The Queen of Pop goes Latino

The American artist has joined forces with Colombian J. Balvin and French Willy William to release a new version of “Mi gente”. The artists will donate the profits that come from the single to Hurricane Relief, in order to help countries and territories affected by Irma, María, and Harvey. Mexico will also be amongst those who will receive the aid after the earthquake. In the song, Beyoncé sings in Spanish. The original version, sung only by J. Balvin and Willy William, has been an international success: one of those Reggeaton songs that play in every party you go to.

As we all most likely recall, this is not the first time an American (or Canadian) pop star lends their voice to a song from this particular Latino genre: Justin Bieber’s version of “Despacito” brought this Latino rhythm to other spheres of the entertainment and music industries. The fact that stars like Justin Bieber and Beyoncé who, frankly, is at a whole different level, have shown interest in the Latin American rhythm is evidence of the cultural influence the region can have in the world.

Although Reggaeton is a genre traditionally known for its highly explicit lyrics that typically diminish women, “Mi gente” is part of the new direction part of the genre has taken. It is a song about partying and dancing and having a good time with “your people”, and it promotes a strong sense of community, even if it is only for partying. Therefore, it makes sense that the song Beyoncé would remix to help mostly Latin American victims of natural disasters would be one that talks about how Latinos are one big community. Also, the American singer is known for her fight against discrimination of minorities like women and African Americans, so no one expects her to take part in the production of a work that goes against those principles.

The singer announced the new version of the song and the fact that the profits would go to charity on an Instagram post. With a few hours of having been released, the video already has over 2 million views on YouTube. The video features different groups of Latino urban dancers as well as homemade videos of fans dancing to the hit song. Only time will tell how much will Beyoncé will actually be able to raise, but do not be surprised if it surpasses your expectations.

Latin American Post | Laura Rocha Rueda