Despacito: The Spanish-Language Song That Broke the Whole World’s Records

By Dan Cohen · Published 2026-06-27

Despacito, by Luis Fonsi featuring Daddy Yankee, released in 2017, is one of the most consequential pop songs of the streaming era. A reggaeton track sung almost entirely in Spanish, it became a global phenomenon of a scale that the English-dominated mainstream had rarely seen from a Spanish-language song — shattering streaming records and turning its music video into one of the most-watched in the history of the internet.

The remix that broke America

Its conquest of the notoriously English-centric US chart came with help: a remix featuring Justin Bieber, who sang partly in Spanish, helped push it to number one in the United States and kept it there for months. That a Latin-pop song could dominate the American chart so completely was a genuine watershed — a sign that the global, streaming-driven audience no longer needed a song to be in English to make it the biggest in the world.

A door for an entire scene

Its significance goes beyond its own numbers. Despacito helped kick open the mainstream for a wave of Latin and reggaeton artists, accelerating a shift that has reshaped global pop ever since. Sometimes a single song doesn’t just top the charts — it changes which language the charts speak.

What it measures like

On our measurements it’s warm, mid-tempo and rhythmic — a smooth, danceable reggaeton groove built to move and to charm. Full profile on its song page.

Despacito was released by Luis Fonsi featuring Daddy Yankee in 2017; the Justin Bieber remix and its record-breaking streaming and chart achievements are matters of public record. No lyrics are reproduced.