Despacito” has been a viral musical phenomenon that has not stopped playing across the world. Shortly after its release, this contagious song set off unprecedented success: it was the first song sung in Spanish to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in more than 21 years; it also became the most watched video in YouTube’s history, with more than three billion views; on Spotify, it has four million daily streams, and already has 1.2 billion streams since it came out. The song has also been a big hit on iTunes in 96 markets and, in terms of sales, it went diamond in a dozen countries, and platinum in almost all others.
But long before Despacito became the most watched video in the world, gaining success even in countries that don’t speak Spanish, like Indonesia or Israel, its creator Luis Fonsi was already an international idol who sold millions of CDs, has sold out concerts, and has recorded with stars like Juan Luis Guerra and Laura Pausini, just to name a few.
This year, while performing the Love & Dance world tour, Fonsi celebrates his 18-year career with a new album: Despacito & mis grandes éxitos. As its name indicates, in addition to the mega hit “Despacito,” the album lists hits that catapulted his career, such as “Imagíname sin ti,” which was the first song of his recorded for a telenovela, and opened the doors to the markets in Latin America and Spain.
Despacito & mis grandes éxitos is a compilation of Fonsi’s greatest hits, such as “No me doy por vencido,” which was a big commercial success in and outside the United States, and led to him singing at the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize concert. As if all of this wasn’t enough, the album opens with the original version of “Despacito” and closes with a remix, this time a salsa ballad, of that same song…The most played in the world!