Justin Bieber decided to release ‘Despacito’ in Spanish.
The hit track became the first song that was primarily in Spanish to top the Billboard Hot 100 since a 1996 remix of ‘Macarena’ and now Luis Fonsi – who sings on the track alongside the ‘As Long As You Love Me’ hitmaker – has revealed it was Justin’s decision to use the Spanish version rather than an English one they had recorded.
He said: "The funny thing is we actually have a version of the song fully recorded in English, and he knew that. Instead of using that, he decided to use the Spanish version, even though he doesn’t speak Spanish himself and made sure he was phonetically pronouncing the words correctly."
And Luis is understandably thrilled by the success of ‘Despacito’ and thinks it is great news for all genres of music.
He told #legend magazine: "With all the new platforms for people to find music and streaming services, fans are exposed to all kinds of music. And I think, with that available, it’s all so much more accessible. This is something that’s great for every genre, not just Latin music. Now we can pick and choose what we want to hear and make our playlists."
It comes after Luis revealed he originally wanted Jay-Z or Drake to rap on ‘Despacito’.
He confessed: "Before Justin we’d been talking about doing a collaboration with an American artist. We were leaning towards a more hip-hop artist, but I didn’t know how to get in touch with JAY-Z or Drake. Justin wasn’t even on the list."
And the 39-year-old singer songwriter had no idea Justin would sing in Spanish but was blown away when he heard him.
He said: "I expected to hear a full English [language] version of the song. All of a sudden I’m hearing Justin Bieber singing in Spanish. I thought, ‘This is huge!’"
Justin Bieber decided to release Spanish version of Despacito
