Jhay Cortez Talks Viral “Fiel” Verse, Bad Bunny, And His Breakthrough Year
Since scoring a global smash with Bad Bunny last year, Puerto Rican singer-songwriter Jhay Cortez’s career is in a swift ascent. He has the most hits to his name this year and the list continues to grow. In an interview about his new partnership with McDonald’s, Cortez also talked about working with Benito, paying homage to classic reggaeton, and his memories of the restaurant.
McDonald’s is the latest brand to tap the power of Jhay Cortez.
Cortez teamed up with McDonald’s to help launch the loyalty program MyMcDonald’s Rewards. When ordering food through the app, customers can opt into the rewards program and rack up points with each purchase. The self-professed Big Mac fan has fond memories of McD’s from his childhood.
“For me, [going to McDonald’s] was an event,” Cortez tells mitú. “Going somewhere and dressing nice when we were little in Puerto Rico. I’m happy to be a part of this partnership.”
Jhay Cortez had the No. 1 song in the world with Bad Bunny last year.
With multiple hits under his name, brands are wanting in on Jhayco’s rise. After penning hits for the likes of Natti Natasha, Ozuna, and Cardi B, he’s one of the few songwriters crossing over as an artist. Last year, he hit No. 1 on Billboard‘s Global 200 chart with “Dákiti,” his collaboration with Bad Bunny.
“It’s always a good experience to work with Bad Bunny,” Cortez says. “He’s a very talented artist. Super cool and down-to-earth. We always have fun. We don’t try to get too professional. We do what we know how to do best.”
Jhay Cortez’s verse in “Fiel” is one of the best moments in music this year.
Following his momentum with “Dákiti,” Cortez is keeping the hits under his own name coming. One of the biggest this year is “Fiel” with Puerto Rican OG Wisin and Los Legendarios. Cortez’s red-hot guest verse has gone viral on TikTok and it’s helped propel the song to new heights.
“It’s a dope verse,” Cortez says. “[It’s] long, but so dynamic, and so cool in general. That’s why people connected with it. It’s fun. You can sing it. I always like to write in a way that people can connect with my music.”
Jhay Cortez’s “Christian Dior” is another major smash.
After first breaking through with “No Me Conoce,” Cortez has another hit on his hands with “Christian Dior.” He goes it alone in this reggaeton banger that samples “Tú Quieres Duro” by Boricua pioneer Hector El Father.
“It’s a tribute to my roots and to reggaeton,” Cortez says. “I’m a really big fan of that era when Don Omar, Hector El Father, and Tego [Caulderón] were there. For me, it’s paying tribute to what they did.”
Cortez co-wrote one of the songs on Rauw Alejandro’s new album.
Most of the focus nowadays is on Cortez cultivating his career as an artist, but he’s still co-writing on the side. Recently, he helped pen Rauw Alejandro “¿Y Eso?” for the Vice Versa album. The song was supposed to be a collaboration, so hopefully, Alejandro can release a remix of it with Cortez in the future.
“[It’s a] dope song,” Cortez says. “I think I was supposed to come out in the song, but it didn’t end up [that way]. Rauw ended up just doing it by himself, using my verse, and it came out cool.”
His next album Timelezz will be one to watch out for.
“Christian Dior” is a preview of Cortez’s upcoming second album Timelezz. It’s one of the most-anticipated LPs of the year, but he’s taking his time to perfect it.
“It’s an album I’ve been preparing with all the love and all the patience,” Cortez says. “Music is so fast right now that I don’t want to go at anybody’s pace but my mine.”
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