Mi Gente

This Afro-beat, Reggaeton, Latin pop, Electronic track is originally for Willy William and it was called ‘Voodoo Song’ until Balvin heard and asked him if he could add his vocals and re-release it. Later, Beyoncé joined in on the song, and donated her royalties to hurricane and earthquake relief charities to help victims of disasters in Puerto Rico, Mexico and the Caribbean islands.
Donald Trump’s announcements about building a wall on the Mexican border is what inspired J. Balvin to write the lyrics of this song. The aim of this anthem is to bring people together rather than dividing them. In an interview with MTV News he said: “I was like, ‘OK, let’s do a song to unite the people, I don’t want no discrimination; I just want to send a message. I did ‘Mi Gente’ for my people around the world. The lyrics are so strong, besides the beat. This music is for the world. We don’t discriminate nobody. It’s a lot. The third line of the first verse: “Mi música no discrimina a nadie” translates as “My music doesn’t discriminate against anyone.” William was glad to be a part of a meaningful music, in an interview with Billboard he said: “I make music for the world, and I’m happy that I produced and performed on a song with such a meaningful title. We call it ‘Mi Gente’ (‘My People’) because it is for everybody, no matter what language you speak. It is collaboration between a French and Colombian artist. It’s global.”
Balvin explained that ‘Mi Gente’ is a new sound of Latino culture, he told E! News: “Mi Gente’ is a song that embodies a special moment in music, a new sound of a Latino culture on the rise and being embraced globally. By erasing barriers of races, colors, continents, genres or languages, we can achieve the whole world moving their head to the same beat. We hope ‘Mi Gente’ can provide that beat.”

Release Date: June 30, 2017 – Beyonce remix was released September 29, 2017

Songwriter/s: Jose Osorio – Willy William – Adam Assad – Andres David Restrepo – Mohombi Nzasi Moupondo – Beyonce

Label: Scorpio – Universal Latin – Columbia – Parkwood

Chart Rankings: In the US, the song peaked at number 19 on the Billboard Hot 100 and the Dance Club Songs Charts, on the Mainstream Top 40 it was number 25 and it reached number 16 on the US Rhythmic Charts. In the UK, it peaked at number 5 on the Official Charts Company and was certified Gold by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). ‘Mi Gente’ topped the charts in several countries in Latin America and around the world including Chile, Colombia, Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Italy, Mexico, Netherlands, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Portugal, Romania, Spain and Uruguay. It was certified Triple Platinum Italy and Spain, Double Platinum in Canada, Mexico and Sweden, and Platinum in Australia, Belgium, France and Germany.

Artist’s age on Release Date: Jose Alvaro Osorio Balvin was 32 years old, Beyonce Giselle Knowles-Carter was 36 years old and Willy William was active for 14 years when this song was released.

Cover Versions: Conor Maynard – Alexander Stewart – Alesso – Alus – Berywam – DSharp – David Ponce – other Youtubers covered this song.