Cali y El Dandee are a sibling Latin pop duo from Colombia. Alejandro (Cali) and Mauricio Rengifo (El Dandee) are primarily a singles act; their music is a seamless meld of hip-hop, pop, dance, and reggaeton they call "flybot."
In 2009, their first year as a professional singing duo, they issued five singles (they have averaged no less than three in each succeeding year), including the radio staple, "Volver." 2012's "Yo Te Esperaré" attained double platinum status in Spain; it was followed by "No Hay Dos Sin Tres" (featuring
David Bisbal). The latter song achieved gold certification and was chosen as the Spanish national team's theme song for the 2012 Euro Cup. The duo issued 3 A.M. their long-playing debut album that same year.
Spain, Mexico, and the U.S. have been Cali y El Dandee's most successful markets. 2015's "Por Fin Te Encontre" featuring
Juan Magán and
Sebastián Yatra hit number one in Spain, landed inside the U.S. Latin Pop top 50, in and was certified platinum five times over. Further, its video registered more than 830 million views. In 2017, Dandee co-produced
Luis Fonsi's global smash hit "Despacito." That year, the duo collaborated with
Shaggy on the single "Lumbra"; it reached number six on its way to triple platinum certification, they followed it with the platinum "La Estrategia."
In 2019 Cali y El Dandee issued the charting "Ay Corazón," followed by three collaborative singles including the gold-certified "Tequila Sunrise" in collaboration with featured guest
Rauw Alejandro. In 2020, the duo collaborated with Spanish pop singer
Aitana on "+"; it peaked at number two and was certified platinum. In May, the siblings released their sophomore long-player Colegio. It produced no less than five singles, including "Borracho de Amor" (featuring Mexico's pop sensations
Reik), "Tu Nombre" with Colombian singer
Mike Bahía, "Voy por Ti" with Colombian group
Piso 21, and the gold-certified "Locura," a re-team with
Yatra.
The duo kicked off 2021 with "Primera Carta" in collaboration with
Beret; its video racked up more than 13 million views during its first two months, and in March followed with "Pasado" a collaboration with Venezuelan pop phenomenon
Carmen DeLeon singing lead. A month later they issued the self-described "popeton" single (Latin pop and reggaeton) "Despiertate," in collaboration with
Mau y Ricky and
Guaynaa; Billboard magazine noted it as a potential summer hit. They were proven right when the track charted inside the Latin Top 20 at streaming across the board; its video registered more than four and half million views during its first month. ~ Thom Jurek, Rovi