The Guardian (Charlottetown)

‘We are all in the same boat’

Daddy Yankees first Latin artist to reach No. 1 on Spotify

- BY SIGAL RATNER-ARIAS

Singer Daddy Yankee ousted Ed Sheeran from the No. 1 spot on Spotify to become the first Latino artist to lead the music platform.

The Puerto Rican superstar of reggaeton has hits that include “Gasolina,’’ ‘’Shaky Shaky” and ‘’Despacito,” a song co-written with Luis Fonsi.

He’s surpassed 44,735,586 monthly listeners to reach the first global spot, Spotify announced Sunday in an email sent to The Associated Press.

“Being the first Latin artist to reach #1 in Spotify marks a precedent not only for my career but for the industry in general,’’ Daddy Yankee, whose real name is Ramon Luis Ayala Rodriguez, said in an email.

“The musical digital revolution has unified the world and this is the proof. We are all in the same boat with no labels or stereotype­s.’’

He recalled that, when he started his career in 1992 in Puerto Rico, many didn’t believe he would last more than three years, much less that he would become an internatio­nal sensation.

“But I never stopped,’’ he said.

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