Despacito, the viral dance hit, won big at the recent Latin Grammys where singer Luis Fonsi announced a new frontier for the song – the Chinese-speaking world.
Despacito won four awards including Record Of The Year and Song Of The Year, which recognises writing, in the year’s biggest night for Spanish- and Portuguese-language music.
The infectious reggaeton tune, which Fonsi sings with a rap assist from fellow Puerto Rican Daddy Yankee, was already a global hit when a remix featuring Justin Bieber took it into the US mainstream.
Despacito became the most-watched video ever on YouTube and tied for most weeks on number one on the US singles chart. Fonsi said he will launch a new version in two weeks with Singaporean singer-producer JJ Lin, a star in Mandarin-language pop. “I sang a little bit in Mandarin. The song has become a worldwide phenomenon and singing it in Mandarin is an honour,” said Fonsi, who will tour Asia next year. – AFP
