Elvis Crespo Reveals that His Most Popular Hit Was Written Thanks to Anuel AA's Father

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In the late 1990s, merengue was at its peak, and Elvis Crespo made history with his hit song "Suavemente." The track became an instant Latin music classic, and fans still sing along to it today.

In a recent interview with broadcaster Chente Ydrach, Crespo—who had just released a new version of the song with Luck-Ra and is promoting his upcoming 'Poeta Herío' tour—shared the story behind the song that brought him fame and financial success.

"I had a contract with Sony that didn't allow me to record in the studio without their consent. I had signed it, but I didn't care. I called the musicians at three in the morning and recorded overnight. We found an investor—the same one Montañez had—and made the album," Crespo began.

He also recalled his split from Grupo Manía and how he introduced his first solo album.

"Grupo Manía kept succeeding with their new member, Chino. Then Gazmey, Anuel's father and Sony's A&R, approached me and said, 'We want to start producing your album.' I told him, 'It's already done.' He replied, 'What do you mean it's done? You weren't supposed to do that.' But I had already finished it. Gazmey listened to it and said, 'Wow, this is really good, but we'll release it when the time is right,'" Crespo shared.

Depression fueled Crespo's creativity

"My album wasn't coming out—August passed, then September—and negativity started creeping in. One day, I was playing PlayStation with my six-year-old son, Cuquito. I got frustrated, went to the bathroom, and started humming, 'Suavemente, bésame, que quiero sentir tus labios besándome otra vez.' Then I went back to play, and Cuquito hit a home run in the game and started singing, 'Suavemente, bésame.' I looked at him and asked, 'Where did you hear that?' He said, 'I don't know, somewhere.' I put the controller down, wrote the song, and called my sound engineer to book studio time because I had another song idea," Crespo recalled.

Initially, the engineer dismissed him, but later changed his mind.

"The engineer told me, 'You're so insecure. Your album is good—let Sony release it next year.' I said, 'Don't worry, I'll find another studio.' Then he said, 'No, okay, come on. Let's do it. I'll help you,'" Crespo concluded.

That's how 'Suavemente' was born—the title track of the album that topped the Billboard Hot Latin Tracks in 1998 and stayed at number one for several weeks.

From there, Crespo's career skyrocketed. Today, he has released 12 albums, including "Píntame," "Los Monsters," and "Saboréalo," all of which were hits, though none surpassed the success of "Suavemente."