For the first time in over two decades, the No. 1 song in America is primarily in Spanish, and the significance of that accomplishment is not lost on the two artists who fronted the original version of the song. Daddy Yankee and Luis Fonsi, two of the biggest names in the Latin music world before their latest single was released, collaborated on the track "Despacito," which was working its way up the charts all across the planet and doing very well for a song in Spanish...and then Justin Bieber got his hands on it and added a verse, and the rest is history.
"Despacito"" wasted no time in bolting up the Hot 100, and it has now led the charge for two weeks in a row, and it's likely that more frames at the top are in store for the catchy tune.
I spoke with Daddy Yankee recently just before he went on stage to perform during the season finale of The Voice, and I don't think he could have sounded more excited about what's been going on over the past few months.
Hugh McIntyre: How did you and Luis Fonsi get together to make this song?
Daddy Yankee: It was very interesting. Luis showed me the song and I created my verse and then "pacito pacito" over the hook that he had already and I think the combination of the "Despacito" and my creative of "pasito a pasito," they really make a good mix and drive attention from the audience.
McIntyre: So, the credit for the hook goes to you?
Yankee: Not the pre-hook, the "pacito pacito." You know? He had the whole verse and then he showed me the "Despacito" in the intro in the hook, and I told him, “You know, that's special!” That's how we got together to work on the song.
McIntyre: When you guys crafted this, did you know that it was going to be a hit when it was done?
Yankee: Yes, but it was unpredictable. We knew that we had something special, but at the end of the day, the people, they are the judges, so you can bet on that one song, but at the end of the day, people decide what's going to be a hit or not. But, we definitely... We had our intuition that we had something special.
McIntyre: How did you feel when the song was released and it immediately performed extremely well in a number of countries?
Yankee: Like everybody else! For me, it was big impression watching the numbers on YouTube. Everybody was programming the song into their stations in every country. It was unpredictable for me. It was amazing. It was a phenomenon, it was spontaneous and organic. We were not planning any of this.
McIntyre: How did you find out that Justin Bieber had heard this song and was interested in doing something with it?
Yankee: What I heard was that he was in Colombia at a club, and he heard the song. Very natural. He jumped on the phone, and you know that Justin... He always does a great job when he comes to interpretation.
McIntyre: Yeah, he did a great job on it.
Yankee: Of course, I like the way he flows. I like his music a lot.
McIntyre: When you heard Bieber recorded a verse and you had this remix, did you know that you had something extra special in your hands?
Yankee: Oh, definitely. Definitely. You know, Justin. He gave us another ingredient on the song. I think having two Latinos and Justin, who was born and raised in Canada... It's now a multicultural song. I think that is one of the reasons why everybody is feeling the song, because there's a lot of mixed in.
McIntyre: Now it's No. 1 in the U.S. In fact, it's number one essentially, everywhere, but it's a historical No. 1 because it's one of only three mostly Spanish chart-toppers in history. What does that make you feel?
Yankee: Oh, that's a good question. When you open the book of music history, Daddy Yankee is gonna be there, so it's all good.
It's incredible what happened. Right now, I just wanna say, "Thank you" to everybody who's listening to me around the world 'cause I just got the news that I'm number two artist most listened to around the world, so it's amazing. It's amazing. It's unbelievable right now what's happening.
We appreciate everything that everybody's talking about the song, you guys, all media because at the end of the day, that's what music is about, to unify the world.
McIntyre: Your name is out there on the charts all around the world and you've got a new presence in a lot of people's ears. What do you plan on doing for the rest of the year with that?
Yankee: Oh yes. Right now, keep making music. I think what happened with the "Despacito" actually opened a new door for me for different talents around the world to make a collaboration with Daddy Yankee, so I'm going to explore all those opportunities and options that I have right now. I'm going to have fun with it!