Luis Fonsi Responds To Justin Bieber Butchering ‘Despacito’ Lyrics
The Canadian singer has been accused of mocking the Spanish language.
By Carolina Moreno
Justin Bieber has yet to comment on a video of him butchering the lyrics to “Despacito,”despite having recorded a remix of the hit song in April. But Luis Fonsi, who co-wrote the song, has some thoughts on the incident.
The Puerto Rican star sat down with Rolling Stone for an in-depth interview, published last week. While on the topic of Bieber’s controversial performance of “Despacito,” during which he replaced the real lyrics with words like “Dorito” and “burrito,” Fonsi did not seem offended.
“That chorus is not easy to sing, even for fluent Spanish singers like myself,” the boricua told the magazine. “It’s got a lot of lyrics, it’s kind of tongue-twisty.”
When discussing how Bieber had wanted to sing the chorus in Spanish, the first time the Canadian singer has ever done so on a track, Fonsi said he thought it was a big moment for Latin music.
“I’ve done songs in other languages, I know how hard it is,” he added.
The “Despacito” remix featuring Bieber has helped the single, originally released in January, soar in the United States. In May, it became the first Spanish-language song to reach No. 1 in the U.S. since the “Macarena” in 1996.
Despite its success, many fans weren’t so forgiving when it came to the way Bieber handled his recent “Despacito” performance. Ricardo Mondolfi wrote a scathing blog for HuffPost about why he had decided to boycott the “Despacito” remix featuring Bieber.
“I don’t blame him for not knowing the words in Spanish, but his mockery of the language is completely unacceptable,” Mondolfi wrote. “Justin Bieber has shown he can’t sing in Spanish without making fun of it, so he simply shouldn’t. I, for one, won’t listen to ‘Despacito’ remix ever again, and I hope you won’t either.”
Carolina Moreno Latino Voices Editor, HuffPost
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