Latino artists dominated 2017, breaking language barriers and records with some of the most popular singles of the year worldwide.
Itâs no surprise that when YouTube released its top 10 music videos of 2017 earlier this month, Latino artists like J Balvin and Nicky Jam were responsible for seven of the yearâs biggest hits, and six of the videos were for Spanish-language songs.
Meanwhile, English-language stars like Justin Bieber and BeyoncĂ© collaborated with some of the biggest names in Latin music to turn global hits like âDespacitoâ and âMi Genteâ into infectious remixes that reached new heights of popularity in the United States.
Take a look at some of the most notable bilingual crossover songs of 2017:
1. âDespacitoâ â Luis Fonsi, Daddy Yankee Ft. Justin Bieber
âDespacitoâ was originally released by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee in January and slowly took over global charts. Bieber added his voice to the single, releasing a remix in April that at the time became YouTubeâs biggest debut of the year.
The single sped past âsong of the summerâ status to âsong of the yearâ as the original version and the remix broke multiple records. âDespacitoâ was the first mostly Spanish-language single in the U.S. to hit No. 1 since the âMacarenaâ in 1996, its music video is the most viewed video in YouTubeâs history and the single became the most streamed song of all time.
2. âMi Genteâ â J Balvin, Willy William Ft. BeyoncĂ©
BeyoncĂ© surprised fans in September when she released a remix of J Balvin and Willy Williamâs already uber-popular âMi Gente.â With her help, the Colombian and French singersâ hit slayed the U.S. charts, reaching No. 3 in Billboardâs Hot 100. In October, âDespacitoâ and âMi Genteâ marked the first time in 59 years that two non-English-language singles were simultaneously in the chartâs top 10.
The singleâs success was for a great cause, too. Queen Bey promised to donate proceeds from the song to âhurricane relief charities for Puerto Rico, Mexico and the other affected Caribbean islands,â she wrote on Instagram.
3. âHey Maâ â Pitbull, J Balvin Ft. Camila Cabello
Before Havana oh na na, Camila Cabello returned to her Cuban roots for âHey Ma.â The former Fifth Harmony star was featured in the bilingual version (above) and the English version of the single, both of which were recorded by Pitbull and J Balvin as part of the âFate of the Furiousâ soundtrack.
4. âReggaetĂłn Lentoâ â CNCO, Little Mix
British girl group Little Mix found their reggaeton counterparts in the Latin boy band CNCO. In the remix, the ladies break out their best Spanish and give a bilingual rendition of the menâs single, âReggaetĂłn Lento.â
5. âĂchame La Culpaâ â Luis Fonsi, Demi Lovato
You canât blame Demi Lovato for wanting to collaborate with Fonsi after the success of âDespacito.â The two singers released the sizzling âĂchame La Culpaâ (âPut The Blame On Meâ) in November and the song debuted at No. 3 on Billboardâs Hot Latin Song chart. The music video currently has more than 380 million views.
6. âPor Favorâ â Pitbull Ft. Fifth Harmony
Pitbull and Fifth Harmony released a bilingual single of their own in late November. The groupâs Lauren Lauregui, of Cuban descent, flexed her Spanish for the single and the rest of the women followed suit. Fifth Harmony has also performed a Spanish-language version of âDownâ and released a bilingual version of their hit âWorth It.â