When Israeli pop duo Static & Ben El released ‘Tudo Bom’ in their native country back in 2017, the single quickly shot up the radio charts and has become the group’s most successful single to date. The music video is currently the most watched video in Israeli YouTube history with over 300 million views and after inking an international deal with Universal Music imprint Caroline Music, an English remix of this popular track was inevitable. However, to really make an impact with their new English language music, the duo tapped J Balvin to add his own flair to the song.
‘Tudo Bom’, which is Portuguese for “everything is good”, is set to be the crossover hit the duo is hoping to make them stars around the world – but the journey hasn’t been an easy one for the duo. “The big thing was the language barrier,” says Static. “A song has a soul, so when you try to translate it you’re playing with fire. Because it has its vibe already and its soul — it’s a whole product. You want to really get [the meaning] across. So that was kind of challenging but I think we nailed it.”
To create the perfect English version of the song, Static & Ben El joined forces with Emily Wright, whose credits include Katy Perry’s “I Kissed A Girl” and Miley Cyrus’ “Party in the U.S.A.”, who flew to Israel to work on the track with the boys. While there, Emily truly understood that she was working with Israel’s ultimate pop stars. “They can’t walk down the street without a car screeching to a halt and someone jumping out for an autograph,” she says. “I would take walks on the beach and inevitably ‘Tudo Bom’ would be playing on someone’s phone from their beach blanket. They were everywhere!”
Meanwhile, Static reveals that the translation process was an interesting one. “It’s kind of like ‘Sophie’s Choice,’ like you have two sons,” he says. “I think I will always have a big place for ‘Tudo Bom’ even when the American version blows up because that song made history already and it was a big factor in our career. But I think now that we’re energized, it’s just a different angle this time. Artists are born from broken souls. Art comes to protect you—art is your form of defense. And each song has a soul, too. ‘Tudo Bom’ has a new soul now. It’s something completely different with a J. Balvin feature. And I think we’re excited for our new baby.”
Static & Ben El and J Balvin also shot an incredible music video for the single proving that they’re not here to play. Watch it here:
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