Rauw Alejandro

Despacito was first released by Puerto Rican singer Luis Fonsi in 2017, and quickly became the number one streamed track in just 6 months. It was a mixture of reggaeton and pop music not only brought renewed attention to reggaeton but it also drew interest to Latin music more generally. In 2015, there were two predominantly Spanish-speaking songs in Billboard's Top 100 and in 2016 there were four. At the peak of Despacito's popularity, however 19 mostly Spanish songs made it to the Top 100, and in 2020 there were 41 such songs. Justin Bieber remixed Despacito 2017 in a bilingual version. Then, various artists collaborated with Reggaeton stars like Drake and Bad Bunny with MIA (2018), Madonna and Maluma with Medellin 2019 By 2020 a few reggaeton stars were complaining about the genre's direction toward the mainstream. However, a younger generation, led by Rauw Alejandro, sought to keep reggaeton evolving. The musician incorporated electronic dance music as well as other styles into his music.