"Fuerte" (English: "Strong") is a Latin pop song by Canadian recording artist

Nelly Furtado Nelly Kim Furtado (; ; born December 2, 1978) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. Furtado has sold over 40 million records worldwide making her one of the most successful Canadian artists. She first gained fame with her trip hop-inspired deb ...

featuring

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

flamenco Flamenco (), in its strictest sense, is an art form based on the various folkloric music traditions of southern Spain, developed within the gitano subculture of the region of Andalusia, and also having historical presence in Extremadura and ...

artist

Concha Buika María Concepción Balboa Buika (born 11 May 1972), known as Concha Buika or Buika, is a Spanish singer. Her album ''Niña de Fuego'' was nominated for the 2008 Latin Grammy Award for Album of the Year and ''La Noche Más Larga'' was nominated ...

, from her fourth studio album, ''

Mi Plan ''Mi Plan'' ( en, My Plan) is the fourth studio album and the first Spanish-language album by Canadian singer-songwriter Nelly Furtado. It was released independently on September 11, 2009 by Furtado’s own record label Nelstar Entertainment w ...

'' (2009). It was written by Furtado, James Bryan and Alex Cuba, while production and arrangements were handled by

Salaam Remi Salaam Remi Gibbs (born May 14, 1972) is a Grammy winning American record producer known for his association with Nas, Amy Winehouse, Robby, Fugees, Fergie, Estelle, Black Thought, and Miguel, and for his reggae-tinged (often referred to as ...

. No official date was set for the release of the song. However, a promotional remix album was sent to clubs and has charted on the US '' Billboard'' Hot Dance Club Songs chart, where it peaked at number three. Most critics called the song a standout track from ''Mi Plan'' and have praised Concha Buika's appearance on the song. A music video has been released for the song.

Background and writing

"Fuerte" was written by Nelly Furtado,

Alex Cuba Alexis Puentes (born 1974), better known by his stage name Alex Cuba, is a Cuban-Canadian singer-songwriter who sings in Spanish and English. He has won two Juno Awards for World Music Album of the Year: in 2006 for '' Humo de Tabaco'', and in ...

and James Bryan, and produced by hip hop producer

. It is a Latin pop song with influences of

techno Techno is a Music genre, genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally music production, produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempo often varying between 120 and 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central Drum beat, rhythm is typ ...

and

flamenco music Flamenco (), in its strictest sense, is an art form based on the various folkloric music traditions of southern Spain, developed within the gitano subculture of the region of Andalusia, and also having historical presence in Extremadura and ...

and it "fuses the Latin sound with an '80s vibe", according to Mayer Nissim, of Digital Spy. It was recorded by Ryan Evans at Instrument Zoo studios in Miami, Florida, and Casa Limón Studios in Madrid Spain. It was mixed by Franklin Socorro at Glenwood Place Studios in Burbank, California.

Reception

Jaime Gill, a writer for Yahoo! Music UK, claimed that "Fuerte" is "by far the best and most convincing" song from the album. The writer noted the appearance of

, calling the collaboration "the album's most exciting." Digital Spy's Mayer Nissim expressed a similar sentiment, saying that the song "boasts great backing vocals from flamenco singer Concha Buika".Nissim, Mayer (Posted: September 13, 2009
"Nelly Furtado - 'Mi Plan' - Music Review".
Digital Spy. Retrieved July 23, 2011. Leah Greenblatt of ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cu ...

'' called "Fuerte" a "

Timba Timba is a Cuban genre of music based on Cuban ''son'' with ''salsa'', American Funk/R&B and the strong influence of Afro-Cuban folkloric music. Timba rhythm sections differ from their salsa counterparts, because timba emphasizes the bass dru ...

-lite groove" and expressed that it is the only "decent" song on the album. In August 2010, "Fuerte" debuted on the US '' Billboard'' Hot Dance Club Songs chart at number 37. The following week, it ascended up the chart from number 37 to number 13. On its eighth week on the chart, it landed into the top ten at number six. It eventually peaked at number three, where it stayed for three consecutive weeks until it began descending down the chart. The song landed at number 81 on the US ''Billboard'' 2010 year-end Top 105 Club chart.

Music video

The

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...

for "Fuerte" was directed by Richard Bernardin, Robacho Buika and Aaron A. The music video has been released by Nelstar Entertainment to

Apple An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple trees are cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus ''Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, where its wild ancestor, ' ...

iTunes Store The iTunes Store is a digital media store operated by Apple Inc. It opened on April 28, 2003, as a result of Steve Jobs' push to open a digital marketplace for music. As of April 2020, iTunes offered 60 million songs, 2.2 million apps, 25,00 ...

on October 22, 2010. The video was also made available on

VEVO Vevo ( , an abbreviation for "Video Evolution", stylized as VEVO until 2013) is an American multinational video hosting service, best known for providing music videos to YouTube. The service is also available as an app on selected smart TVs, ...

on October 22, 2010. ;Synopsis In the video, Furtado is shown in various elegant dresses wandering around a lavishly decorated house before descending into its indoor swimming pool as the chorus begins. During the second and third choruses,

also features, though appearing separately from Furtado, standing at the bottom of a staircase in a more modern-day building.

Track listing

*;Remix CD promo – Promotional only(Posted: June 22, 2010
Mix Latino: Nelly Furtado - Fuerte - Remixes CD PROMO
Retrieved 10-11-2010. #"Fuerte" (Cajjmere Wray Hot Sweat Edit) — 3:03 #"Fuerte" (Cajjmere Wray Hot Sweat Mix) — 8:06 #"Fuerte" (Cajjmere Wray Spanglish Club Mix) — 7:51 #"Fuerte" (Cajjmere Wray Spanglish Edit) — 3:07 #"Fuerte" (Twisted Dee Club Mix) — 8:38 #"Fuerte" (Twisted Dee Dubstrumental) — 7:08 #"Fuerte" (Twisted Dee Electro-Tribe Mix) — 9:09 #"Fuerte" (Twisted Dee Radio Edit) — 4:14 #"Fuerte" (Massi and DeLeon Sunset Blvd Mixshow) — 5:02 #"Fuerte" (Massi and DeLeon Sunset Blvd Mix) — 7:38

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the ''Mi Plan'' liner notes.(2009) Album notes for ''

'' by

D liner notes Nelstar Entertainment, Inc; Miami Beach, FL. ;Production *

– producer, arrangements, keyboards, drums *Staybent Krunk-A-Delic –

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected strin ...

*Vincent Henry – guitar *Franklin Emmanuel Soccoro – engineering, recording, mixing *Ryan Evans – engineering, recording *

Javier Limón Javier Limón (born 1973) is a record producer, singer and songwriter born and raised in Madrid, Spain. Limón has worked with several artists, mainly from Spain, since he incorporates elements of flamenco rhythm to his work. Besides his work as ...

– guitar solo ;Recording *Recorded at Instrumental Zoo,

Miami, Florida Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

, and Casa Limón Studio,

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the Largest cities of the Europ ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

*Mixed at Glenwood Place Studios, Burbank, California

Charts

References

{{authority control 2010 songs Nelly Furtado songs Songs written by Nelly Furtado Songs written by Alex Cuba Song recordings produced by Salaam Remi Songs written by James Bryan McCollum 2010 singles