'Despacito' Co-Writer Erika Ender Films 'Mighty SONG Writers' Video

This week's episode of Mighty SONG Writers comes from Erika Ender, who co-wrote the massive hit "Despacito" and was the youngest person ever to be inducted into the Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame. Ender talks about the first song she wrote at nine years old, her love of Diane Warren, and books that have inspired her writing before performing one of her new songs. "Writing is a business of emotions, and whenever you connect to a message that people need to express or need to hear, it is so powerful," she says.

Watch the video at Literary Hub below!

Previous performers in the Mighty SONG Writers series include Amanda Shires with Jason Isbell, Marcus Roberts, Jewel, Phil Augusta Jackson, Devon Gilfillian, Valerie June, and Rhett Miller. Catch up on the full series here.

Mighty SONG Writers aims to raise money to support Philadelphia-based non-profit Mighty Writers, which teaches reading and writing to thousands of low-income and marginalized students every year and is seeing more need than ever during the pandemic.

Erika Ender has broken innumerable records throughout her 28-year decorated career. She has written or co-written more than 40 chart-topping singles, and more than 200 albums have been released with her songs on them. She is the only Latina ever to be nominated to a major category at the GRAMMYs and the only one to earn a #1 song on Billboard's Hot 100. She has won multiple Latin GRAMMY awards, and she is the youngest person ever to be inducted into the Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame. Her songs have been recorded by Justin Bieber, Akon, Luis Fonsi, Daddy Yankee, Marc Anthony, Chayanne, Gloria Trevi, Gilberto Santa Rosa, Prince Royce, and Ha-Ash among others.

Mighty Writers was founded in 2009 with the mission to teach kids to think clearly and write with clarity. The organization offers free programs for students from elementary through high school at nine centers in diverse neighborhoods around Philadelphia and New Jersey, including several bilingual locations for Spanish-speaking students. Mighty Writers offers daily afterschool academies, long- and short-term writing classes nights and weekends, teen scholar programs, mentorships, College Prep courses and college essay writing classes. Over 400 of the city's best creative minds (writers, teachers, journalists, etc.) teach 150 writing classes a year to 3,500 kids at Mighty Writers annually.

Watch the video here:

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