Justin Bieber And Luis Fonsi’s ‘Despacito’ Remix Rockets Into Top 10: Tops iTunes, Spotify, YouTube
Justin Bieber’s star power has helped propel Puerto Rico’s Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee into Billboard’s Hot 100 Top 10 with the Biebs-featuring “Despacito” remix.
The remix is the first predominantly Spanish-language song to break into the top 10 in 20 years. The last time it happened was in 1996 when Los Del Rio’s “Macarena (Bayside Boys Remix)” spent 14 weeks at No. 1.
The bilingual single showcases Justin singing in Spanish and is a new version of Fonsi and Yankee’s original global smash.
The “Despacito” remix’s strong top 10 chart entry is Bieber’s 12th Hot 100 top 10 hit, and Fonsi and Daddy Yankee’s first.
According to Billboard’s latest Hot 100 chart update, the remix landed at No.9. If you think that’s impressive, projections for next week’s Hot 100 chart predict the song will soar to No. 4. The single has recently been added to radio.
On Spotify, the remix has resided atop the platform’s Global Top 50 chart for five days (since April 22) following the single’s release on April 17 and is No. 1 worldwide.
Notably, the streaming service reports the “Despacito” remix is the first Spanish-language to reach No. 1 on the global chart.
It is now No. 3 on Spotify’s U.S. chart.
Average daily plays? Try 6.1 million.
.@justinbieber helps secure the first Spanish-language top-10 hit since “Macarena” http://bit.ly/2opfpyM https://twitter.com/stereogum/status/856620042842189826/photo/1pic.twitter.com/YUYlfJdlrE
— Stereogum (@stereogum) April 24, 2017
The great news continues. After reaching No. 1 on the U.S. iTunes Singles Sales chart on April 22, the remix is still No. 1 on U.S. iTunes at press time on April 28.
It is also No. 1 on iTunes in a further 17 countries, and Top 5 and Top 10 in many more.
Notably, the audio music video for the remix made the highest YouTube debut of 2017 to date, with over 76 million views in its first week. It is now at over 95 million views.
Breaking that figure down, the video generated over 20 million views within its first 24 hours, according to the platform.
The dance-centric music video for the original version of “Despacito” exceeded 1 billion global views on April 20, making it the second-fastest music clip to reach that bar. Adele’s “Hello” remains the fastest music video to hit the 1 billion milestone.
“This is great for Latin music!” Fonsi told Billboard.
Clearly happy about the song’s success, the Latin star added “it’s such an incredible honor to have a Spanish song in the top 10 of the Hot 100 chart. ”
He continued, “it’s been an incredible ride since the very first day we released the song, seeing how the world just connected to it.”
The music publication notes that “Despacito” was already a huge success on Billboard’s Latin charts and this week reigns atop the Hot Latin Songs chart for a 12th sitting.
.@JustinBieber remix boosts Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee’s #Despacito to Hot 100’s top 10 http://blbrd.cm/IuVfIn
— billboard (@billboard) April 25, 2017
Fonsi went on to add that “the billion views in four months, No. 1 on Spotify Global and Justin Bieber jumping on-board with the remix have taken the song to another level.”
Luis and Justin recently performed the remix at the Canadian’s recent “Purpose World Tour” show in Puerto Rico, simultaneously surprising and thrilling thousands of fans.
The Biebs has received widespread praise from celebrities, artists, the Latin community, his own fans, and many media outlets for his Spanish pronunciation and intonation.
The “Sorry” singer recorded his vocals for the remix in Bogotá, Colombia, with the help of coaching.
As well raving about Latin music as a whole, Luis revealed Justin reached out to him to request a jump on the remix after hearing the original in a Bogotá club. Once the yes came through, the Biebs sent the remix vocals back within days and the version dropped.
Fonsi and Daddy Yankee performed “Despacito” at the 2017 Billboard Latin Music Awards live on Thursday night. At the event, Fonsi was presented with the Spirit of Hope award.
For his part, Justin won the Crossover Artist of the Year for the third year running but was not present at the event.
[Featured Image by Image Group LA/ABC/Getty Images]
