I love to ask artists, 'How did you write this song? What inspired you?' I love to hear the stories behind the songs. After much back and forth, we came up with the idea of doing an oral history of songs, which I love.

I have a lot of histories in my bookshelves of Latin music, of Latin rock and corridos. I wanted to do something that was different and that was really readable and that didn't sound like a history. In other words, the publisher was thinking of doing a book on the history of Latin music, and someone contacted me and said, 'Would you be interested in doing something like this?' And I said, 'I would because that's my subject matter, I know it intimately. Well, I confess that the book came to me. What was your inspiration for writing the book? The book, released on March 2 (with English and Spanish editions), is an enthralling read uncovering new truths and inspirations behind some of the songs we'll never forget, from José Feliciano's Christmas classic ' Feliz Navidad' to Los Del Río's '90s anthem ' Macarena' to Daddy Yankee's '00s reggaeton banger 'Gasolina,' up to Rosalía's groundbreaking Latin GRAMMY-winning nu-flamenco jam 'Malamente.'Īfter devouring the bop-filled page-turner, chatted with Cobo to learn more about the book and the songs and artists that went into it, the biggest thing she learned from working on it, and her advice she'd give to her younger journalist self. Her mission led her to speak with the people who made those major moments in music happen, including artists, songwriters, composers, producers, music execs, and managers. In her enthralling and informative new book, ' Decoding 'Despacito:' An Oral History Of Latin Music,' she unpacks 19 of the biggest Latin music songs that shook the U.S. Colombian author, music journalist and VP/Latin Industry Lead at Billboard Leila Cobois a true resource and gem in the music industry.

Despacito yamaha style