-Hola. Hola. -They love you.
-You gotta say "hi" to the Latinos, you know?
-Oh, you have to. Of course.
Hola!
I spent some time in your hometown.
-I wanted to say thank you so much
for visiting Puerto Rico. [ Cheers and applause ]
That was so special for you, the whole team,
the whole production team.
That was so special to watch you guys
have so much fun in my island.
I love you for that.
-Ah, that was -- [ Cheers and applause ]
It meant so much to us.
It changed me.
-And it looked like you guys had fun.
-We had the best time. -Todo Verde, I saw you guys.
I saw you guys. -No, I'm never.
I'll never -- -What happened, Quest?
-I'll never do that again. No, no, no.
He's smart. He's smart. -What happened man?
-You were born in Puerto Rico, then you moved to Orlando
when you were 11. -11, yeah.
-What was that transition like?
-It was tough. -It was, right?
-It was tough, you know -- learning a new language,
just, you know, changing schools,
leaving everything behind, starting over.
But, you know, music was kind of my savior.
It was a little bit like my escape valve.
That's the way I could communicate,
kind of talk to people.
I met great friends, you know, amazing teachers --
shout out to Mr. Golaso, who was my chorus teacher.
You know, teachers are so important.
Sometimes, we don't give them enough credit.
So, thank you. -Yeah.
[ Cheers and applause ] Give them props. Why not?
-Yeah, yeah. He was my chorus teacher.
So met a great group of guys,
and, all of a sudden, it was like this.
-Were you always Luis Fonsi? Was that always your name?
-So, my name is Luis Alfonso Rodríguez.
Repeat after me. Luis Alfonso Rodríguez.
-Luis Alfonso Rodríguez. -Yes, that's --
-Rodríguez.
-But I was always called Fonsi,
or in Spanish, really, it was Fonsi.
They called me Fonsi,
because it was short for Alfonso.
So, when I went to -- when I moved to Orlando,
Fonsi Rodríguez.
So then when I moved to Orlando --
I don't know if I told you this story.
When I moved to Orlando they would be like, "Hey.
So like Fonzie, like the Fonz, right?"
But I didn't have a clue who the Fonz was, because I --
-You were in Puerto Rico, yeah. -I was in Puerto Rico, you know?
I was watching, like, Spanish shows.
You know what I mean? So like ---
I was like listening to Menudo and all that stuff,
So then I was like -- I was like yeah, like the Fonz.
I was like, I have no idea what these guys are saying.
-So people go up to you, going like, ayyy!
And you're like, I don't get it. Yeah. "Do I do that?"
-Yeah, I was like, I just want to fit in.
[ Laughter ]
I just want to have friends.
So, then I figured it out. -Yeah?
-Yeah.
-One of your first bands, was it ninth grade?
-Oh, man. -Yeah, I have to show this.
'Cause you were in a band with Joey Fatone?
-I was.
-Before NSYNC?
-Before NSYNC, yeah.
It was a doo-wop acapella group
called -- wait for it --
called The Big Guys.
[ Laughter ]
I know! -Wow!
The Big Guys. -I cannot make this up.
But our teacher just named us The Big Guys,
so we couldn't really change it.
And let me tell you -- I love these guys,
Joey, Eric, Joel.
They're still, to this day, they're my best friends.
-I have to be honest with you, you're not that big of a guy.
You're tiny. -I'm tiny.
-Hey, why are you guys laughing so loud?!
-The Tiny Guys.
-They're tall. I'm just a little, tiny one.
But this looks like it's taken at an old-time photo place.
[ Laughter ]
Are you a ghost or something? -It's horrible.
-There was a doo-wop?
-Yeah, and then we started The Big Guy Foundation
so we could raise money to buy those jackets.
'Cause we had no --
-The foundation went to you buying clothes?
-Yeah. [ Laughter ]
-That's the best scam I've ever heard of, yeah.
That's the best. -We had no money,
but hey, we got clothes.
We did harmony. -Did you play anywhere?
-Yeah, in school talent shows,
and we would go to, like, Old Town
and do, like, little doo-wop sessions
And people would give us enough money
to buy, like, wings and a soda.
-Isn't that great, though? -I mean, it was fun.
-That's where you started. -That's where it all started.
-That's where it all started. -I love those guys.
-And then the next thing you know,
you're writing "Despacito,"
and you have 6 billion hits on YouTube.
[ Cheers and applause ]
YouTube! -I know.
-6 billion. -That's so crazy, right?
-That's unbelievable. -I know.
That's like my whole family watching it over
and over and over again. -That's all it was in.
-Yes, yes. -But congrats on
the new album, "Vida." -Thank you.
This is out... [ Cheers and applause ]
This is out on Friday?
-This Friday, yeah. In two days.
-This Friday, yeah, in two days.
This comes out, so pick this up.
-It has "Despacito."
It has the song I did with Demi Lovato,
"échame la Culpa" -- has a bunch of great songs.
So I hope you guys love it. -Absolutely.
How great. [ Cheers and applause ]
-Daddy Yankee raps in it. -Yeah, of course.
Daddy Yankee was a huge part of "Despacito."
So, gracias, Daddy Yankee.
Thank you, J.B., Justin Bieber, who did an amazing remix.
-Yeah, it's gonna be great.
-Opened up a lot of doors for Latin music.
So, really grateful for those guys.