Sony/ATV Extends Worldwide Deal with Luis Fonsi

The new agreement with Fonsi, who first signed to Sony/ATV in 2005, includes the record-breaking global No. 1 hit and a number of other chart-toppers, including Latin Grammy Song of the Year “Aquí Estoy Yo,” “No Me Doy por Vencido,” “Nada Es Para Siempre” and his most recent hit “Échame la Culpa” with Demi Lovato. It also covers future works.

Sony/ATV President, Latin America and U.S. Latin Jorge Mejia said: “In my career and perhaps in the annals of Latin music, there is certainly a ‘before Despacito’ and an ‘after Despacito’. I am honored to extend our long-standing relationship with Luis Fonsi, a history-making artist, songwriter and friend.”

Luis Fonsi said: “I’m happy to continue to work with the amazing Sony/ATV family led by my longtime friend Jorge Mejia. We’ve shared some amazing moments together and I can’t wait to celebrate more.”

As the co-writer and co-vocalist of the record-breaking “Despacito,” Luis Fonsi became a chart-topping sensation around the world. However, despite this new-found global fame, the Puerto Rican talent had already been one of Latin music’s biggest stars for nearly two decades.

“Despacito” marked the seventh time Fonsi topped Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs Chart in the U.S., following previous No. 1s such as “No Me Doy Por Vencido” and “Aquí Estoy Yo,” which featured Aleks Syntek, David Bisbal and fellow Sony/ATV writer Noel Schajris and which won him a Latin Grammy for Song of the Year.  Incredibly, “Despacito” topped the Latin chart in two versions, initially as a duet with its co-writer Daddy Yankee and then in a remix also featuring Justin Bieber. Its chart-topping run only ended at the beginning of this month, having spent a record 52 weeks at No. 1.

Following the release of the Bieber remix, “Despacito” then crossed over to the Billboard Hot 100 where it not only became the chart’s first primarily Spanish-language chart-topper in more than two decades but enjoyed a record-equaling 16-week stay at No. 1. It became the first Latin song to receive a Diamond award from the RIAA in recognition of 10 million sales and streams in the U.S.

“Despacito” also spent 11 weeks at No. 1 on the Official U.K. Singles Chart, while among the countless other territories where it reached No. 1 were Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain and Sweden.

It was additionally recognized last summer as the most-streamed song globally of all time after reaching 4.6 billion streams and is the most-played video in history on YouTube where in April this year it surpassed 5 billion views.

Fonsi’s success with “Despacito” has also been recognized with a number of award wins and nominations. These include the Latin Grammy Awards last November when it won four awards, including Song of the Year and Record of the Year. It also won five awards at the Billboard Music Awards, which were held last Sunday night in Las Vegas, including winning the award for Top Hot 100 Song.

His latest single “Échame la Culpa” pairs him with Demi Lovato and debuted at No. 3 on the Hot Latin Songs chart as well as returning him to the Billboard Hot 100 and becoming a Top 10 hit around the world.

In March he was presented with the President’s Award at the BMI Latin Awards in Los Angeles.