One is a crooner, with the voice of a soothsayer, who before 2017 was already an established star in Latin America. Having recorded eight albums, selling millions more and nabbing a few Grammys along the way. The other is known as the King of Reggaeton. He too had already spawned numerous hit singles, won countless awards, with Latin Grammys, Billboard and American Music Awards sitting on his mantle.
Combined Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee have nearly 40 years in the music game. Yet, in 2017 they would see their careers reach unimaginable levels and make music and video history. The best part – they would do it together.
It started in January of 2017, they collaborated on and released the song “Despacito”. It was a hit, yet still just one song among many others on the radio. Then, in April of 2017, they remixed the song adding some additional vocals provided courtesy of Justin Bieber. Suddenly, this hit became an anthem and then a worldwide phenomenon.
The remix reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for the week ending May 27, 2017, becoming both Fonsi and Yankee’s first number one on the chart. But that’s just the beginning, the song remained number one for 16 consecutive weeks, tying “One Sweet Day”, by Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men as the longest reigning top song in the chart’s history. “Despacito” would also become number one on every Latin Billboard chart, yes all of them. Then there’s the video. That made history too. By October 14, 2017, the music video for the song reached four billion views on YouTube, becoming the most viewed video in the world.