Reykon On New Song Perriando And The Evolution Of Reggaeton

2024 Author: Steven Freeman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 08:15

On his new track “Perriando,” Colombian reggaetonero Reykon does a historic tribute to the 1971 hit song “La Murga de Panamá” by salsa giants Willie Colón and Héctor Lavoe. “I grew up listening to that, so it was something very natural,” he tells People CHICA. “In my house we listened to salsa because my dad would almost make me. I grew up with it and I loved it. Later, in my adolescence, I listened to that music a lot and started mixing it with rap and reggaeton. The challenge of fusing such a successful song with today's reggaeton sound wasn't easy, but Willie Colón tweeted that I loved the song and that to me was an incredible win,”he says, adding he is working on a future collaboration with the iconic Nuyorican trombonist. In “Perriando,” he also gives a shoutout to Puerto Rican reggaeton bosses like Daddy Yankee and Tego Calderón.“I really enjoyed doing this,” he says about the innovative tune, which breaks the mold of reggaeton songs.

The music video, which has a throwback vibe, shows Reykon disguised as various fun characters, like a '70s salsa performer, a nerdy guy sitting in the audience, and a stressed-out TV producer at a variety show that's going out of control.

"This had never been done in reggaeton. I think we all have to make contributions so the genre keeps growing. The good thing about our genre is that it has many components, and that keeps it fresh and new,”he says. “I don't see it as a problem,” he adds about the growing number of Latinx urban music talents. "I see it as a salvation for our genre."

Reykon emerged artistically from a barrio of Medellín around the same time as J Balvin, he recalls, and also saw the careers of fellow Colombian reggaeton stars Maluma and Karol G take off. “I've known them forever and I applaud all their success,” he says about his famous colleagues and friends. “I see them as partners. I don't get nervous around them like I did when I recorded a song with Daddy Yankee, who was my idol,”he recalls of their collaboration“Señorita.” "When I do songs with Maluma, J Balvin or Karol G, the expectations are really high, but we've known each other for years and there is so much trust."

Seeing reggaeton take off and go from underground to mainstream has been a dream come true. "I remember how they each started out. Karol G was one of my choir girls when I started my career and I would always see Maluma with his aunt and uncle trying to get career opportunities. He began recording with the same producers I started out with,”he recalls. "With J Balvin I shared many experiences, we went to many events together." He also encountered many obstacles when I started out. “There was a lot of mockery. People would laugh and many doors were shut,”he says about the initial reaction to reggaeton in Colombia. "Reggaeton came from another country and some people saw us as copycats of the boricuas."

He assures that reggaeton is here to stay, and admits that recording tracks with Rihanna and Drake is on his wish list. "What keeps you going is music itself," I concluded. "The great vibe you feel when you record a song, when you sing it and hear people singing your song, too."