Reggaetón’s duet kings – Wisin & Yandel — have gotten back together for the first time since the pandemic for the new single “Recordar,” an Afrobeat jam co-produced by EDM king David Guetta. The pair have a new album due out in March or April, La Ultima Misión, featuring all new, previously unreleased tracks, including “Recordar.”
In an exclusive Instagram Live chat with Billboard, the pair – speaking from Wisin’s La Base studios in Puerto Rico — spoke to us about the new single, their upcoming tour and whether this could be their last album.
Is La Ultima Misión the last Wisin and Yandel álbum? It’s ambiguous.
Wisin: We have to think of a memorable end. We have a great album, with great friends, colleagues. Our intention is to close with great fanfare what Wisin and Yandel have been to urban music.
Yandel: We’ve never said we won’t sing together anymore. This is too big a brand and we’ve worked very hard on it. We’ve always continued to work together. We’re family, we’re brothers and we’ll continue to make music until fans want it. We want to close this cycle in a big way, and then the fans will decide.
Keeping details on their next album close, but revealing that there are “great collaborations,” including female singers from the urban, Latin and mainstream worlds.
Wisin: I’ll say it’s big artists. Not just urban artists. There will be techno, afro beat and a reggaetón track with a colleague [that won’t be named] ; who’s a pillar of the movement. It’s a very versatile album. It’s musically very mature. We deliberately invited different producers and artists to participate.
On staying relevant after 20 years
Yandel: We’ve had highs and lows. We’ve been through everything. And when things get complicated, we take a step back and observe. We try to learn every day.
Wisin: I think dedication, tolerance and respect allows you to grow. There are a lot of talented people who don’t live from their music. Talent is not the only thing. It’s about staying relevant in a changing genre.
On what they learned from being apart
Wisin: When we’re together, W is energy, barrio, strength. And Yandel is subtlety, he’s melody. When I’m alone I have to do everything. And when I perform live I truly appreciate what Yandel does.
Yandel: It’s a challenge. Performing solo requires a lot of stamina. Now, when we’re together it’s easy. Performing together is so much easier than alone. If you go to the studio every day, something good will come out. We are musical craftsmen. We work and produce music every single day. Every single day.
The pair’s upcoming tour will kick off in summer 2022, first in Latin America, then swinging through the U.S. before wrapping up in Puerto Rico.
Watch the full interview here:
