El mismo sol (Under the Same Sun)

Album: Eterno Agosto (2015)
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Songfacts®:

  • Born in Barcelona to a German father and a Spanish mother, Álvaro Soler moved with his parents to Japan at the age of 10, staying there seven years. After returning to Barcelona in 2010, he established the musical band Urban Lights with his brother and some pals. They released one self-produced album before Soler decided to go solo basing himself in Berlin, Germany.
  • "El mismo sol" was Soler's debut solo single. An uplifting anthem recorded in Spanish it was first published on the singer's personal YouTube channel. The tune soon attracted interest from record labels and Soler was signed to Universal Music. The song took off following Soler's performance on The Voice Italy, which propelled it to #1 in that country. The single went on to chart throughout Europe.
  • The song celebrates diversity and shared values, "under the same sun."

    "The lyrics in that song come from my experience living in Japan and going to a German school," Soler told Billboard magazine. "You always had new people. It's very transient. That's what made it so much fun."
  • As a result of the success of the original version in Spanish, a special Spanglish version was released for the US and UK markets featuring extra lyrics in English and vocals by Jennifer Lopez.

    Lopez recalled to Billboard how she stumbled upon the tune. "Monte, Charlie, Benny and I were having dinner and we started playing and listening to music," she said. "This fun infectious song came on and then we all started dancing and singing! I loved the sprit and message of the song, Alvaro's voice and the flamenco clap. [Eddie O'Loughlin and Republic secured US rights via Universal Germany]...We decided that night to call Alvaro and see if he would like to do it as a duet. He loved the idea and the rest is the record you hear."
  • Soler and Lopez performed the tune together for the first time during the Latino songstress' set at the iHeartRadio Music Festival on September 19, 2015.

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