Luis Fonsi Says Justin Bieber Deserves a 'Pass' for Not Knowing the Lyrics to 'Despacito'

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Luis Fonsi doesn't blame Justin Bieber for failing to learn the words to "Despacito."

The singer-songwriter came to Bieber’s defense after the pop star was recorded butchering the lyrics to the Spanish-language hit single during an appearance at 1Oak in New York City last month.

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Despite co-writing the song with Daddy Yankee, the remix of which features Bieber, Fonsi made it clear that he wasn't offended by the Canadian pop star's lyrical flub

"I mean, obviously I would love for him to...learn it," he shared with ABC News Radio. "I don't blame him not knowing [the lyrics], and I think we have to give him a little bit of a pass because that's not his main language."

"We can't expect the guy to just out of the blue get it perfectly," Fonsi continued. "I mean, it's obvious when he was recording the song he had the lyrics in front of him."

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Even though Bieber can't seem to get the lyrics straight, "Despacito" is a certified smash and has held the No. 1 spot on the Billboard singles chart for a record six weeks.

Besides earning Fonsi and Daddy Yankee their first No. 1 entry on the Hot 100, "Despacito" is the first predominately Spanish track to dominate the chart since the 1996 dance single, "Macarena."

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Last month, ET's Denny Directo caught up with Fonsi at The Voice finale where he dished on collaborating with Bieber.

"It was a great call to know that Bieber heard the song," Fonsi shared of the singer reaching out to him. "He was in Colombia doing his tour and he heard the song. He saw how people reacted to it. He reached out to us and he's like, 'Hey, can I jump on the remix?' and we're like, 'Yes, sir!'"

"He did his thing, you know, he sang his verse in English [and then] he sang the chorus in Spanish," Fonsi added. "We were surprised."

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