no longer hide or run from what others may think. I take that word and make it mine,” Alfredo told Metro Puerto Rico in the interview marking the release.
The sound and the team
Produced by Jesús Jara and Adrik, Perro sits squarely in pop-dance territory, with big production, loose hips, and a beat built for a club at 1am. The music video, directed by Gabriel Caro, leans into Alfredo’s growing confidence in front of the camera, with stage presence and physical ease front and centre.
The song was written during his recent Spain tour, which Alfredo says shaped both the sound and the lyrics. The result feels less like a studio exercise and more like an artist working something out in real time.
Reclaiming slurs is not new in queer culture. What makes Perro interesting is where it is happening. Latin pop is a space where queer artists have historically been asked to play it straight, play it safe, or play it down. Alfredo is doing none of those things.
For gay listeners in particular, the song lands as both flirty and political. You can dance to it, sing it badly at pre-drinks, and still feel the weight of what he is doing with the language.
Perro is out now on all major streaming platforms.
