Howie Dorough Debuts Solo Spanish-Language Single 'Coqui'

Howie Dorough, a member of the Backstreet Boys, has launched his solo single "Coqui," signifying his first official solo Spanish-language release. The track premiered exclusively on Billboard on Wednesday, June 17.

The nearly three-minute song is described as a sensual Afrobeats jam, featuring Dorough's vocals along with subtle sounds of the coqui, a small tree frog native to Puerto Rico, and crashing ocean waves. Dominican songwriter Darlin penned the track.

Dorough, who was born in Orlando, Florida, to a Puerto Rican mother and a Georgia-based father, stated that he wanted to identify with his culture and heritage through the record. He noted that Puerto Rico is where his mother is from and where he feels the strongest connection from his upbringing.

While Dorough previously sang in Spanish with the Backstreet Boys on tracks like "Nunca Te Haré Llorar" and "Donde Quieras Yo Iré," he described "Coqui" as a more profound exploration of his roots. He explained that growing up in South Florida in the 1970s and 1980s presented challenges in fully grasping the Spanish language due to a lack of surrounding Latino communities.

He shared that the creative process for "Coqui" involved re-training his tongue and accepting corrections, comparing it to a child learning a language for the first time. Dorough mentioned using the Duolingo app and Darlin's coaching to achieve authenticity.

Dorough acknowledged that making Spanish music has been a long-standing passion, albeit one met with struggles and insecurities about being accepted by his own community due to language imperfections. He views the current release not with major expectations but as a personal journey and a story about embracing his culture after years of hesitation.

According to Billboard, the music video for "Coqui" was also exclusively premiered.

(Source: Billboard)