Reggaeton song ‘Waiting for You’ re-released with Calabrian lyrics

NEW YORK, N.Y – Italian Canadian-American musician Michéal Castaldo recently released an original Reggaeton song in his native Calabrian language, “Spetu Pe Tia” (“Waitin’ for You”) featuring a blend of musical cultures: Spanish, Puerto Rican,
Jamaican, and Calabrian.

Castaldo originally recorded the song using English lyrics in the mid-1990s with his band, Lives of a Cell. “Although it is now sung in the Calabrian language, it keeps the energy and nuance of the original charting English version,” Castaldo said.

Castaldo was born in Reggio Calabria, Italy, and immigrated to Canada with his family when he was a young boy. He studied music at Berklee College of Music in Boston. As a vocalist, he has toured North America and Europe, including performances at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the Rainbow Room, Shea Stadium, Toronto’s Queen Elizabeth Theatre, and Italy’s Teatro F. Cilea and Pescara Opera House.

Known for his crossover Italian ballads and Italian versions of popular hits from various genres, Castaldo and fellow Berklee alumnus, award-winning remixer Mystr E, have created another hypnotic remix dance groove that highlights the Reggaeton beat.

Italy is made up of 20 regions and each region has its own language. When the regions/kingdoms were unified in 1861, the Florentine language was chosen to be the official Italian language.

“My recordings of Flamenco Pop songs are sung in Calabrian; it’s my way of preserving the language and telling my stories,” he said.

The artistic cover design by Donna Rega, an abstract artist from Jersey City, pays tribute to several Reggaeton-Flamenco pop artists, such as Enrique Iglesias, Benji & Fede, Luis Fonzi, Demarco Flamenco, Juan Magan, Decai, Kendji Girac, Alvaro Soler and Josh Acosta. The song, produced by Majestic Castle Music Productions, features Italian Flamenco guitarist, Francesco Grant-Energipsy.

The new song can be found on iTunes, Spotify and other sources.