If you have heard ‘Despacito’ then you know how contagious and happy Latin songs are. Artists like Drake, Justin Bieber, Jonas Brothers, Demi Lovato, among others have collaborated and released Latin flavored music. Maluma, Daddy Yankee, Bad Bunny are just but a few Latin Americans who have been able to create a name of their own in the global market. The Western market knows the Latin flavor, but these K-pop artists are bringing it to Korea.
‘Give Me More’ - VAV ft. De la Ghetto & Play N Skillz
The most recent of collaborations is that by VAV, a seven-member group band that debuted on October 2015. The boy band announced on July 8th, 2019 via twitter the release of their Summer Special Single ‘Give Me More’ Collaboration with De La Ghetto & Play N Skillz. VAV has previously released a Latin flavored song called ‘Senorita’. However, this time they will be collaborating De La Ghetto & Play N Skillz. De La Ghetto, or Rafael Castillo an American-born Puerto Rican based singer and songwriter is known in Latin America for his reggaeton songs. The artists have collaborated with both American and Latin artists over the years. For instance, Jason Derulo, Sofia Reyes & Paulo Londra, to name a few. Play N Skillz is a duo of singer songwriters that have produced and co-produced major hits and have been nominated in various occasions for different billboard categories. They too have collaborated with both American and Latin Artists, for instance Steve Aoki and Daddy Yankee. The preview of the song is out, and we cannot wait for the full version on July 23rd.
‘Chica’ – Chung Ha
The song was part of her fourth EP called ‘Flourishing’, which was released in June 2019. Chung Ha first caught the eye of the public through the ‘Produce 101’ show. In the TV competition she finished 4th and proceeded to debut with I.O.I. As the contract with the group expired Chun Ha has continued her career as a solo artist. The song ‘Chica’ has a tropical sound as well as a slight timba-like melody in the background. The lyrics ‘Chica Chica si’ mean ‘girl girl yeah’. This song is a confidence booster, where Chung Ha hypes her female listeners to be happy with themselves and their achievements
‘Lo Siento’ - Super Junior ft Leslie Grace & Play-N-Skillz
Super Junior is one of the first-generation K-pop groups, they debuted on November 2005. They became global stars with their hit song ‘Sorry Sorry’ which has 107 Million views as of July 2019. The boy group is one of the pioneering South Korean brands to collaborate with a Latin artist as well as make a full-Latin album. The boy group decided to break the cultural gap through music with their album ‘Replay’. The title track is ‘Lo Siento’ ft Leslie Grace and Play-N-Skillz . Leslie Grace is an American singer and songwriter of Dominican parents. With songs in both Spanish and English, she has been able to become recognized in all the American continent. Play-N-Skillz are a duo of song producers and rappers. They have worked with Nicki Minaj, Lil Wayne and Latin artists Daddy Yankee and Becky G. They have won and been nominated for different categories for Billboard Grammy awards. ‘Lo Siento’ is trilingual song, Korean, Spanish and English. The songs beat is a mesh of pop, and Latin sounds. The collaboration won the Kids Choice awards Mexico 2018 best collaboration, against Selena Gomez, Demi Lovato, among others.
‘Dimelo’ - Kard
KARD is a co-ed South Korean group that debuted on December 2016 with their album “Oh Na Na”. In 2018 they released the album ‘Ride On The Wind’. The previous year they had released an album called ‘Hola, Hola’ which was subtly Latin influenced.. The “Ride on the Wind” album contains the song ‘Dimelo’ in which almost half of the lyrics are in Spanish. The song is an energetic song with romantic lyrics where they ask for the person to say that they like them just the way they are.
‘One more time’ - Super Junior ft Reik
The first EP for Super Junior named ‘One More Time’ was released on October 2018. Again Super Junior has taken yet another dive into the Latin American market and created a full Latin-pop album. The main song called ‘One More Time’ featured the Mexican band Reik. Reik, a three-member group also debuted in 2005 after signing with Sony Music in 2004. The song ‘Yo quisiera’ was a major hit and they started their long journey in the music industry. Much like Super Junior, Reik has been able to navigate the drastic changes in music styles. ‘One More Time’ is about how to make a woman fall in love with them once again. The song is very energetic and fun. Gilberto’s (Reik member) guitar gives the song well-roundness and an undeniable Latin feel.
‘Potion’ - Eric Nam ft Woodie Gochild
Eric Nam is a singer, song writer, precentor, and entertainer born and raised in America to Korean parents. He was nominated for 30 under 30 by Forbes in 2017 and was a speaker for the event in 2018. He worked 2 years in order to create the album “Honestly”, released in 2018. He showed a playful and bad-boy side unlike his previous albums. Potion is a song about drinking. The video for Potion was filmed in San Miguel de Allende in Mexico and features a Latin woman. Eric Nam showcases visually the rich culture of the place, from traditional dances, mariachis to traditional paintings and buildings. The song has a Latin groove with engulfing guitar play.
‘Ahora te Puedes Marchar’ - Super Junior
Their ‘One More Time’ EP contains a cover of Luis Miguel’s ‘Ahora te puedes marchar’. This song is a well-known hit in Mexico, it was released in 1987. Luis Miguel known as ‘El Sol de Mexico’ (The Sun of Mexico) is a Mexican artist who is known in Latin America. He has a wide range of musical genres and even has a Netflix series based on his life. Eight members of SJ (Leetuk, Heechul, YeSung, ShinDong, EunHyuk DonHae, Siwon, RyeoWook,), covered the song in Spanish and recorded a music video
‘Egoistic’ - MAMAMOO
Mamamoo is a four-member girl group. The group is composed of Solar, Moonbyul, Wheein and Hwasa. They debuted in 2014 and were in a Billboard article by Jeff Benjamin for ‘Top 5 K-pop Artists to Watch in 2015’. The song ‘Egoistic’ is the title song under their July 2018 mini-album ‘Red moon’. The song is about the gradual loss of love with a selfish man. The song only has one word in Spanish ‘Bicho Malo’ (bad bug). However, the songs rhythm and use of guitar is what makes this song Latin flavored. The video’s clothing, and scenery also compliment the overall Latin feel.
‘Halleluyah’ - Jimin (AOA)
This song is a single by Shin Ji-min a rapper and singer. Jimin is the leader of the girl group AOA. She debuted in 2012 along with her AOA members. She participated in ‘Unpretty Rapstar’ in 2015. She has successfully released 2 other singles. The song was released in October 2017, the use of guitar is apparent, and it has a Latin pop feel
‘Havana’ - IU
The song was released in 2013, it was released as part of her album ‘Modern times’. IU or Lee Ji Eun is known in Korea as the nation’s sweetheart. She has been part of the music industry since she was 15 years old. She is also a well-known actress. She has won several awards for both her acting and her singing careers. Her voice is very harmonious, and it truly shines through ‘Havana’. This song has the freshness and musical tones of a classic Caribbean song. The guitar accompaniment makes a perfect match with her delicate voice.
‘Senorita’ - Shinee
Shinee a boy group that debuted in 2008, released this song under their EP Romeo on May 2009. The boy band is loved and known for their choreographies. During the intro of the song they say “Damas y Caballeros, Yo amigo, baila conmigo” which means “ladies and gentlemen, I friend, dance with me”. There is an apparent guitar in the background as well as percussion instruments that bring out a slight cha-cha melody. The song is about a man confessing his feelings to a girl he thinks may not love him back.
[NEWSINSIDE Danitza Trejo Gonzalez]