T&T producers team up on new Wizkid, Rauw Alejandro single

2026-03-19 - 19:25

NARISSA FRASER A collaboration between one of the world’s top Afrobeats artistes and a leading Latin artiste began in an apartment in Trinidad and Tobago. Local producers and long-time friends Michael “Tano” Montano and Richard “MRI” McClashie teamed up once again for Wizkid and Rauw Alejandro’s latest single, Pongo. Released on Thursday, the three-minute track smoothly blends the cultures and musical styles of both singers. Wizkid hails from Nigeria and Rauw from Puerto Rico. Other producers also worked on the track, including Rvssian out of Jamaica. It speaks of the singers’ infatuation with a special woman, with Rauw urging her to go with the flow and let go. “I’ve seen you all in my dreams,” he sings. Wizkid describes her energy as “heavenly”, telling her he needs her love and affection. He sings, “This type of love got me acting crazy.” Tano told Guardian Media he started the beat for the song on a regular day at his Diego Martin apartment in 2019. “It was actually in the spare bedroom,” he recalled with a laugh. “I was watching something on Netflix with my wife and I said I was going to do some work for a bit.” He felt like it had “a vibe” and knew he would send it to McClashie, as they have often collaborated in the past. One of those tracks was Beamer (Bad Boys) by Nigerian singer Rema in 2020. It was later featured on the FIFA 2021 video game soundtrack. “So when I sent Richard this one, he was like, ‘This real hard,’ and he added things to it. And I knew he was going to Los Angeles to play it for Rauw.” McClashie, a Grammy-nominated producer, said the first demo of the song was recorded in 2020, but it was just one of many that he and the Puerto Rican singer worked on at the time. He said it was always intended to be a collaboration, but they were not quite sure who the second person would be. “We just had the verse and a hook and the rest of the beat was still empty.” It also fell into the hands of Jamaican super-producer Rvssian, with whom both men have worked many times. None of them knew exactly what would eventually become of the song, but seven years later, it is finally here. Tano said McClashie shared the news about Wizkid coming on board this year, and he was immediately excited. “Richard told me very casually, too,” he recalled. “I was on a call with him. I think I was driving home to the south, passing the Ato Boldon Stadium, and he was like, ‘Oh yeah, by the way, we got Wizkid on it.’” He immediately asked to hear how it sounded in its then-current phase. But even though he mentioned it casually, McClashie was excited too. “I love Wizkid... When I heard his verse, I was like, ‘This is fire for sure. This sounds like a hit to me.’” In fact, he said he felt it had the potential to be a hit even when it was just the beat. A teaser was posted to social media on Tuesday, and listeners were already going crazy. “I just saw a bunch of fire emojis in the comments,” McClashie said with a laugh. So it may have taken seven years to see the light of day, but both men are proud of their work. “It’s crazy that you can literally create something in your bedroom and then hear two of the biggest artistes in the world on it,” Tano mused. “You really never know where your work can reach. Anything is possible.” The song is available on all digital streaming platforms, and the music video—which hit over 12,000 views in under an hour—is on YouTube.