"Héroe Favorito" (English: “Favorite Hero”) is a song by American singer Romeo Santos. The song was written by Romeo Santos and Joaquín Díaz, with production handled by Romeo Santos and Matetraxx. It was released to digital retailers on February 10, 2017, through Sony Music Latin, as the lead single released off Santos' third studio album, Golden. The song debuted at number one on Billboard's Latin Airplay chart,[1] as well as reached the top 10 in Dominican Republic, Panama and Spain.
| "Héroe Favorito" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Romeo Santos | ||||
| from the album Golden | ||||
| Language | Spanish | |||
| English title | "Favorite Hero" | |||
| Released | February 10, 2017 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 4:00 | |||
| Label | Sony Latin | |||
| Composer(s) |
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| Lyricist(s) | Romeo Santos | |||
| Producer(s) |
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| Romeo Santos singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Héroe Favorito" on YouTube | ||||
Background
editAudio of the song was leaked on the internet ahead of its release. On February 10, 2017, the song was released to iTunes Store and Tidal earlier than expected. It was released to all major digital retailers on February 13, 2017.[2]
In an interview with Billboard magazine, Santos said that the song was about "a girl he's infatuated with and wants to be her superhero to protect her". Santos said: "Her parents are trying to set her up with this other guy. At least from my perspective, she's not too enthusiastic about it, so in my imagination, I'm like, if I were a superhero I would protect her. I have strength like Hulk, climb up 100 feet to her balcony like Spider-Man, a lot of metaphors."[3]
Composition
editThe song is described by Elias Leight of Billboard as an "audacious combination of jazz and bachata".[3]
Artwork
editSantos collaborated with Marvel Custom, Marvel Comics' content and marketing agency, on the single's artwork, in which he was dressed up as a superhero. "I always had this fascination with superheroes," Santos told Billboard. "Who didn't love Hulk and Spider-Man?" The outfit was inspired by the Punisher, also a character from Marvel.[4]
"He wanted a dark, Kevlar, Punisher type of thing, but without the weapons," said Darren Sanchez, project manager and editor of Marvel Custom. "He liked the idea of a cape, but he didn't necessarily want a cape, so we went with a trench coat that had the same kind of billowing look. He didn't want it too bulky; wanted to make sure it was a realistic body type. He said he liked darker colors, but he wanted highlights, either gold or silver." Marvel characters generally have a helmet or mask, but "a dark, wraparound eye-mask" was created for Santos. "When it's a celebrity, you don't want to cover his face. Half of Iron Man, his helmet is off." explained Sanchez.[3]
Music video
editThe music video was released on February 14, 2017, on YouTube through Vevo. It was directed by Marc Klasfeld and shot in Los Angeles, it featured American actress Génesis Rodríguez, who voices Honey Lemon in Disney's 2014 film Big Hero 6 as well as its follow-up television series. The video shows Santos, as a driver, using his superpowers to chase after his love interest, who is his client and ends with him and the woman kissing, mirroring the iconic upside-down kiss from the 2002 film Spider-Man between the titular character and his love interest Mary Jane Watson.[5] Kelsey Garcia of PopSugar called it a "dramatic video".[6] Similarly, Isabelia Herrera of Remezcla regarded it as "a classic Romeo video".[7]
Live performances
editOn Februeary 23, 2017, Santos performed "Héroe Favorite" live during the 29th Annual Lo Nuestro Awards ceremony where he was honored with the Excellence Award.[8] On April 13, 2017, Santos performed the song at the American late-night talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live!.[9]
Credits and personnel
editCredits adapted from Tidal.[10]
- Romeo Santos – composer, lyricist, producer, arranger
- Joaquín Díaz – composer, pianist, arranger
- Iván Chévere a/k/a Matetraxx – producer, mixing engineer, engineer
- Tom Brick – mastering engineer
- Paul Raini Castelluzzo – acoustic guitarist, guitarist
- Dante Rivera – bassist
- Raúl Bier – bongo player
- Enrique Terrero – conga player
- Alexander Caba – guitarist
Charts
edit| Chart (2017) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Colombia (National-Report)[11] | 43 |
| Dominican Republic Bachata (Monitor Latino)[12] | 1 |
| Dominican Republic General (Monitor Latino)[13] | 4 |
| Panama (Monitor Latino)[14] | 9 |
| Paraguay (Monitor Latino)[15] | 14 |
| Spain (PROMUSICAE)[16] | 8 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[17] | 77 |
| US Hot Latin Songs (Billboard)[18] | 2 |
| US Latin Airplay (Billboard)[19] | 1 |
| US Tropical Airplay (Billboard)[20] | 1 |
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Spain (PROMUSICAE)[21] | Gold | 30,000‡ |
| United States (RIAA)[22] | 5× Platinum (Latin) | 300,000‡ |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Amaya Mendizabal (February 22, 2017). "Romeo Santos' 'Héroe Favorito' Debuts at No. 1 on Latin Airplay Chart". Billboard. Retrieved July 1, 2017.
- ^ Griselda Flores (February 23, 2017). "Romeo Santos Drops New Single 'Heroe Favorito': Listen". Billboard. Retrieved July 1, 2017.
- ^ a b c Elias Leight (February 8, 2017). "Romeo Santos, Marvel Team Up for 'Héroe Favorito' Artwork: Exclusive". Billboard. Retrieved July 1, 2017.
- ^ Jordan Darville (February 23, 2017). "Romeo Santos And Marvel Reveal Super Hero Makeover For New Single "Héroe Favorito"". The Fader. Retrieved July 1, 2017.
- ^ Jordan Darville (February 14, 2017). "Romeo Santos Is Every Super Hero In The "Héroe Favorito" Music Video". The Fader. Retrieved July 1, 2017.
- ^ Kelsey Garcia (February 15, 2017). "The Good Guy Gets the Girl in Romeo Santos's Latest Music Video With Génesis Rodriguez". PopSugar. Retrieved July 1, 2017.
- ^ Isabelia Herrera (February 14, 2017). "Romeo Santos Saves Valentine's Day With the Video for "Héroe Favorito"". Remezcla. Retrieved July 1, 2017.
- ^ "Romeo Santos se convirtió en el 'Héroe Favorito' de Premio Lo Nuestro 2017". Univision (in Spanish). February 23, 2017. Retrieved July 1, 2017.
- ^ Griselda Flores (April 14, 2017). "Watch Romeo Santos Perform 'Heroe Favorito' on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live'". Billboard. Retrieved July 1, 2017.
- ^ "Héroe Favorito / Romeo Santos TIDAL". Tidal. Retrieved July 1, 2017.
- ^ "Top 100 Colombia" (in Spanish). National-Report. Archived from the original on June 19, 2017. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
- ^ "Dominican Republic Bachata" (in Spanish). Monitor Latino. Retrieved January 25, 2023.
- ^ "Dominican Republic General" (in Spanish). Monitor Latino. Retrieved January 25, 2023.
- ^ "Panama Top 20 - Del 13 al 19 de Marzo, 2017". Monitor Latino. Retrieved January 25, 2023.
- ^ "Paraguay General" (in Spanish). Monitor Latino. Retrieved January 25, 2023.
- ^ "Romeo Santos – Héroe Favorito" Canciones Top 50.
- ^ "Romeo Santos Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
- ^ "Romeo Santos Chart History (Hot Latin Songs)". Billboard.
- ^ "Romeo Santos Chart History (Latin Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved September 17, 2020.
- ^ "Romeo Santos Chart History (Tropical Airplay)". Billboard.
- ^ "Spanish single certifications – Romeo Santos – Héroe Favorito". El portal de Música. Productores de Música de España. Retrieved August 18, 2024.
- ^ "American single certifications – Romeo Santos – Heroe Favorito". Recording Industry Association of America.