Luis Fonsi Defends Justin Bieber’s Butchering of ‘Despacito’ Lyrics

by Malachi Weaver

Even Luis Fonsi admits that the lyrics to his song “Despacito” are a bit complicated, so he doesn’t blame Justin Bieber for butchering them. While videos surfaced last week of Justin Bieber in a club replacing the song’s lyrics with “blah, blah, blah” adlibs and saying “I don’t know the words so I say ‘Dorito’”, Fonsi seems to hold no hard feelings toward the singer.

“That chorus is not easy to sing, even for fluent Spanish singers like myself,” Fonsi told Rolling Stone. “It’s got a lot of lyrics, it’s kind of tongue-twisty.”

Fonsi also explained to Rolling Stone how Bieber ended up on the track. Bieber first heard the song in a club while on tour in South America and immediately reached out to see if he could add a verse. “He saw how people reacted, and right away he was like, ‘I want to be a part of this movement,’” Fonsi said.

Bieber also, according to Fonsi, was the one that initiated that he would sing the song’s chorus in Spanish – making this his first attempt at singing a song in Spanish. “It’s big for Latin music that a global star like Justin Bieber takes the time to do the song, to do it in Spanish,” says Fonsi. “I’ve done songs in other languages, I know how hard it is.”

Hear “Despacito” below.

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