Miami

‘Despacito' Becomes First Spanish Song to Peak No. 1 Since ‘Macarena'

Admit it, you can't get it out of your head! You blast it in the car, dance like no one's watching and hum it down the hallway! These days, everywhere you go, “Despacito” by Luis Fonsi featuring Daddy Yankee is playing. The song blew up even more with the release of the remix featuring pop crooner Justin Bieber.

Bieber’s clairvoyance led him to reach out to Fonsi’s team because he knew the song would be a hit.

“He reached out to his management, his reached out to us and they said, ‘Justin wants to jump on the remix’ and I said ‘yes!’" Fonsi recalled.

The Spanish up-tempo song has made history. This week, “Despacito” peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. This is the first time a Spanish-only song has hit that high mark since Los Del Rio’s “Macarena,” which dominated the charts back in 1996.

“Despacito” is the top song requested from Mack on Y100, which, by the way, is an English-language radio station.

“Especially on Twitter at Y100, Miami people are constantly tweeting us to play it,” said Mack.

The crossover continues as artists like Nicky Jam and JBalvin make their moves. Enrique Santos of iHeart Radio On-Air is excited about the shift, saying music has no boundaries.

“It feels great. Not only Luis Fonsi, Daddy Yankee and Justin Bieber, but then Camilla Cabello with Pitbull and JBalvin and Nicky Jam are now singing in English on the "Fate of the Furious" soundtrack. Hearing Elvis Crespo's music on there as well, they’re all really proud moments for our people,” said Santos.

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