Biography

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