Unraveling the Success Story of Iñigo Quintero: Iñigo Quintero’s “Si No Estás” got over 5.7 million plays in just one day on Tuesday, October 24. That’s a huge number that put it at the top of Spotify’s world chart. This is the first time a Spanish artist has performed this alone; the previous record was “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 52” by Canary Islander Quevedo and Argentine artist Bizarrap. It’s even more surprising because Quintero was mostly unknown outside of Spain until recently.
Unraveling the Success Story of Iñigo Quintero: Spotify’s Global Chart-topper
Billboard’s foreign charts also put the song in the top 10, with a peak of No. 4 on Billboard foreign Excl. U.S. and No. 10 on Billboard Global 200. The meteoric rise is also mysterious because there has been no traditional promotion, publicity, press releases, or information about the artist behind the sensation. The number of daily plays is higher than popular songs like Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers,” Taylor Swift’s “Cruel Summer,” or Young Miko’s “Wiggy.”
With lines like “Esto es una alucinación/ Quiero ver tu otra mitad/ Alejarme de esta ciudad/ Y contagiarme de tu forma de pensar” (“This is a delusion/ I want to see your other half/ Get away from this city/ And immerse myself in your way of thinking”), “Si No Estás” is a piano-pop ballad about being deeply in love with someone far away and the pain and suffering that comes from being apart from them. It’s a very deep song for a 2023 pop hit.
It’s clear that Iñigo’s songs are touching people, says Esteve Lombarte, head of the Acqustic label and the artist’s manager. “I think that for a long time, songs were more shallow and focused on lives of great luxury, like cars, money, and houses. These days, there are a lot more songs that talk about love, friendship, and other issues that people care about.”
What is certain is how powerful the song is and what it means, which has caused a lot of discussion on social networks. Different people have seen “Si No Estás” as anything from a song to God to a song about a breakup.
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Lombarte explains that the song began to go viral organically through TikTok, and immediately connected with listeners. “From that initial boost we decided to amplify [the song],” he says. Quintero connected with the label through his other artist Besmaya, and in March 2023 they signed him.
“The truth is that the success of ‘Si No Estás’ is an unprecedented triumph in the industry, but we believe that what is behind this song is a very talented artist,” Lombarte points out. “And the rest of the songs are really doing very well too. The proof of that is that ‘Sobredosis’ is already in the top 100 in Spain, and there will be more and more songs, and we will get to know more of the artist little by little.”
He continues: “The clearest proof is that countries like France, Germany, Holland, Luxembourg, Switzerland — non-Spanish-speaking countries — have also connected with the artist beyond the lyrics. It is part of the magic of this art.”
Aqcustic is also in charge of the projects Malmo 040, Besmaya, Ciao Marina, Maren, Yarea, Inazio, and Hey Kid. As a result of this huge success, we plan to keep working and writing songs. “It’s important to sit down, write music, and work to put out songs that connect like ‘Si No Estás’ did,” says Lombarte.
