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PEOPLE & ARTS Thursday 10 augusT 2017
‘Despacito’ opening doors for Spanish songs on English radio

By MESFIN FEKADU it was so popular already,” tana’s 1999 megahit “Ma-
AP Music Writer said Rocio Guerra, Spotify’s ria, Maria,” and French
NEW YORK (AP) — “Despa- head of Latin culture. Montana’s “Unforgetta-
cito” is easily the song of “Despacito” had reached ble,” which has a reggae-
the summer with the suc- the Top 40 on the Hot 100, ton vibe (J. Balvin appears
cess of the hit stretching and following the Bieber on its Latin remix).
beyond Spanish-speaking remix — which includes the Fonsi said he doesn’t want
audiences to make it the pop star singing in Spanish to take credit for the suc-
year’s most recognized — the song reached No. 1. cess of Latin music on pop
song in the U.S. and else- The remix spent 14 weeks radio, but knows “Despa-
where. Luis Fonsi and Dad- on top of Spotify’s global cito” has helped set the
dy Yankee’s song, which chart until last week when mood.
has topped the Billboard it was supplanted by J. Bal- “I hope that it’s a door that
Hot 100 chart for 13 weeks vin’s “Mi Gente” — another will stay open for a long
and counting, set a record Spanish song finding suc- time. I think it’s bigger than
as the most streamed song cess on U.S. radio and the just this summer. I think it
on Spotify and is the first pop charts. was (over)due for Latin mu- This April 27, 2017 file photo shows singers Luis Fonsi, left,
YouTube video to reach 3 “Mi Gente,” a collabora- sic to get this attention and and Daddy Yankee during the Latin Billboard Awards in Coral
billion views. The song also tion with Willy Williams, is I love the fact that we’re all Gables, Fla.
has opened the door for No. 30 on the Hot 100 after collaborating in different Associated Press
other Spanish tracks to get just a month on the chart. languages,” he said. “It’s good for music in general.” “There are some songs that
airplay on American radio. “I don’t think this is just not about where you’re Erika Ender, who co-wrote come with a special spark,
“The beauty behind something that happened from or what language “Despacito” with Fonsi at and I think it’s got it. ... We
(‘Despacito’) is that it was overnight ... it’s something you’re singing in, it’s about his home in September looked at each other and
never meant to be a cross- the Latin music industry bringing cultures together 2015, said the song felt spe- said, ‘I think this is a hit,’”
over song. When I sat down and creative community, and different styles, and it’s cial when they created it. she recalled.q
with my guitar to write this we’ve been working so
song, I just wanted to write long toward this direction,
a great song that people and I don’t think specifi-
would automatically con- cally only in the U.S., it’s a
nect to, and dance to, and global momentum,” Guer-
really enjoy, so it was so ra said. “Platforms like Spo-
nice to see how — in a very tify are giving access to the
organic way — the whole same songs at the same
world just connected to it,” time everywhere, so that’s
Fonsi said in an interview allowing us to have more
from Spain, where he was (Latin) artists on the (glob-
set to perform the world- al) chart.”
wide hit. “There has been a domino
“It wasn’t really forced, it effect,” added Guerra,
wasn’t gimmicky ... it’s sort who said there are current-
of an accident if you will,” ly eight Latin songs on Spo-
he said. “There’s something tify’s global chart, which in-
magical in that melody cludes 50 songs. “The more
and in the beat and in the songs that we put on the
production ... and people global chart, people are
in Russia and Australia and getting more used to listen-
U.K. and France and U.S. ing to songs in a different
and South America — ev- language.”
eryone’s just dancing.” She said that Spotify has
“Despacito” is the first most- spent the last two years
ly Spanish song to top the pushing Latin music in re-
Hot 100 since Los del Rio’s gions outside Latin Ameri-
“Macarena” in 1996. The ca: “We’re proactively try-
smooth jam about slowly ing to push its consumption
falling in love has become in countries like Germany,
a pop culture phenome- Italy, Switzerland, the U.K.
non since its release in Jan- (and) obviously the U.S.”
uary, selling more than 7.7 And there’s proof it is work-
million tracks — based on ing. Daddy Yankee be-
digital sales, audio stream- came the first Latin artist to
ing and video streaming — reach No. 1 on Spotify in
according to Nielsen Music. June, taking the spot from
It has spent 27 weeks at No. Ed Sheeran, and the Latin
1 on Billboard’s Latin songs genre is third overall glob-
charts, and while some be- ally on Spotify, just behind
lieve Justin Bieber helped pop and hip-hop.
make the song a hit when The Latin beat can be
he jumped on its remix, it’s heard on current English-
quite the opposite. language hits as well, in-
“Technically, the reason cluding DJ Khaled and Ri-
why Justin Bieber discov- hanna’s “Wild Thoughts,”
ered the song was because which samples Carlos San-