The dream became a song. El Shadow, the young Cuban singer who just six months ago had 12,000 followers on Instagram and a melody that no one knew, premiered "La Foto" this Wednesday with Nicky Jam, one of the greats of world reggaeton.
What makes this release special is not just the music —even though the song captivates with its acoustic guitars, afrobeats, and that Caribbean summer vibe— but the story behind it: El Shadow filmed his part of the music video from Playa Santa Lucía in Camagüey, while Nicky Jam shot his part in Miami. Two worlds separated by the Florida Strait, united by a song.
In the music video, the Cuban influencer Samantha Hernández also appears in several scenes.
The real name of this emerging artist is Raudel Gómez Hernández, he is 26 years old and hails from Camagüey. He started making music at the age of 15, but it was in February of this year that his life changed forever. With just 12,000 followers, he uploaded a video singing "La Foto" and asked his community to tag Nicky Jam. Hours later, the reggaeton artist appeared in the comments with a phrase that no one expected: "I don’t know what you all say, I’m jumping on this song. It sounds incredible."
And then, just in case there was any doubt, he added: "Stick and stick."
The moment went viral. Shadow reacted with an emotional story: "I do this for my family, for my daughter, for my loved ones, for my fellow Cubans. This achievement is thanks to you and to God. I love you, God."
Months later, in June, El Shadow announced from that very beach that the song was ready: «I’m here at Santa Lucía beach, a beautiful place in Cuba, and I’m listening to the song I have with Nicky Yang here, and it comes to mind and I said it’s time to release this song». By then, his followers had already grown to 15,000 —modest in numbers, but huge in significance for someone operating from the island with very limited resources.
The music video, directed by Mechu Recvoluxion & Nova Films, was released through Plus Media and EMM, and premiered exclusively on Billboard en español. The catchy chorus sticks with anyone: "You have me liking / Liking your photo oh oh oh oh / You have me feeling bad / Bad in the head oh oh oh."
It’s not the first time this year that Nicky Jam has been enchanted by Cuban talent: in January, he released "Magia" together with the duo Charly & Johayron, and he also expressed enthusiasm for projects by Bebeshito, Dany Ome, and Kevincito on the 13th. But the case of El Shadow is different: this young man is still in Cuba, which carries its own implications, yet he made it here.
When announcing the launch in June, El Shadow summarized it with a phrase that says it all: “Summer is calling for it. This is Paloooo worldwide.”
Next, the music video for "La Foto":
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