Manos Arriba (English: Hands Up) is an extended play (EP) by American singer Rosanna Tavarez released by her own record label Patacon Productions in March 2008.

Music journalists believed the EP was not directly rooted in specifically Latin genres or topics and contrasted the style with her work with Eden's Crush.

In a 2008 interview with the Los Angeles Times, Tavarez recalled she did not want to be "just another girl doing Latin-y pop", instead preferring to develop "something distinctive, even if the crowd would be more niche".

[4] After Eden's Crush ended, Tavarez worked as a host for programs such as the music television series On Air with Ryan Seacrest and the second season of Jammin'.

[6][9] Chan was known as a songwriter and guitarist for the rock band Volumen Cero,[4][6] and he was putting together the group Popvert with MTV executive Jose Tillan.

[10][11] While auditioning singers for Popvert, he met Tavarez and they bonded over having grown up in New York City in the 1980s and their musical interests, specifically in the bands Depeche Mode, the Cure, and Velocity Girl.

[14] While recording, Chan produced the instrumental and Chana wrote melodies and lyrics to the track,[1][4] although they helped one another if they struggled to find a certain sound or word.

[4] In a 2008 Houston Chronicle interview, Chana said Chan was an integral part of the recording process, likening him to Timbaland and his collaborations with Justin Timberlake.

[19] In LA Weekly, Falling James wrote that although Chana performs "sunny melodies" throughout Manos Arriba, the songs have "a harder, funkier and more readily danceable ska backing".

[4] While discussing Tavarez's music as Chana, critics contrasted it with Eden's Crush,[21] including a Latina writer who said that she "imploded her girl-group roots".

[22] Jordan Levin for PopMatters felt her "hip indie Latina persona" for Manos Arriba was more authentic than her image as "a prefab pop figurine" in Eden's Crush.

[6] The Los Angeles Times's Agustin Gurza characterized Manos Arriba as "songs of personal passion delivered with cool detachment".

[6] Burstein compared the production to big band music,[4] and James wrote that Chana's vocals on the song, as well as on "La Duda" ("The Doubt"), were similar to Julieta Venegas, specifically her "airy pop".

[17] Ben-Yehuda referred to the third track "La Duda" as a "flirtatious challenge to a guy giving mixed signals" built on an instrumental featuring synths.

[19] Cory Bohon for Engadget said that the song had a dance-inspired opening before transitioning to "an electronic-tinged alt-pop tune with searing guitars and disco bass-lines".

[24][note 1] Chana held a release party in Los Angeles,[1][6] which she described as "this crazy multimedia thing" featuring a local promoter and disc jockey as well as dancers.

"[7] According to a 2021 Billboard article, Tavarez has transitioned from music to a career in dance;[2] she said in a separate interview that after turning 32, she decided to complete her Master of Fine Arts degree in choreography and fully focus on being a dancer.

[6] "La Duda" was selected as a free download for iTunes Latino's Single of the Week, which Cory Boson described as a way to broaden exposure to up-and-coming artists.

[23] Chana promoted "Icaro" with a music video, in which she performs what Jordan Levin calls "full body twists and falls of modern dance".

[20] According to Agustin Gurza, Chana and Chan focused on the "local party circuit" as well as a "hip series of happenings" done by the promoters Turn Off the Radio, Hang the Deejays, Remezcla, and Automatico.

"[17] Describing Manos Arriba as representative of the Echo Park music scene, Agustin Gurza characterized the compositions as "infectious fusion of Caribbean rhythms, cool electronic vibes and sharp, satirical lyrics".

[15][16] In the Los Angeles Times, Reed Johnson praised as a "hot house hybrid", and looked forward to a full album by Chana and Chan.