Get ready to have a new song stuck in your head. Pitbull, master crafter of earworms, is about to unleash a new tune unto the world. The song, "Hey Ma," is on the soundtrack for The Fate of the Furious, the eighth installment in the car-racing movie franchise that just can't seem to die. In the catchy tune, Pitbull teams with ex-Fifth Harmony member Camila Cabello and Colombian singer and rapper J Balvin. Only that wasn't the original plan. In a new interview with Radio.com, Mr. 305 explains the detour that the song took and who was originally on the track.
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Mr. International told Radio.com that the first version of the song actually featured Britney Spears and Romeo Santos. In fact, the team behind Fast and the Furious loved it. Until a new version got recorded, that is. Looks like there was just more magic in the high-octane recording from Cabello and Balvin, who shared a preview of the track on Instagram.
"Funny story behind that," Pitbull told Radio.com. "At first, it was me and Romeo Santos, Britney Spears was on the record. [The] Fast and Furious [team] ends up loving the record. And they brought on board J Balvin and Camila Cabello. So, it's been an interesting journey. To watch it go on to become the intro to the movie — the first huge movie franchise to shoot in Cuba — is an amazing honor."
How did Spears take the news? There was no diva hissy fit. Instead, she was 100% professional and even suggested that her vocals be part of a remix. Two versions of this scorcher? Count us in.
"It was an honor to be able to work with Britney. She was a great sport, she’s been in the business for years," Pitbull explained. "She said, 'Don't even worry about that. We'll use it for the remix, or we'll do another record together.'"
Spears' reaction only goes to show what a consummate professional she is. And if fans are getting two tunes out of it, it's all for the better.