Luis Alfonso Rodríguez López-Cepero, most popularly known as Luis Fonsi is a Pueryo singer who is famous for many songs but most particularly ‘Despacito’ that also features Daddy Yankee. The 43-years-old singer became a worldwide singer post the release of the super-hit song ‘Despacito’, released back in 2017.
Here’s everything you need to know about the international singer.
- Luis Fonsi’s early life
Born on 15th April 1978, Luis Fonsi was only ten years old when he moved to Orlando with his family where he continued pursuing his passion for music, playing the guitar, singing, and piano. The Puerto singer, songwriter, artist, musician, Soap Opera actor, and TV actor won a full scholarship to the Florida State University School of Music in 1995 where he pursued his major in vocal performance. Soon enough the Universal Music Latin signed him to a record deal and the singer soon dropped his first album in 1998.
Comenzare (I Will Begin) received both critical and commercial success that quickly pushed the singer on his path to success. Luis Fonsi soon released seven other studio albums and toured all over the world. The song went on to hit the Number 11th position on the Billboard’s Top Latin Albums. This was followed by another hit album named ‘Eterno’ in 2000. The Puerto singer also collaborated with Christina Aguilera for a single from her album. Some of his other famous albums include Abrazar la Vida, Amor Secreto, Paso a Paso, 8, and Tierra Firme. But it was only after the release of his blockbuster hit ‘Despacito’ that Luis Fonsi went ahead to top even the Latin Billboard chart.
A remix version of ‘Despacito’ featuring Justin Bieber was dropped in 2017 April which also reached the top position on the US Billboard Hot 100, following which the track became the first number song on the list that also received the maximum views on YouTube, grossing over 3.5 billion views!
‘Despacito’ made History
Released in 2017 January, ‘Despacito’ became one of the most inescapable hit tracks of the year. Featuring Daddy Yankee, the track topped the charts across 50 countries, including an unprecedented run on the US Top 40 for a Spanish language track. By August, the track became the most-watched video on YouTube ever!
The video received over four and a half billion views and the count has only been elevating. It is also one of the most-streamed songs in history. It was in April when Justin Bieber got in touch with Luis Fonsi to compose a remix version of ‘Despacito’ and all the singer did was add some English verses to add to its texture. This only expanded the reach of the song worldwide.
The Grammy’s
At the Latin Grammy’s held on November 16, 2017, Luis Fonsi won both the Record of the Year and the Song of the Year. The remix version of ‘Despacito’ bagged the award for the Best Urban Fusion/ Performance. The track had also been nominated for the Record of the Year and the Best Pop Duo/ Group Performance for the 2018 Grammy Awards. On the other hand, the original version of ‘Despacito’ earned a nomination for the Song of the Year.
If ‘Despacito’ happened to win the Grammy for the song of the year, it would make history as the first-ever Spanish language to do so! Except for Justin Bieber’s intro, the remix version is almost entirely in Spanish. The word ‘Despacito’ means slowly, but the track’s amazing meteoric rise and crossover appeal have been quite the opposite.
Some interesting unknown facts about Luis Fonsi:
- At the beginning of his career, Luis Fonsi was a bandmate with Joey Fatone in a band named Big Guys
- Luis Fonsi also collaborated with Ne-Yo and Afrojack
- When Christina Aguilera dropped her first-ever Spanish album, Fonsi recorded a duet with her
- Fonsi recorded ‘Amazing’ with British singer Emma Bunton of Spice Girls for her album ‘Free Me’ in 2004. In that very same year, he was featured in the Mexican TV serial drama, Corazones al Limite
- In 2005, Fonsi’s album Paso a Paso was certified Disco De Platino for shipments of 200000 units in the US. The single from the album titled Nada Es Para Siempre’ also peaked at the number one spot on the music charts and earned a nomination for the Latin Grammy Awards
- Fonsi’s fifth album ‘Abrazar la Vida’ peaked at Number 3 on the Billboard Top Latin Albums and was certified Platinum by RIAA
- In 2017 his song ‘Echame la Culpa’ debuted at the Number 3 spot on the Hot Latin charts
Hurricane Maria- The Recovery Effect
The now popular ‘despacito’ video was shot in La Perla, which is a historic Puerto Rican slum that Luis Fonsi had been planning for quite some time to help with the improvement procedure before Hurricane Maria slammed into the island labeled as a Category 4 storm in September.
Following the unfortunate event, Fonsi stated in an interview that it’s a beautiful, vibrant, and colorful barrio. La Perla has always been in desperate need of help and finding and that he always wanted to donate a music room, but as La Perla was pretty much devastated and gone, the situation looks devastating, he added.
In October, the Puerto singer enlisted some of his celebrity friends that included names like Nicky Jam, Ricky Martin, Chayanne, and others to travel with him to the island where they collectively helped to deliver water, generator, food, clothing, and baby items.
Luis Fonsi’s Personal Life
In 2006, June 3 Luis Fonsi married actress Adamari Lopez in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico. However, the couple soon announced their split in 2009 November as they eventually got officially divorced in 2010. Post the divorce, Fonsi married Spanish model Agueda Lopez in Napa Valley on 2014, September 10. They have a daughter named Mikaela who was born on 2011, December 20. The couple also has a son named Rocco who was born exactly after five years on December 20, 2016.