At no time was I trying to write a crossover record.

I am 100% proud Puerto Rican but have lived two-thirds of my life in the United States. So, there will be some things I write in English, but my main way of conversing with my audience is in Spanish because, at the end of the day, I'm a Latino.

'Despacito' was a song that, from the time I started writing it, I felt that its hook was really catchy and powerful but at the same time very simple.

I'm not trying to write a perfect record. I'm just trying to nail a moment in time.

The transition to the United States was very interesting. I learned the language. I kind of got into the R&B. I'm a huge fan of the '80s, Journey and all that fun stuff. But when I moved to Orlando, it was more like Boyz II Men.

Ricky Martin just kind of opened a big door, but it's always been around. Latin artists have always been there, but some of them were never doing it in the U.S.