"Ni Rosas Ni Juguetes" is a song performed by the Latin pop singer Paulina Rubio. The song was recorded for her ninth studio album, Gran City Pop, and was the second single released from it. "Ni Rosas Ni Juguetes" was written by Claudia Brant, Noel Schajris and Gianmarco Zignago, and produced by Cachorro López. It was announced as the second single on July 20, 2009. It was released on radio on August 17, 2009.
Promotion
Rubio re-recorded "Ni Rosas Ni Juguetes" as a duet with the singer Jenni Rivera on a version in Banda, for promotion of the single on regional Mexican radio stations in the United States, Mexico and Puerto Rico and it was released on November 17, 2009. It was also recorded as a remix with the rapper Pitbull called "Ni Rosas Ni Juguetes " and was released on November 10, 2009, via iTunes. Rubio appeared at Los Premios MTV Latinoamérica 2009 on October 15 with Cobra Starship performing "Good Girls Go Bad" and "Ni Rosas Ni Juguetes". Rubio and Cobra Starship won an MTV Award for "Best Performance", as voted by the public, beating artists such as Shakira, Nelly Furtado, Ashley Tisdale and Wisin & Yandel. On November 1, Rubio performed "Ni Rosas Ni Juguetes" on ¡Viva el Sueño!, a reality competition show similar to American Idol. She also performed the single at the 2009 Premios OYE! in Guanajuato, Mexico. Rubio performed a "western" version of "Ni Rosas Ni Juguetes" at Premios Lo Nuestro on February 18, 2010.
Critical reception
Allmusic.com gave the song a positive review: "Perhaps the most surprising track on the disc, though, and one of its definite high points, is the hip-hop/ranchero fusion "Ni Rosas Ni Juguetes," which sounds like it could have been produced by Camilo Lara of Mexican Institute of Sound. Over a thunderous boom-bap beat, Rubio half-raps, half-sings about how flowers and toys won't earn her love; it's exactly the kind of culture-blending, boundary-dissolving sound that encapsulates modern Latin pop, and it's brilliant".
Music video
The music video was filmed in New York. It was directed by Jessy Terero who had previously worked with acts such as Wisin & Yandel and 50 Cent. The video's story line is similar to the 2005 filmMr & Mrs. Smith. The video was first shown on October 8. A second video was made for an urban remix version of "Ni Rosas Ni Juguetes" featuring Pitbull. Directed by Jessy Terrero, it was first shown on December 10.
Chart performance
"Ni Rosas Ni Juguetes" debuted at number 41 on the Hot Latin Songs chart and peaked at number 9, becoming Rubio's second top ten hit from the album. On the Latin Pop Songs chart it peaked at number 5. In Spain, it debuted at number 37 on the singles chart and peaked at number 3, becoming her first top five hit from Gran City Pop in Spain. The song has been certified Platinum for sales of 40,000 copies in Spain. The single became a huge hit in Spain, charting for more than 40 weeks.
