Danny Ocean on Writing Songs for Venezuela: ‘It’s Not a Manifesto, It’s a Personal Conversation’

Danny Ocean sat down with Billboard’s Leila Cobo astatine Billboard Latin Music Week 2025 for “The Sony Music Publishing Iconic Songwriter Q&A” sheet to sermon however he’s crafted his biggest hits, including “Me Rehuso,” and the powerfulness of his songs to alteration society.

Presented by Sony Music Publishing, the Venezuelan singer-songwriter — whose creator sanction is simply a motion to George Clooney’s quality successful the Ocean‘s trilogy — spoke candidly astir looking inward and trusting his intuition erstwhile crafting songs. It’s what was cardinal for “Me Rehuso” (“I Refuse”), Danny’s breakout hit, a emotion opus helium wrote for a woman arsenic a Valentine’s Day acquisition that besides captures his migration travel from Venezuela to Miami.

“I had nary mode of getting thing to my woman backmost successful Venezuela, truthful I wrote her a opus — not knowing erstwhile I would spot her again,” Danny said. “I didn’t overthink things, it was what I was surviving astatine the moment. ‘Me Rehuso’ was besides a feeling of having to permission Venezuela.”

The way was released portion helium was moving astatine a pizzeria successful Kendall, Fla., but helium yet doubled-down connected songwriting, taking inspiration from idiosyncratic relationships, including the 1 with his beloved Venezuela.

“Having to migrate had a immense interaction connected my beingness and made maine question things, specified arsenic however we tin marque Venezuela person that outlet similar different countries,” helium explained. “I spot Venezuela arsenic my partner, [my songs] are a direct, idiosyncratic speech with Venezuela. But I besides don’t privation to romanticize it, it’s my narration with Venezuela, and everyone has their ain narration with their ain country. I don’t spot it arsenic a manifesto oregon thing political.”

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For “Caracas en el 2000,” Danny collaborated with chap Venezuelans Elena Rose and Jerry Di. “Putting Venezuela connected the radar started retired arsenic thing precise idiosyncratic betwixt us,” helium said. “We’d spell retired for a beer, speech astir however we were feeling, and those conversations would extremity up successful the studio, past successful a song. It’s been precise natural.”

When asked by an assemblage subordinate what he’d bash erstwhile helium returns to Venezuela, Danny Ocean said, “Everything I didn’t bash erstwhile I was there, and bent retired with people, find retired what they think, what they’re up to. I privation to walk immoderate clip astatine home, bent retired with my family, link with the streets. And sojourn Los Roques, I’ve ne'er been.”

Spanning much than 30 years, Latin Music Week is the single-most important and largest gathering of Latin artists and manufacture executives successful the world. This year’s lawsuit erstwhile again hosts panels, marquee conversations, roundtables, networking and activations, successful summation to its celebrated Billboard...