[6] The singer first teased the single on 12 July, on her social media by changing her profile pictures to a summery color palette, the change resulted in the hashtag "Shakira is coming" to trend worldwide on Twitter.

[8] On 13 July, the artist shared a 30-second video of what could potentially be the name and part of the lyrics of her future track.

Laura English from Music Feeds encapsulated "Don't Wait Up" as "a club-ready banger with a classic EDM beat", calling the phrase "don't wait up" a "classic party line", and described how the song "starts as a slow burn featuring just Shakira’s iconic vocals" before "[building] into a modern-era Shakira bop once the chorus comes in though and the beat is delectable".

[10] Scott Croker from Idolator characterized how the song "starts slow being quickly speeding up and introducing listeners to an incredibly infectious and catchy chorus".

[13] In the video, Shakira showcases her surfing skills and dance moves on the beach, with a choreography and style that hark back to her rise to fame in the late 90s.