Shawn Mendes singing in español? Yes, please. The Canadian pop star has joined Camilo for a newly released bilingual version of the Colombian singer-songwriters ultra tropical love anthem “Kesi.”
It’s the first time the pair has worked together, and the moment was made possible after Mendes reached out to Camilo over DM. “I was like listening to, I heard KESI And I was like, I’m obsessed with this song. I’m just going to, I slid in his DMS and I was like, ‘Please let me do a verse on this song because I’m obsessed with it,’” the “Señorita” singer told Zane Lowe on Apple Music 1.
Camilo said in a statement that he wasn’t planning on releasing a remix of “Kesi,” off his chart-topping Mis Manos album, but when Mendes proposed the idea, it was an immediate yes. “Being a big fan of his music, the pure idea of hearing him singing in Spanish is something that made me so excited. The fact that he decided to sing in our language for the first time in his career on a song with me is one of the greatest honors I’ve had in my career as an artist.”
The remix stays true to the original sounds rooted in traditional champeta, a genre that originates from the coast of Colombia. The twist comes comes near the remix’s minute-mark with Mendes singing a verse in English, and then transitions to Spanish to sing the chorus: “If you tell me right now that you want me by your side, that would be beautiful … but you don’t tell me kesi (yes).”
This release comes as Camilo embarks on his global Mis Manos Tour, which kicked off in Spain and includes 16 sold out dates in the U.S. and Puerto Rico.
Listen to this week’s Latin Remix of the Week below:
