Fuerte (song)
Encyclopedia
"Fuerte" is a Latin pop
song released by Canadian recording artist Nelly Furtado
, with added vocals from Spanish
flamenco
artist Concha Buika
, as the fourth and final promotional single released as part of an iTunes promotion counting down to the release of her fourth studio album, Mi Plan
. It was written by Furtado, James Bryan and Alex Cuba, while production and arrangements were handled by Salaam Remi
.
and James Bryan, and produced by hip hop
producer
Salaam Remi
. It is a Latin pop
song with influences of techno
and flamenco music and it "fuses the Latin sound with an '80s vibe", according to Mayer Nissim, of Digital Spy
. It was recorded by Ryan Evans at Instrument Zoo studios in Miami, Florida and Casa Limón Studios in Madrid, Spain. It was mixed by Franklin Socorro at Glenwood Place Studios in Burbank, California.
, claimed that "Fuerte" is "by far the best and most convincing" song from the album. The writer noted the appearance of Concha Buika
, calling the collaboration "the album's most exciting." Digital Spy
's Mayer Nissim expressed a similar sentiment, saying that the song "boasts great backing vocals from flamenco singer Concha Buika". Leah Greenblatt of Entertainment Weekly
called "Fuerte" a "Timba
-lite groove" and expressed that it is the only "decent" song on the album. Most critics described the song a standout track from Mi Plan, and have praised Concha Buika's appearance on the song.
Hot Dance Club Songs chart at number 37. The following week, it ascended up the chart from number 37 to number 13. On its eighth week on the chart, it landed into the top ten at number six. It eventually peaked at number three, where it stayed for three consecutive weeks until it began descending down the chart. The song landed at number 81 on the US Billboard 2009 year-end Top 105 Club chart.
for "Fuerte" was directed by Richard Bernardin, Robacho Buika and Aaron A. The music video was released by Nelstar Entertainment to Apple's iTunes Store
on October 22, 2009, however, was already available as part of the digital single released on September 10, 2009. The video was also made available on VEVO
on October 22, 2009. In the video, Furtado is shown in various elegant dresses wondering around a lavishly decorated house before descending into its indoor swimming pool as the chorus begins. During the second and third choruses, Concha Buika
also features, though appearing separately from Furtado, standing at the bottom of a staircase in a more modern-day building.
Production
Recording
Latin pop
Latin pop generally refers to pop music that has what may be perceived a Latin American influence...
song released by Canadian recording artist Nelly Furtado
Nelly Furtado
Nelly Kim Furtado is a Canadian singer-songwriter, record producer and actress. Furtado grew up in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.Furtado first gained fame with her debut album, Whoa, Nelly!, and its single "I'm Like a Bird", which won a 2001 Juno Award for Single of the Year and a 2002 Grammy...
, with added vocals from Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
flamenco
Flamenco
Flamenco is a genre of music and dance which has its foundation in Andalusian music and dance and in whose evolution Andalusian Gypsies played an important part....
artist Concha Buika
Concha Buika
Concha Buika is a Spanish singer. Her album Niña de Fuego was nominated for the 2008 Latin Grammy Award for Album of the Year.Buika's family is originally from Equatorial Guinea...
, as the fourth and final promotional single released as part of an iTunes promotion counting down to the release of her fourth studio album, Mi Plan
Mi Plan
Mi Plan is the fourth studio album by Canadian recording artist Nelly Furtado and the first she has released in Spanish. It was first released on September 11, 2009 by Furtado's own record label, Nelstar Entertainment...
. It was written by Furtado, James Bryan and Alex Cuba, while production and arrangements were handled by Salaam Remi
Salaam Remi
Salaam Remi Gibbs, better known as Salaam Remi, is a hip hop producer and keyboard player, known for his association with Nas, Amy Winehouse, and his reggae-tinged approach to production...
.
Background and writing
"Fuerte" was written by Nelly Furtado, Alex CubaAlex Cuba
Alexis Puentes , better known by his stage name Alex Cuba, is a Cuban-Canadian singer-songwriter who sings in Spanish and English. He has won two Juno Awards for World Music Album of the Year: in 2006 for Humo De Tabaco, and in 2008 for his second album, Agua Del Pozo...
and James Bryan, and produced by hip hop
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
Salaam Remi
Salaam Remi
Salaam Remi Gibbs, better known as Salaam Remi, is a hip hop producer and keyboard player, known for his association with Nas, Amy Winehouse, and his reggae-tinged approach to production...
. It is a Latin pop
Latin pop
Latin pop generally refers to pop music that has what may be perceived a Latin American influence...
song with influences of techno
Techno
Techno is a form of electronic dance music that emerged in Detroit, Michigan in the United States during the mid to late 1980s. The first recorded use of the word techno, in reference to a genre of music, was in 1988...
and flamenco music and it "fuses the Latin sound with an '80s vibe", according to Mayer Nissim, of Digital Spy
Digital Spy
Digital Spy is a British entertainment and media news website. According to Alexa Internet traffic statistics, as of February 2011, Digital Spy is the 93rd most popular website in the United Kingdom, with an overall Alexa ranking of 2,088....
. It was recorded by Ryan Evans at Instrument Zoo studios in Miami, Florida and Casa Limón Studios in Madrid, Spain. It was mixed by Franklin Socorro at Glenwood Place Studios in Burbank, California.
Commercial release
Fuerte was released as a promotional download single on September 10, 2009, the day before the album's release. There were two different download packages available: a single version, which simply included Fuerte and the music video, and an E.P. that included ten remixes of the song from various artists.Reception
Jaime Gill, a writer for Yahoo! Music UKYahoo! Music
Yahoo! Music, owned by Yahoo!, is the provider of a variety of music services, including Internet radio, music videos, news, artist information, and original programming...
, claimed that "Fuerte" is "by far the best and most convincing" song from the album. The writer noted the appearance of Concha Buika
Concha Buika
Concha Buika is a Spanish singer. Her album Niña de Fuego was nominated for the 2008 Latin Grammy Award for Album of the Year.Buika's family is originally from Equatorial Guinea...
, calling the collaboration "the album's most exciting." Digital Spy
Digital Spy
Digital Spy is a British entertainment and media news website. According to Alexa Internet traffic statistics, as of February 2011, Digital Spy is the 93rd most popular website in the United Kingdom, with an overall Alexa ranking of 2,088....
's Mayer Nissim expressed a similar sentiment, saying that the song "boasts great backing vocals from flamenco singer Concha Buika". Leah Greenblatt of Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
called "Fuerte" a "Timba
Timbaland
Timothy Zachery Mosley , better known by his stage name Timbaland, is an American record producer, songwriter and rapper....
-lite groove" and expressed that it is the only "decent" song on the album. Most critics described the song a standout track from Mi Plan, and have praised Concha Buika's appearance on the song.
Chart performance
In September 2009, "Fuerte" debuted on the US BillboardBillboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Hot Dance Club Songs chart at number 37. The following week, it ascended up the chart from number 37 to number 13. On its eighth week on the chart, it landed into the top ten at number six. It eventually peaked at number three, where it stayed for three consecutive weeks until it began descending down the chart. The song landed at number 81 on the US Billboard 2009 year-end Top 105 Club chart.
Music video
The music videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for "Fuerte" was directed by Richard Bernardin, Robacho Buika and Aaron A. The music video was released by Nelstar Entertainment to Apple's iTunes Store
ITunes Store
The iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...
on October 22, 2009, however, was already available as part of the digital single released on September 10, 2009. The video was also made available on VEVO
Vevo
Vevo is a music video website. It is a joint venture among Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group, and Abu Dhabi Media with EMI licensing its content to the group without taking an ownership stake. The service was launched officially on December 8, 2009...
on October 22, 2009. In the video, Furtado is shown in various elegant dresses wondering around a lavishly decorated house before descending into its indoor swimming pool as the chorus begins. During the second and third choruses, Concha Buika
Concha Buika
Concha Buika is a Spanish singer. Her album Niña de Fuego was nominated for the 2008 Latin Grammy Award for Album of the Year.Buika's family is originally from Equatorial Guinea...
also features, though appearing separately from Furtado, standing at the bottom of a staircase in a more modern-day building.
Track listing
- Digital Single
- "Fuerte" - 3:24
- "Fuerte" (Music Video)
- Digital E.P.
- "Fuerte" (Cajjmere Wray Hot Sweat Edit) — 3:03
- "Fuerte" (Cajjmere Wray Hot Sweat Mix) — 8:06
- "Fuerte" (Cajjmere Wray Spanglish Club Mix) — 7:51
- "Fuerte" (Cajjmere Wray Spanglish Edit) — 3:07
- "Fuerte" (Twisted Dee Club Mix) — 8:38
- "Fuerte" (Twisted Dee Dubstrumental) — 7:08
- "Fuerte" (Twisted Dee Electro-Tribe Mix) — 9:09
- "Fuerte" (Twisted Dee Radio Edit) — 4:14
- "Fuerte" (Massi and DeLeon Sunset Blvd Mixshow) — 5:02
- "Fuerte" (Massi and DeLeon Sunset Blvd Mix) — 7:38
Personnel
Credits are adapted from the Mi Plan liner notes.Production
- Salaam RemiSalaam RemiSalaam Remi Gibbs, better known as Salaam Remi, is a hip hop producer and keyboard player, known for his association with Nas, Amy Winehouse, and his reggae-tinged approach to production...
– producerRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, arrangements, keyboards, drumDrumThe drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
s - Staybent Krunk-A-Delic – guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
- Vincent Henry – guitar
- Franklin Emmanuel Soccoro – engineering, recording, mixing
- Ryan Evans – engineering, recording
- Javier LimónJavier LimónJavier Limón is a record producer, singer and songwriter born and raised in Madrid, Spain. Limón has worked with several artists, mainly from Spain, since he incorporates elements of flamenco rhythm to his work. Besides his work as producer has also dabbled as an interpreter and has released three...
– guitar solo
Recording
- Recorded at Instrumental Zoo, Miami, Florida, and Casa Limón Studio, Madrid, Spain
- Mixed at Glenwood Place Studios, Burbank, CaliforniaBurbank, CaliforniaBurbank is a city in Los Angeles County in Southern California, United States, north of downtown Los Angeles. The estimated population in 2010 was 103,340....
Charts
| Chart (2009) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Czech Republic (IFPI IFPI The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry is the organisation that represents the interests of the recording industry worldwide. It is a not-for-profit members' organisation registered in Switzerland... ) |
47 |
| US Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... Hot Dance Club Songs |
3 |