Latin music scores with chart-topping 鈥楧espacito鈥�
When the song 'Despacito,' by singer Luis Fonsi and rapper Daddy Yankee,聽reached No. 1, it became the first mostly Spanish-language song to do so since the mid-1990s track 'Macarena,' by Los del R铆o.
When the song 'Despacito,' by singer Luis Fonsi and rapper Daddy Yankee,聽reached No. 1, it became the first mostly Spanish-language song to do so since the mid-1990s track 'Macarena,' by Los del R铆o.
Spanish-language pop has scored another major hit with 鈥淒espacito.鈥�
The song, composed and performed by singer Luis Fonsi and rapper Daddy Yankee, was released in early 2017. Following a remix that featured chart-topping singer Justin Bieber, which came out in mid-April, the song has experienced even more success; it came in at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for a second week (the June 3 chart).
When the song reached No. 1, it became the first mostly Spanish-language song to do so since the mid-1990s dance craze inspired by 鈥淢acarena,鈥� by Los del R铆o (which was also remixed, getting a makeover by the Bayside Boys).
Why has 鈥淒espacito鈥� become such a hit? Enrique Gonzalez M眉ller, an associate professor of music production and engineering at Berklee College of Music in Boston, worked with the Venezuelan group Los Amigos Invisibles on their Latin Grammy Award-winning album 鈥淐ommercial.鈥� 鈥淸鈥楧espacito鈥橾,鈥� he says, 鈥渢ries to do most things for most people, and it actually kind of succeeds.鈥澛�
According to Professor Gonzalez聽M眉ller, the beginning of the song immediately brings in various musical styles. 鈥淚n a matter of seconds, the song goes from traditional Latino to traditional Spanish to slick American vocal pop to slick Latino rhythm-based grooves,鈥� he says. Bieber performs in Spanish in the song, and Gonzalez聽M眉ller sees this as another aspect that has brought it success.聽
鈥淵ou grab a kid who鈥檚 a chart-topper and then, 鈥楬ow can we make it more special?鈥�...,鈥� he says. 鈥� 鈥極oh, have the guy sing in Spanish.鈥� 鈥�
In discussing the success of 鈥淒espacito,鈥� Gonzalez聽M眉ller looks back to 鈥�90s hits like 鈥淢acarena鈥� and Ricky Martin鈥檚 鈥淟ivin鈥� la Vida Loca.鈥澛�
鈥淚 have a feeling that it won鈥檛 be as massive as 鈥楳acarena鈥� or 鈥楲ivin鈥� la Vida Loca,鈥� 鈥� he says. 鈥淏ut it will have ... perhaps to a slightly lesser degree聽 ... the same impact. It鈥檒l reach that crowd that, now [that it鈥檚 on] their radar, now they have this Latino beat.鈥�