The legendary American rapper, singer, songwriter, actor, and record producer will.i.am unveils a brand-new vocal adaptation of Jengi’s viral hit Bel Mercy.
Lending his incredible and iconic vocals to Jengi’s much-loved club banger, Bel Mercy (El Jefe) sees will.i.am revisit a genre which he has a sublime history with. ‘El Jefe’ means “the boss”, with the idea for today’s new rework born after will.i.am spoke with Diplo about wanting to re-connect with dance music. After Diplo played him the original track, will.i.am was instantly blown away and headed into the studio to record his new vocal version. Produced by Johnny Goldstein – the Israeli multi-platinum record producer and songwriter who has collaborated with the likes of the Black Eyed Peas, David Guetta, Madonna, Shakira, Little Mix, Sia and many more, Bel Mercy (El Jefe) is out now.
Few artists have achieved the level of success within modern music as will.i.am. From his momentous solo career to his rise to fame as the founder and lead member of the Black Eyed Peas, will.i.am’s staggering accolades include 27 Grammy nominations, 7 Grammy wins, 41 UK Top 40 records along with serving as a judge and mentor on the television talent show series The Voice.
Dutch producer Jengi’s original version of Bel Mercy continues to be a world-wide viral phenomenon. First arriving and gaining rapid popularity via TikTok which also sparked a viral dance routine trend, Bel Mercy has now clocked up 1 Billion views and 100K videos creation on the platform. Crossing over from the internet to the airwaves, Bel Mercy has peaked at #3 in UK shazam chart (#22 globally), along with breaking into the top 100 in the UK singles chart and topping the Spotify Viral Charts in 40+ countries. Including major radio support from the likes of Kiss FM and Kiss Dance playlist, BBC Radio 1 Dance playlist and Capital Dance, Bel Mercy also recently received a new remix from rising UK drum and bass talent .goddard.
Jan Theo Berendsen aka Jengi has been steadily making a name for himself across raw and cultural club music, with an ever-growing catalogue of releases including his debut single Bru and EP Colors in 2017, along with collaborating with FS Green and LEYO for the House of Pablo Pack re-work EP. Now touring the EU and working on his next full EP release, 2023 continues to be Jengi’s most career-defining year to date.
