Despacito - Remix

Luis Fonsi and his writing partner Erika Ender penned this Latin pop/reggaetón song with the intention of creating a fun tune that would make people want to dance. He recalled to Billboard magazine: "The song grew in a very natural way, it really snowballed into this final version. 'Despacito' started with a melody hook that I had with my guitar only. The beat for this track came after I wrote the lyrics, which I wrote as if I was writing a ballad. I sat with my guitar and started this cumbia pattern with my guitar. When I had a writing session with my friend Erika Ender I told her, 'Look, I have this idea and I pretty much have a chorus written but let's write a song around that and make it a sensual, fun, uplifting, dance kind of song and let's not over think it.' Because a lot of times when you're going into these writing sessions you're trying to come up with the most beautiful ballads with metaphors but for this one we just went with our gut. After we wrote it, I wasn't sure if I wanted to leave it as a cumbia/pop song or to give it this urban injection. I also don't consider it a reggaetón song but it does have that reggaetón energy and to me that's the new pop. A mix between a pop melody and a subtle urban beat to create the best of both worlds."

Luis Fonsi teamed up with his fellow Puerto Rican Daddy Yankee when he recorded the song. He explained: "I played him the demo and told him where I wanted to go with the song and he jumped on it right away. He was involved in putting all the pieces together. His collaboration was crucial and it's what made the song."

Asked by Billboard magazine if he always knew the song would be successful, Fonsi replied: "When I first did the demo of this song, I put it to the side and continued working the other songs for the album. But, for some reason, this song always excelled before the others. When I met with my producers, they listened to it and that day we decided to leave the others aside and work on 'Despacito.' And when we heard the final song, both Daddy Yankee and I were surprised that it sounded powerful, fresh and different. But at the end of the day no one knows, it's simply the fans who decide whether a song is successful or not, and that's what makes this career special."