Despacito
"Despacito" (Latin American Spanish: [despaˈsito]; transl. "Slowly") is a Spanish-language song recorded by Puerto Rican singer Luis Fonsi, featuring Puerto Rican rapper Daddy Yankee. On January 13, 2017, it was released as lead single for Vida, Fonsi's tenth studio album. Written by Fonsi and Panamanian-American and Brazilian singer-songwriter Erika Ender in collaboration with Yankee between 2015 and 2016, it was produced by Colombian record producers Mauricio Rengifo and Andrés Torres in 2016. An English-language remix featuring Canadian pop singer Justin Bieber was released on April 17, 2017, with added lyrics by Bieber, and American singer-songwriters Poo Bear and Marty James.
Topping the charts in 47 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Germany, France, Italy and Spain, and reaching the top 10 of six others, "Despacito" has been listed among the best Latin songs ever by various publications, with some referring to it as one of the most successful Spanish-language tracks in pop music history. It has been credited by music journalists as being the most instrumental song in spreading the popularity of Spanish-language music in the mainstream global market since "La Bamba" by Los Lobos in 1987 and "Macarena" by Los Del Rio featuring the Backside Boys in 1995.
In the United States, it became the first Spanish-language song to top the Billboard Hot 100 since "Macarena" in 1996, subsequently tying as the longest-reigning number one on the Billboard Hot 100 at the time with 16 weeks, as well as becoming the longest-running number one on the Hot Latin Songs chart with 56 weeks. It became the second Spanish-language song to be nominated for the Grammy Awards, earning nominations for Song of the Year, Record of the Year, and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance, and surpassing the first Spanish-language song nominated for the awards, "La Bamba," which received a nomination in the first two categories in 1988. It was the first Latin song to receive a digital Diamond certification by the Recording Industry Association of America, selling over 13 million units, while also earning more than 141 digital Latin Platinum certifications with over 8 millions units sold, becoming the best-selling and highest certified Latin single in U.S. history. In 2025, Billboard magazine named it the most successful Latin song of the 21st century.
The music video shows both Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee performing the song in the La Perla neighborhood of Old San Juan, Puerto Rico, and local bar La Factoría. It held the record for most-viewed YouTube video between August 2017 and November 2020, when it was overtaken by Pinkfong's Baby Shark. It became the first video on the site to reach the milestones of three, four, five, six, seven, and eight billion views. It also held the record for most-liked YouTube video between July 2017 and January 2025, when it was overtaken by MrBeast's Would You Fly to Paris for a Baguette? It became the first video on the site to reach 15, 20, 30, 40, 50, and 55 million likes.
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