Almost two years after releasing her chart-topping hit “You Say,” Lauren Daigle makes her official crossover with a new Spanish-language version called “Tu Dices,” premiering exclusively on Billboard below.
With lyrics such as “The only thing that matters now is everything you think of me/ In you I find my worth, in you I find my identity,” the humbling gospel ballad heals listeners and assures them of a victory over their struggles if they put their trust in the right hands.
The idea to make her Spanish-language debut was born during her tour in Europe last year. “We had plans to go to South America as well, and my team suggested I put out some Spanish versions of my songs because a lot of people loved them,” Daigle tells Billboard.
“You Say,” which was released July 13, 2018, as the lead single from Daigle’s third studio album, Look Up Child, first hit No. 1 on Hot Christian Songs on the chart dated July 28, 2018. It also landed Daigle her first No. 1 on the Adult Contemporary radio airplay chart on the Aug. 10, 2019-dated ranking. Currently, it’s in its 94th week on the Hot Christian Songs chart, with 84 of those weeks at No. 1.
It’s the song’s success that inspired the Louisiana-based contemporary Christian music singer and songwriter to release it in Spanish.
“When I first became an artist and began to gain popularity, people would write to me to go to Latin America. They would ask me to please do songs in Spanish and if I will ever consider singing in a different language,” she says. “I was shocked to know that other people were interested in my music. There was a piece of me that was honestly amazed. The more I saw these types of comments, I was like wow, this is beautiful, and what an honor as an artist to have people from around the world connect with your music. It’s so humbling and exhilarating.”
Not singing in her native language was intimidating for Daigle but she was up for the challenge.
“I took Spanish when I was in high school and I fell in love with it. It’s so beautiful, melodic and feels safe,” she notes. “The message sticks close to the heart and has a greater impact if it’s in a person’s native language. That’s what I wanted to do for this song.”
“Tu Dices,” along with “Rescate” — the Spanish version of her single “Rescue” dropping May 15 — was created in one day thanks to the help of her translator, who gave her confidence while recording it. “It’s not my first language and I wanted to ensure that I wasn’t doing it entirely wrong. I wanted to respect and honor that language.”
Daigle’s two Spanish-language singles are her gift to those loving fans from Latin American who have always supported her career. As she waits for the current global health crisis to pan out, Daigle plans to resume her first-ever tour in South and Central America that was scheduled for the summer and is staying connected with fans on her “Daigle Bites” podcast.
As for her best advice to her fans during quarantine?
“Let yourself grieve, let yourself experience it, and let yourself see the beautiful and simple things in life,” she says. “I think that the world slowing down is a good thing but we’re also realizing the importance of how valuable people and real-life connections are.”
Watch the lyric video for “Tú Dices” below:
