Colombian teacher's 'Despacito' wins praise in Turkey

CUNDINAMARCA, Colombia

A Colombian teacher living in Turkey found unexpected success on a TV show during hís rendition of the popular hit Despacito.

Ariel Gonzales has been living in Turkey for two years, working as an English and Spanish teacher in the northwestern Bursa province.

“I came to Turkey on vacation because I had family, my godmother's granddaughter. Being here they proposed me to stay and seeing many things, the difficulty in Colombia to find a job, insecurity and more factors, I preferred to stay here,” Gonzales told Anadolu Agency.

He said one of his students told him that his mother was taking auditions for O Ses (The Voice) and encouraged him to participate.

After selecting six songs -- two in Spanish, two in Turkish and two in English -- he decided to sing Despacito, the 2017 hit that was on the Billboard Hot 100 for a year.

At the auditions, the judges asked him to sing for a second time as Seda Sayan, a Turkish singer on the panel, danced to it.

"When she came to dance with me she said: 'I want you to sing that song for me.' It was very funny, I was dying of nervousness. I don't know if it was noticed, but I think so because I was very nervous with her there,” he said.

“The battles begin in two months, I am waiting and in preparation. They continue to audition throughout the country. I hope everything goes well,” he added.

“If I win the contest, I want to create a fusion album with Latin music and Turkish lyrics," he said.