There are many words that could be used to describe 2017 but the year in music can only be defined by one: 'Despacito'.
The unprecedented domination of Latin pop was ushered in by the breakthrough of Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee's humble collaboration about slow loving, which quickly topped the Latin charts around the world before a certain A-list remix made it an omniprescent force worldwide.
In April, three months after the original's release, Justin Bieber dropped the remix of 'Despacito' that he had recorded just four days earlier. Now with a translated verse from Fonsi and Spanglish performance by one of the world's biggest artists, it became the must-hear song in every country that would otherwise have ignored the Spanish-language track and from then on was unstoppable.
After topping the charts in over 40 countries, the industry - read: the UK and US - started to pay more attention to the brilliance of Latin pop and our playlists, radio stations and charts have been all the better for it ever since.
View the lyrics
Fonsi, DY
Oh, oh no, oh no (ey)
Hey, yeah, diri-diri-diriridi, Daddy, go!
Sí, sabes que ya llevo un rato mirándote
Tengo que bailar contigo hoy (DY)
Vi que tu mirada ya estaba llamándome
Muéstrame el camino, que yo voy (oh)
Tú, tú eres el imán y yo soy el metal
Me voy acercando y voy armando el plan
Sólo con pensarlo se acelera el pulso (oh, yeah)
Ya, ya me estás gustando más de lo normal
Todos mis sentidos van pidiendo más
Esto hay que tomarlo sin ningún apuro
Despacito
Quiero respirar tu cuello despacito
Deja que te diga cosas al oído
Para que te acuerdes si no estás conmigo
Despacito
Quiero desnudarte a besos despacito
Firmar las paredes de tu laberinto
Y hacer de tu cuerpo todo un manuscrito (sube, sube, sube)
Sube, sube (oh)
Quiero ver bailar tu pelo, quiero ser tu ritmo
Que le enseñes a mi boca tus lugares favoritos
(Favoritos, favoritos, baby)
Déjame sobrepasar tus zonas de peligro
Hasta provocar tus gritos y que olvides tu apellido
Si te pido un beso, ven, dámelo
Yo sé que estás pensándolo
Llevo tiempo intentándolo
Mami, esto es dando y dándolo
Sabes que tu corazón conmigo te hace "bam-bam"
Sabes que esa beba está buscando de mi "bam-bam"
Ven, prueba de mi boca para ver cómo te sabe
Quiero, quiero, quiero ver cuánto amor a ti te cabe
Yo no tengo prisa, yo me quiero dar el viaje
Empezamos lento, después salvaje
Pasito a pasito, suave, suavecito
Nos vamos pegando poquito a poquito
Cuando tú me besas con esa destreza
Veo que eres malicia con delicadeza
Pasito a pasito, suave, suavecito
Nos vamos pegando poquito a poquito
Y es que esa belleza es un rompecabezas
Pero pa' montarlo, aquí tengo la pieza, oye
Despacito
Quiero respirar tu cuello despacito
Deja que te diga cosas al oído
Para que te acuerdes si no estás conmigo
Despacito
Quiero desnudarte a besos despacito
Firmar las paredes de tu laberinto
Y hacer de tu cuerpo todo un manuscrito (sube, sube, sube)
Sube, sube (oh)
Quiero ver bailar tu pelo, quiero ser tu ritmo
Que le enseñes a mi boca tus lugares favoritos
(Favoritos, favoritos, baby)
Déjame sobrepasar tus zonas de peligro
Hasta provocar tus gritos y que olvides tu apellido
Despacito
Vamo' a hacerlo en una playa en Puerto Rico
Hasta que las olas griten: "¡Ay, Bendito!"
Para que mi sello se quede contigo (báilalo)
Pasito a pasito, suave, suavecito
Nos vamos pegando poquito a poquito
Que le enseñes a mi boca tus lugares favoritos
(Favoritos, favoritos, baby)
Pasito a pasito, suave, suavecito
Nos vamos pegando poquito a poquito
Hasta provocar tus gritos y que olvides tu apellido
Despacito
Writer(s): LUIS FONSI, ERIKA ENDER Lyrics powered by www.musixmatch.com
With 'Despacito' now the most streamed song of all time (4 billion streams and counting) and most watched YouTube video of all time (again, 4 billion), it's clear that reggaeton is back and here to stay.
Daddy Yankee first helped the genre cross over into the mainstream over a decade ago with the still-incredible 'Gasolina', however its return is a phenomenon that's frankly incomparable to its success before. 'Despacito' spent 11 weeks at Number 1 in the UK and an astonishing 16 weeks at the top of the US Billboard Hot 100, tying Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men's record for the longest-running chart-topper with 'One Sweet Day'.
With its success lasting well into the colder months, it was clear that the UK's love for reggaeton was not a summer fluke as 'The Despacito Effect' introduced us to a new wave of Latin superstars, including J Balvin and Maluma, and added some much-needed rhythm to the radio. Everyone from Beyoncé to Matt Terry hopped on board the reggaeton train to flex their Spanish and get our bodies moving with major collaborations.
J Balvin, the prince of the Latin pop scene, made his international debut with his irresistible club banger 'Mi Gente', which remixed Willy William's 'The Voodoo Song'. It infiltrated the charts thanks to his catchy flow and the track's manic beat drop, climbing to Number 5 on the UK charts. Following the series of hurricanes in Mexico, Puerto Rico and other Caribbean islands, Beyoncé surprised the world with a special remix to raise money for several relief charities, and elevated the song to even greater heights at the same time.
She gave 'Mi Gente' a dose of Yoncé cockiness, rapping in both English and Spanish, and even got daughter Blue Ivy to make a guest appearance. The remix is all kinds of iconic and boosted the hit to a new peak of Number 3 in on the US Billboard Hot 100, giving Queen Bey her highest-charting single there since 'Drunk In Love' was released four years ago in 2013.
Another crossover collaboration that dominated the UK Singles Chart this year was Little Mix's party-starting duet with Latin boy band CNCO. This remix of 'Reggaetón Lento' gave the Latin group their first UK Top 10 hit and is Little Mix's twelfth, peaking at Number 5. It spent an incredible 11 weeks in the Top 10, making it one of the longest runs in Little Mix's mega-successful discography.
Complete with a flirty club-based video that saw the supergroup battling it out for each other's affection, it has become one of Little Mix's signature hits as the girls effortlessly slayed their first foray into the Latin pop world without it seeming forced or something done simply to be trendy. When both bands finally performed the track together at The X Factor live finale earlier this month, the crowd's reaction proved how much us Brits have embraced the joy of reggaeton into our daily soundtracks.
View the lyrics
What good looks,
Her figure drives me crazy,
With a short outfit that looks good,
Combined with brown lipstick.
What good looks,
I hypnotize her waist,
When she dances the gods want to see,
I won't lose more time, I'll come.
I looked and I liked it,
I stuck to it and invited her "let's Dance?" Eh
The night is for Slow Reggaeton,
For those who don't dance long.
I looked and I liked it,
I stuck to it and invited her "Let's Dance?" Eh
The night is for Slow Reggeaton,
For those who don't dance long
Let me dance this piece with you,
Among women highlights your beauty
I love your strength, you move deftly,
Move, move move.
Very wonderful Latina, she is full of life,
Put the two hands in the air,
Where are the couples and singles?
Move move move
I looked and I liked it,
I stuck to it and invited her "let's Dance?" Eh
The night is for Slow Reggaeton,
For those who don't dance long.
I looked and I liked it,
I stuck to it and invited her "Let's Dance?" Eh
The night is for Slow Reggeaton,
For those who don't dance long
Dance with me,
The night is for a Slow Reggaeton,
For those who don't dance long
Girl, I know you like it when I take you to the floor
I know you like this slow Reggaeton
This is happening till I say so,
Come get-come get some more
It is. Impossible to delay the hours,
Every minute with you is a dream
I want to be your confidant
Why do you not dare what we do now?
Don't be shy
It's me and you alone
I looked and I liked it,
I stuck to it and invited her "let's Dance?" Eh
The night is for Slow Reggaeton,
For those who don't dance long.
I looked and I liked it,
I stuck to it and invited her "Let's Dance?" Eh
The night is for Slow Reggeaton,
For those who don't dance long
I looked and I liked it,
I stuck to it and invited her "let's Dance?" Eh
The night is for Slow Reggaeton,
For those who don't dance long.
I looked and I liked it,
I stuck to it and invited her "Let's Dance?" Eh
The night is for Slow Reggeaton,
For those who don't dance long
Move move
Dance dance
The night is for a slow Reggaeton
For those who don't dance long
Move move
Dance dance
The night is for a slow Reggaeton
For those who don't dance long
What about us?
CNCO!
What good looks,
Her figure drives me crazy,
With a short outfit that looks good,
Combined with brown lipstick.
what good looks.
Lyrics powered by www.musixmatch.com
Another girl group that added their flavour to Latin pop was Fifth Harmony, who released an amazing collaboration with Pitbull in 'Por Favor'. Mr. Worldwide is one of the most legendary male artists in the Latin pop world, alongside Enrique Iglesias and Ricky Martin, and we all know he's capable of making bangers, and we were not let down by this hook-up. Lauren, Normani, Ally and Dinah brought their A game to the sultry, salsa-ready bop, which really deserved more as it didn't light up the charts quite the same as the others.
Still, charts aren't the ultimate benchmark of success in 2017 and it still goes off just as much as the other songs mentioned here.
One song that did dominate the charts à la 'Despacito' was Camila Cabello's Latin-fused debut single 'Havana'. Inspired by her native Cuba, the flirtatious bop stormed up the charts around the world to become of the defining songs of 2017. It reached Number 1 in over 10 countries, including the UK where it spent five consecutive weeks at the top (!), and peaked at Number 2 in the States.
With its telenovela-inspired music video and a show-stopping performance at the 2017 MTV EMA, the song took on a life of its own and is still riding high as it stays in the Top 5 as we head towards Christmas. Last month Camila gave the song a Spanish overhaul as she released a remix with Daddy Yankee, changing all-but-the-chorus to sing in Spanish and essentially making a brand new song out of it.
'Despacito' inarguably changed the course of pop music in 2017 and we certainly haven't looked back since, as its influence has injected some much-needed life into the charts that had become somewhat stale and predictable.
We'd like to give a special mention to Shakira, who released the absolutely incredible single 'Chantaje' with Maluma last October just a few months before Bieber brought Latin pop to the forefront of the UK's minds and playlists. With over two billion views on YouTube and just under 450 million streams on Spotify alone, it is one of the biggest hits of her career regardless but certainly deserved its moment in the UK and US too. If you somehow haven't already heard it since letting Latin pop into your life then let us help you, you won't regret it:
The predominantly Spanish album that followed, El Dorado, has plenty more bangers that also deserved to climb up the charts but sadly got lost in the masses.
With Maluma, Anitta, Pabllo Vittar and many more breaking through to international audiences, we cannot wait to hear what 2018 has in store as Latin pop is definitely here to stay.
Words: Ross McNeilage
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WATCH J BALVIN AND WILLY WILLIAM'S 'MI GENTE' VIDEO BELOW
View the lyrics
Ya empezamos como es
Mi música no discrimina a nadie
Así que vamos a romper
Toda mi gente se mueve
Mira el ritmo cómo los tiene
Hago música que entretiene
El mundo nos quiere, nos quiere, me quiere a mí
Toda mi gente se mueve
Mira el ritmo cómo los tiene
Hago música que entretiene
Mi música los tiene fuerte bailando y se baila así
Estamos rompiendo la discoteca
La fiesta no para, apenas comienza
C'est comme ci, c'est comme ça
Ma chérie, la la la la la
Francia, Colombia, me gusta (freeze)
J Balvin, Willy William, te gusta (freeze)
Los DJs no mienten, les gusta mi gente
Y eso se fue mundial (freeze)
No le bajamos, más nunca paramos
Es otro palo y blam
¿Y dónde está mi gente?
Mais fais bouger la tête
¿Y dónde está mi gente?
Say yeah, yeah, yeah
¡Un, dos, tres, leggo! (ay, di que sí)
Esquina a esquina, de ahí nos vamos
El mundo es grande, pero lo tengo en mis manos
Estoy muy duro, sí, okay, ahí vamos
Y con el tiempo nos seguimos elevando
Y yeah
Que seguimos rompiendo aquí y yeah
Esta fiesta no tiene fin y yeah
Botellas para arriba, sí
Los tengo bailando, rompiendo y yo sigo aquí
Y yeah
Que seguimos rompiendo aquí y yeah
Esta fiesta no tiene fin y yeah
Botellas para arriba, sí
Los tengo bailando, rompiendo...
¿Y dónde está mi gente?
Mais fais bouger la tête
¿Y dónde está mi gente?
Say yeah, yeah, yeah
¡Un, dos, tres, leggo! (ay, di que sí)
Worldwide
Willy William
J Balvin, man
Uh-huh, uh-huh
Uh-huh, uh-huh
Writer(s): Andres Restrepo Echavarria, Anthony Belolo, Jose Osorio Balvin, Ashadally Adam, Mohombi Moupondo, Willy William Lyrics powered by www.musixmatch.com
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