Catalina García says that she’s not much of a TikTok user. So last year, she was shocked when one of her songs went viral on the social media platform.
The singer and co-founder of Colombian pop band Monsieur Periné went online after getting dozens of messages from fans. She saw hundreds of videos of people dancing to the 15-second chorus of “Nuestra Canción,” a lively tune about falling in love that features trumpets, a gypsy guitar and a swingy rhythm that resembles big band music.
The trend started in October after somebody posted a video of Bugs Bunny dancing to the song while wearing a long pink dress. That video inspired thousands of TikTok users to record themselves at home dancing to the chorus of “Nuestra Canción,” as if they were in a 1930s club.
“Nuestra Canción” was released by Monsieur Periné in 2015 as part of an album called “Caja de Musica” or “The Music Box,” which won the band a Latin Grammy that year.
The song probably had its greatest impact last fall once it resurfaced and went viral.
Related: Colombia to declare hippos an invasive species
“We saw videos in the Philippines, India, the United States, it was crazy,” García recalled. “It was beautiful to me to start watching all those videos, and finding how people discovered that song in a way that they could express themselves with love.”
The song’s success on the social media platform has increased interest in Monsieur Periné’s music, and encouraged the Colombian band to double down on its retro style at a time when the Latin Music market is dominated by heavily marketed, reggaeton singers.
“It was like a message from the universe.”
“It was like a message from the universe,” said Santiago Prieto, the band’s guitarist and other co-founder. “Like keep going, you are doing things well.”
“Nuestra Canción” has gathered massive numbers on TikTok.
At the end of last year, more than 2 million users had made dance videos to the song’s chorus. And 400 million people have watched it.
Even famous influencers like Joyce Tanner, a Korean American comedian known by his channel name QPark, jumped in on the trend.
The song also expanded interest in Monsieur Periné’s music on other platforms like Spotify, which pays musicians and their record labels for their streams.
And since October of last year, “Nuestra Canción” has gotten more than 80 million streams on that platform, nearly five times the number it had previously.
Prieto says that as “Nuestra Canción’s” fame grew online, the band’s label, Sony Music, approached them with an idea.
“They said ‘release something now,’” Prieto recalled. “It’s a good moment to connect with people because they want to see you, they want to know you.”
The band members hustled, and in just five days in December, they wrote and recorded “Volverte a Ver.” It’s another happy tune, about longing to see a loved one who you’ve been separated from. It was partly inspired by the experiences of people during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The band is now working on its next album at its studio in Bogotá — inside a small house in the foothills of the Andes Mountains that Prieto calls his “Hobbit House.”
This month, they released another song called “Nada,” that talks about heartbreak and leaving a toxic relationship, and it features a mellow and nostalgic tone that has hints of Latin American boleros, a genre of music that originated in Cuba.
Related: This Colombian company is trying to convince farmers to use beetle poop fertilizer
“It’s like, I was following you, I trusted you, but you decided to take everything and crashed it. I’m out, I don’t want to be here anymore,” García explained.
And while “Nada” may not seem like a song that will inspire a new TikTok challenge, the band is OK with that. García and Prieto say that their goal is to transmit authentic feelings.
“The big prize of being an artist and being famous is having the opportunity to be real.”
“The big prize of being an artist and being famous is having the opportunity to be real.” García said. “With yourself, first of all, so that you can be yourself for everyone.”
Periné’s new album, which will include “Nada,” and “Volverte a Ver” will be released later this year.
The band will play in almost a dozen US cities this summer, where they’ll probably perform their most famous song.
Our coverage reaches millions each week, but only a small fraction of listeners contribute to sustain our program. We still need 224 more people to donate $100 or $10/monthly to unlock our $67,000 match. Will you help us get there today?