Now that country seems to have screwed its feet for good on the Plains of Abraham, the Festival d’été de Québec will take a new gamble this evening, by assigning Luis Fonsi as the headliner of the first evening of Latin music in its history.
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It’s also an amazing first for the creator of Despacito. Not only has Fonsi never played in Quebec, but this is a first in Canada for the 44-year-old Puerto Rican-born artist.
“It’s a big step for Latin music. I will give it my all. There is never another first time,” promised, in an interview with Logthe one whose mission will be to seduce a French-speaking public.
“It’s exciting to sing in front of a new crowd, especially when it’s different from your traditional audience. I have done this often over the past five years. In the Middle East or Eastern Europe, for example, and I was able to connect with the crowd because music is a universal language. »
The world has opened up
Although he has had a career for twenty-three years, Luis Fonsi mentions the last five years because they correspond to the release of Despacitothe planetary tube with billions of plays online that has allowed Latin music to reach the general public.
“Before, my career was based only in Spanish-speaking countries. Afterwards, the world opened up: Australia, China, Russia, all of Europe. I already had some fans in European countries, but with Despacito, I went to a whole new level. »
He owes a proud candle to Justin Bieber, who put the song by recording a remix in English. “It’s huge what he’s done. I particularly appreciate that he sang the chorus in Spanish. Not many people know, but we had a full English version sent to him, but he took the time to learn Spanish phonetics. That’s wonderful. »
Sensual, not sexual
Another aspect of Despacito What goes unmentioned is Luis Fonsi’s decision to team up with author Erika Ender in order to obtain a female point of view to tell the game of carnal seduction between a man and a woman.
“I’ve always been very careful and strict about my song lyrics. They can sometimes be sensual, but never sexual. Above all, they must never have a disrespectful tone towards women. »
“Some artists are a lot more aggressive and I respect that, but I’m not. I write a lot with women. It is important. If you wanna write a sexy song, and without a shadow of a doubt Despacito is one, it should always be fun and respectful. With a woman by my side, I make sure that nothing will be misunderstood. »
♦ Luis Fonsi in concert on the Plains of Abraham, at 10 p.m. tonight, with Becky G and Alex Sensation opening for it.