Mi gents

Mi gents
J Balvin & Willy William
publication	June 30, 2017
length	3:07 min.
Genre (s)	Latin pop , reggaeton
Author (s)	José Osorio , Willy Fauade William, Adam Ashadally, Andrés David Restrepo, Mohombi
Producer (s)	Willy Wiliam
Publisher (s)	Dynasty Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Group , La Clique Music, Roba Music Verlag
Label	B1 Recordings , Scorpio Music , Universal Latin
album	Vibras

Mi gente ( Spanish for "My People") is a song by the Colombian singer José Balvin in collaboration with the French singer and producer Willy William . It was released on June 30, 2017 via the record label Scorpio Music and B1 Recordings , a joint venture with the major label Universal Latin . Mi gente is a rework of the song Voodoo Song by Willy William, which was released a few months earlier. On September 29, 2017, Balvin and William released a remix of the song, which was created in collaboration with the American singer Beyoncé .

background

Performers J Balvin and Willy William

Songwriters Mohombi Nzasi Moupondo and Adam Ashadally

The original song Voodoo Song by Willy William was created in winter 2016/2017 and is based on a classic dancehall beat and a digitally edited vocal loop. The main melody of the voodoo song is based on a sample of the song Heila Duila Nach by Akassh . Balvin got the song back in January 2017 from a mutual friend with William. Balvin then contacted William with the intention of combining and sharing their target groups. In addition, at that time none of the artists had a permanent name in the English-speaking world, so if the song developed into a success, none of the artists themselves, but the style would be the decisive reason.

In the spring of 2017, Balvin and William met in Miami to write and record the rework. William reported in a buzzfeed interview about the joint studio session:

“He added his to the song and I added my mood to it; he helped me write some Spanish lyrics and I helped him come up with ideas for melodies. It's really difficult for a French guy to establish himself in the US market, but ['Mi Gente'] unites this same French guy who sings in Spanish with a Colombian guy on a massive dance track together and together we are part of the US charts. "

- Willy William : BuzzFeed

In addition to J Balvin and Willy William, another team worked on the songwriting . It consisted of DJ Assad alias Adam Ashadally, Andrés David Restrepo and Mohombi Nzasi Moupondo. The main release was done by Wolfgang Boss ' record label B1 Recordings , the label of the original, Scorpio Music and Universal Latin . The Dynasty Publishing Group , the Kobalt Music Group , La Clique Music and the Roba Music Publishing acted as more publishers.

When the joint remix with Beyoncé was released, Beyoncé announced that she wanted to donate the proceeds from the song to a hurricane relief organization for Puerto Rico, Mexico and other affected Caribbean islands. An English version of the song was also released at the end of 2017, produced by the Jamaican rapper Sean Paul under the title Volcano .

Artwork

The artwork is based on the final scene of the music video. Balvin can be seen with his arms crossed, William points to the camera. The whole thing is shown in the form of a wall painting, which is designed similar to the music video with many colors and exotic aspects, such as flamingos, plants and parrots. The song title is written down in front of the artists, while the artist names have been omitted.

Musical and content

The song is based on a 4/4 time signature and the tempo is 104 bpm . The whole thing was written in the key of B flat major . The track is introduced by the main melody, which runs through the entire song. J Balvin completes the first part of the song in a mixture of rap and singing . Before there is a chorus, the focus is turned away from the vocals and the main melody comes to the fore. Furthermore, the beat changes. After the main part, Willy Williams begins part, which is also a cut between rap and singing. Then the chorus of the track can be heard, followed by the drop. A third verse follows this, sung by Balvin. Both a final chorus and a final drop conclude the song.

In the song, the “ lyrical me ” explains that the entire world can be shaped by one rhythm alone and that it doesn't matter where you come from. Furthermore, the music makes the different people into a single family.

“¿Y dónde está mi gente? Mais fais bouger la tête ¿Y dónde está mi gente? Say yeah, yeah, yeah ¡Un, dos, tres, leggo! (ay, di que sí) " - Refrain, original excerpt

“And where are my people? But move your head And where are my people? Say yes, yes yes 1, 2, 3, let's go! (ey, say yes!) " - Refrain, translation

reception

criticism

The song received mostly positive feedback. Tim Tabens, author of the online magazine Dance-Charts , praised the song for its versatile and diverse factors, on which it appeals to different target groups. Accordingly, Mi gente was also given a high hit potential. He wrote:

“The single is catchy the first time you listen to it. The overall concept of the song adapts to the current chart theme. Willy William's beats sound very modern and driving. In combination with J Balvin, 'Mi Gente' stands out and stands out. The beats are rather simple, but still unmistakable. These are difficult to classify in a special genre of EDM. 'Mi Gente' appeals to both the club scene and the commercial scene. What J Balvin and Willy Williams succeeded in doing here could well be successful. The next few weeks will show up to which place the track will ultimately make it. "

- Tim Tabens : Dance Charts

Commercial win

Mi gente quickly developed into a worldwide success. During the summer, the song was also able to place in a number of European countries in the top five ranks. Among them were third place in Germany, fifth place in Austria and fourth place in Switzerland. The song rose to number 97 in Germany, for example, and climbed week after week. The two musicians particularly praised their entry into the US singles charts.

Mi gente is referred to by numerous musicians, online magazines and other sources as the successor to the song Despacito by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee , which was released a few months earlier and which similarly developed into a global success. Parallels are drawn with the slow rise in the single charts in contrast to the rapidly growing streaming numbers and music video views. Furthermore, both are Spanish-language songs that have been designed in the Latin Pop style.

On the Spotify streaming platform , Mi gente was the first Spanish-language song to reach number one on the portal's US charts. Overall, the track reached over 300 million streams within a few months.

After a few weeks, Mi Gente achieved record status in the first countries . In Mexico, for example, it was awarded double platinum for over 120,000 units sold. Awards in other countries followed.

Chart placements

Charts	Top ranking	Weeks
Chart placements
Germany (GfK)	3 (49 weeks)	49
Austria (Ö3)	4th (31 weeks)	31
Switzerland (IFPI)	4th (37 weeks)	37
United Kingdom (OCC)	5 (27 weeks)	27
United States (Billboard)	19th (30 weeks)	30th

Awards for music sales

Country / Region	Award	Sales
Awards for music sales (country / region, Award, Sales)
Australia (ARIA)	3 × platinum	210,000
Belgium (BEA)	2 × platinum	60,000
Brazil (PMB)	2 × diamond	320,000
Denmark (IFPI)	platinum	90,000
Germany (BVMI)	platinum	400,000
France (SNEP)	diamond	250,000
Italy (FIMI)	5 × platinum	250,000
Canada (MC)	6 × platinum	480,000
Mexico (AMPROFON)	3 × gold + diamond	390,000
Norway (IFPI)	platinum	10,000
Austria (IFPI)	gold	15,000
Poland (ZPAV)	3 × platinum	60,000
Portugal (AFP)	platinum	10,000
Sweden (IFPI)	3 × platinum	120,000
Switzerland (IFPI)	platinum	20,000
Spain (Promusicae)	4 × platinum + gold (remix)	180,000
United States (RIAA)	68 × platinum	4,080,000
United Kingdom (BPI)	platinum	600,000
All in all	3 × gold 41 × platinum 10 × diamond	7,545,000

Main article: J Balvin / Music Sales Awards

Music video

Background and useful information

The official music video was released on June 29, 2017, the day before the single was released on J Balvin's YouTube channel. It's three minutes and five seconds long. Directed by 36 Grados . There are numerous guest appearances in the music video, including the Italian millionaire Gianluca Vacchi , who became known last year through similar appearances on several Internet platforms.

The official music video received over 400 million views in 47 days. It has also been positively rated several million times. With this statistic, it is the Spanish-language music video that reached this YouTube record the fastest. Despacito occupied this place 51 days before Mi gente . Furthermore, it was the music video that reached the 400 million mark the fastest after Hello by Adele and Shape of You by Ed Sheeran .

Subject

The music video is described as an excursion through color and dance. Meanwhile, recordings of people from all corners of the world are shown dancing to the song, which aims to convey that music should unite. In this context, J Balvin says at the beginning of the music video, "My music doesn't differentiate between anyone, so let's begin." Both Balvin and William appear in the video.

publication

Digital single

The track was released as a digital single on June 30, 2017. It only includes the single track. A CD single was not released in most countries.

Remixes and cover versions

Before the release of an official remix EP was targeted, several bootlegs and unofficial remix versions appeared online, which made for great popularity. Cover versions have also been released, including an English version by Anth and Conor Maynard and one by The Hustle as individual tracks. An official remix together with Pitbull and songwriter Mohombi, whose chorus was also translated into English, did not appear as a single, as originally announced.

Official remix singles

On November 10, 2017, a number of official remixes were released as individual tracks on streaming and download portals. These were contributed by 4B, Aazar, Steve Aoki , Alesso , F4lz & Velza Loudness, Henry Fong, Dillon Francis, Cedric Gervais , Hardwell & Quintino, Hugel , Sunnery James & Ryan Marciano, Busta K, and Moska. All represent different styles of music and achieved between 100 thousand and 5 million clicks on Spotify.

• 4B remix

1. Mi gente (4B Remix) - 2:21

• Aazar remix

1. Mi gente (Aazar Remix) - 3:20

• Steve Aoki Remix

1. Mi gente (Steve Aoki Remix) - 3:58

• Alesso Remix

1. Mi gente (Alesso Remix) - 3:34

• F4lz & Velza Loudness Remix

1. Mi gente (F4lz & Velza Loudness Remix) - 3:32

• Henry Fong Remix

1. Mi gente (Henry Fong Remix) - 3:37

• Dillon Francis Remix

1. Mi gente (Dillon Francis Remix) - 3:25

• Cedric Gervais Remix

1. Mi gente (Cedric Gervais Remix) - 4:30

• Hardwell & Quintino Remix

1. Mi gente (Hardwell & Quintino Remix) - 2:24

• Hugel Remix

1. Mi gente (Hugel Remix) - 3:30

• Sunnery James & Ryan Marciano Remix

1. Mi gente (Sunnery James & Ryan Marciano Remix) - 3:58

• Busta K Remix

1. Mi gente (Busta K Remix) - 3:04

• Moska Remix

1. Mi gente (Moska Remix) - 4:49

Web links

• J Balvin's website

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Akassh - Heila Duila Nach feat. Kona . YouTube . Retrieved November 10, 2017.
2. ↑ Reggie Ugwu: J Balvin's Fast-Rising “Mi Gente” Is a Challenge to the US-Centric Pop World on “ BuzzFeed ”
3. ↑ Repertoire search in the GEMA database
4. ↑ Beyonce Joins J Balvin and Willy William's 'Mi Gente' on " Billboard "
5. ↑ songtexte.com
6. ↑ Tim Tabens: Fantastic Urban Dance Number: Music Video »J. Balvin & Willy William - Wed Gente on" Dance Charts "
7. ^ J Balvin & Willy William - Mi Gente Single. GfK Entertainment , accessed on September 13, 2017 . 
8. ^ J Balvin & Willy William - Mi Gente. Hung Medien , accessed October 11, 2017 . 
9. ^ J Balvin & Willy William - Mi Gente. Hung Medien , accessed September 13, 2017 . 
10. ↑ Wed Gente. The Official UK Charts Company, accessed September 13, 2017 . 
11. ^ J Balvin & Willy William. Billboard , accessed September 18, 2017 . 
12. ↑ Daniela Galvez: Take a Look at J Balvin's Upbeat Video for 'Mi Gente' on "Latina"
13. ↑ Suzette Fernandez: J Balvin & Willy William's 'Mi Gente' Video Hits 400M Views on YouTube in Record Time on "Billboard"
14. ↑ Leila Cobo: Watch J Balvin's New (Fantastic) Video 'Mi Gente' on "Billboard"
15. ↑ Anth - Mi Gente (feat. Conor Maynard) on " Spotify "
16. ↑ J. Balvin, Willy William ft. Pitbull & Mohombi - Mi Gente (Official Remix) (English Version) on "YouTube"