Beyonce remixes Latin hit to aid disaster relief efforts

Last updated: October 7, 2017 at 08:43 am

Beyonce has released a new single and video to help with relief efforts following a string of natural disasters in the Caribbean and Mexico.

Mi Gente (My People), a remix of the Latin hit by J Balvin and Willy William, marks the R&B singer’s first new music since giving birth to twins in June.

“I am donating my proceeds from this song to hurricane relief charities for Puerto Rico, Mexico and the other affected Caribbean islands,” Beyonce said on her Instagram page.

“We’re heartbroken by the hurricanes and earthquakes that have devastated families around the world. There are many ways to help,” she added in a message on her official website, where she directed followers to a number of disaster relief organisations.

Hurricane Maria, the most powerful storm to hit Puerto Rico in nearly 90 years, killed at least 16 people on the island and more than 30 across the Caribbean.

Dominica, in the Eastern Caribbean, has been left devastated. Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit last night described Hurricane Maria as “the greatest disaster that has ever hit our nation.”

The original Spanish-language Mi Gente, released in June, has been a No 1 hit in much of South America and in many European nations, and has been viewed 893 million times on YouTube.

The remix by Beyonce, featuring home videos of ordinary people dancing, is expected to push sales higher.

Beyonce also lent her support to relief efforts in her home town of Houston, Texas, sending a taped message to a charity telethon earlier in September that raised more than US$44 million for the victims of hurricanes Harvey and Irma.

“Natural disasters don’t discriminate. They don’t see if you’re an immigrant, black or white, Hispanic or Asian, Jewish or Muslim, wealthy or poor... we’re all in this together,” she said at the time.

Beyonce’s husband Jay-Z’s annual benefit concert in October in New York will also raise funds for victims of hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria as well as the September 19 earthquake in Mexico.