Nicky Jam and Steve Aoki are keeping summer alive with their “good vibes only” collaboration. The Puerto Rican singer and Miami-based DJ have teamed up for “Jaleo,” a catchy reggaeton-meets-EDM tune that basically means to go crazy and have a great time.
Billboard caught up with the two artists during the filming of the music video in Miami, Fla. to get the scoop on how the collaboration was born.
It all started with a voice note Nicky sent to Steve of a melody he had in mind. “He did the whole song with just that,” Nicky tells Billboard. “All I needed was a hook and I came up with the melody and the sound,” Aoki adds. After trying out 10 different versions and adding some flute and guitar sounds, “Jaleo” was born.
“It’s a song that you have to play really loud and jam to it. It’s a song that you want to go crazy with,” Nicky adds, assuring fans that this song is meant to be played at full blast at clubs, parties, or while washing your car.
Watch the newest episode from Billboard’s “How It Went Down” series above.