Taken from this week’s Future Pop mailer. Click here to subscribe.
When Despacito became a global success, I didn’t want to be over-optimistic about it opening doors for other Spanish-language artists. It’s a summer novelty hit with a bit of Bieber to get radio on board, that’s all. But surprisingly, two more Spanish tracks (Súbeme La Radio and Mi Genté) have already followed Despacito into the UK charts. Latin pop hasn’t had such a moment since the days of Ricky Martin and Shakira. Last week brought a brilliant new twist, as Latin American boyband CNCO released a remix of their big single, Reggaetón Lento, featuring Little Mix. CNCO are the product of Simon Cowell and Ricky Martin’s 2015 TV talent show La Banda, and I previously featured them here as Song of the Week with their latest single Hey DJ. The five members are aged 16 to 21 and come from Latin America and the US (with a Hispanic background). Reggaetón Lento was the biggest hit from their debut album, Primera Cita, released last year. The Little Mix remix features new English lyrics (contributed by regular LM topliner Camille Purcell) combined with the original Spanish hook, and the result is an instant contender for my song of the year. In an era with no major girl/boy groups, it’s a joy to hear a male/female duet with such with pure pop vocals. Can we dare to dream of a live performance with full choreo?