Luis Fonsi Supports Justin Bieber Not Performing “Despacito” In Concert

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While Justin Bieber has faced a backlash for refusing to perform "Despacito" during his solo shows, collaborator Luis Fonsi is supporting his decision. In a new interview, the Puerto Rican singer defends Bieber's position.

Fonsi and Daddy Yankee originally released their own version of "Despacito" earlier this year. They then teamed up with Bieber for a remix, which dropped in April. On the track, the superstar sings in Spanish, but he has been hesitant to replicate his performance live. "Despacito" has not been added to the set list for his current tour, and some fans have reacted negatively to his admission that he doesn't know the lyrics by heart and would rather not perform it.

Bieber isn't fluent in Spanish, and recorded his vocals by using a phonetic printing of the lyrics. The point was to make a great song for radio and digital downloads, not to add a bilingual performance to his repertoire. And that's something Fonsi understands.

Speaking on ABC News radio, "I don't blame him not knowing [the lyrics], and I think we have to give him a little bit of a pass because that's not his main language," Fonsi said, noting, "We can't expect the guy to just out of the blue get it perfectly.

He confirmed Bieber "had the lyrics in front of him" when he was recording the song, which was the first time Bieber sang in Spanish. "He had a chance to record the chorus in English. We had a full English lyric, and he decided to take the time to record it in Spanish because he wanted to keep the originality of the song," Fonsi explained.

"So I actually applaud the fact that he took the time in the recording studio to do it, and he did a great job," said the performer. He added, "He's on tour. He's concentrating on his music. I don't think we have to be so strict."

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