Music history dictates that Spanish crossovers or “Spanglish” tunes is tricky business.
50’s rock and roller Ritchie Valens went to the extent of changing his real government issued name to a more socially acceptable name for his time. Valens took it a step further by doing something that was unheard of for his time; sing in Spanish for the American public. Ritchie took a Mexican standard with “La Bamba” and made it his own. And Donna along the way.
Late Tejana artist, Selena Quintanilla-Pérez, didn’t reap the benefits of her crossover stardom due to her untimely death. Selena started by belting “Tejano” music around the valley of Texas with her siblings known as Los Dinos. Many didn’t believe in Quintanilla’s ability to win the English speaking audience with her romantic ballad, “I Could Fall In Love.” You couldn’t turn on top 40 radio without being lambasted with the slow number.
It was around the same time of Selena’s death that the world’s newfangled dance came in the form of the campy Spanish earworm, “La Macarena.” At the inception of the crowd favorite, it was customary to dance the “Macarena” atop of a table or chair in a crowded bar. At this point, one of the last Spanish songs to be this big was Jose Feliciano’s Christmas hit, “Feliz Navidad.” Let that sink in for a minute. Years later, it’s impossible to fathom attending a 15 or wedding without “La Macarena.”
Reggaeton was supposed to catch the world on fire with Daddy Yankee’s “Gasolina.” Instead, the fad faded quickly and morphed into other genres. Which brings us to the “Despacito’s” of the world.
We’re in a time where major artists are being courted by Latin artists to drop a verse or two in Spanish ala Justin Bieber in “Despacito” for radio domination. I thought it would be like catching lightning in a bottle, but when I heard J Balvin, Willy William ft. Beyoncé on “Mi Gente,” my feelings sordidly changed. Balvin’s track of crunchy beats delivered with silky vocals compliments of Queen Bey slays on many levels. Who knew that Beyoncé would crush her Spanish contribution to “Mi Gente?”
Demi Lovato is the latest to jump in the ring, this time with the veteran crooner, Luis Fonsi. It’s important to note that Fonsi also wrote “Despacito.” The two team up on the surefire soon to be FM jam, “Echame La Culpa” that’s slated to be released tomorrow. Lovato nails the small bit she teased via Instagram, and make no mistake on how organic her Spanish sounds in song form. Logic dictates that the next artist to jump on the Spanish pop song train is Lovato’s ex-Barney co-star. Selena Gomez, you’re next. (Graphic via Telemundo)