I was working on a totally different song, and came up with the chorus refrain : “Es que yo sin tí, tu sin mi, eso no me gusta.” I told my producer, ‘I need you to do a beat like this with this piano to make a romantic song.’ So, how did you come up with the chorus of “El Perdón”? Even if the lyrics are really basic, if the chorus sends a shiver down your spine… It’s the lyrics and obviously the chorus. It invites a woman to do mischief, but in a very subtle way. And the lyrics talk of things you haven’t heard before. You hear it once and you keep on singing it, in the bathroom, while you sweep the floor. The chorus is sweet, it sticks, like gum. I can say it’s a new reggaeton style that appeals as much to kids as to adults. My inspiration for lyrics and music comes more from people like Silvestre Dangond and Carlos Vives. What I’ve lived in Colombia has made me become a completely different reggaetonero from the artists in Puerto Rico, and the ones here. The essence of Colombian valleanto are the lyrics. Has that influenced you?Ĭolombia changed the way I write and sing. You’ve been living in Colombia for the past several years, a country where a lot of music tends to be melancholy despite the dance beats. The melody is joyful, but the lyrics are melancholy. This is a love song and it’s a song about sadness but it transmits happiness at the same time. Normally, people listen to a reggaeton song and the lyrics have more to do with sex or other reggaeton themes.
I have to write pretty songs that’s what gets them on the charts. I can’t write thinking about besting other songs. I try not to think about this kind of success, because it’s too much pressure. Latin music’s comeback kid spoke with Billboard about redemption, forgiveness and writing that perfect song. 1).įor Jam, this isn’t about breaking other people’s records, but simply about staying the course and writing “pretty songs.” 1 in the 29-year history of the chart (Iglesias’ “Bailando” continues to hold the record, with 42 weeks at No.
1 on Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs chart, edging out Shakira’s 2005 hit “La Tortura” to become the second-longest running No. This week, “El Perdón” (Forgiveness), Jam’s single with Enrique Iglesias, notches 26 consecutive weeks at No.