Jamaican singer Delta Bennett is buoyed by her most recent achievements. At the recently held BMI Latin Awards she earned honours for her song In De Ghetto.

She was quite upbeat when she spoke with the Jamaica Observer on Wednesday morning.

“I’m so excited to share this [news] with you. Last night in California, at the BMI Latin Awards, I won two more awards. Yeaa,” Bennett said excitedly.

Bennett sang lead on the song In De Ghetto, a 1993 production by house music legend David Morales and the Bad Yard Club.

It was sampled in 2021 by Colombian singer J Balvin in his global hit In Da Getto.

The song won for Most Performed Song of the Year and Bennett was among 34 first-time Latin Award winners.

In Da Getto, released as the fifth single from J Balvin’s 5th studio album Jose, has to date been certified gold in France, Poland and Portugal, while racking up 2x platinum certifications in Mexico and Spain.

On the charts, In Da Getto topped Billboard’s Latin Airplay chart, while peaking at five on Hot Latin Songs, number two on Hot Dance/Electronic Songs and number 90 on the Hot 100 charts. The song also charted in Switzerland, Spain, Romania, Argentina, Colombia, France, Germany, India, Italy, Portugal, and the Netherlands.

Last year J Balvin performed In Da Getto during the live telecast of the 64th Grammy Awards with the sample of Bennett’s vocals blaring in the background.

In a previous interview with the Observer, Bennett shared her excitement that J Balvin had sampled a song that was a hit for her 30 years ago.

“I was elated to know that someone wanted to sample my song. When I told my kids they were so excited that it was J Balvin. So I started listening to his songs on YouTube and I liked his style and his flow,” Bennett stated.

She is thrilled about the exposure her song received during music’s biggest night.

“I’m so proud of the new level and stage he [J Balvin] has brought In De Ghetto to a younger generation and to even those who loved the song from back in the 1990s. I wish I was there in person, but I was overjoyed and I felt like I was on top of the world. I am so happy that the art that we created in 1993 is still being enjoyed today,” Bennett disclosed.

Recorded at the Mixing Lab studio in Kingston, In De Ghetto was co-produced by keyboardist Handel Tucker and drummer Sly Dunbar, both of whom played on the track.

“I always believed in the song and myself as an artiste. The first time that I listened to the song I thought it would become an anthem. It’s catchy and has a vibe that makes you want to dance. The song blew up on MTV‘s The Grind and various radio stations in America, as well as the clubs. But now, years later, thanks to the J Balvin sample, it has reached a new level,” she said.

Bennett, who resides in West Palm Beach, Florida, is originally from Sligoville in St Catherine. She attended Dunrobin High School in St Andrew.

After the success of In De Ghetto, Morales and Bennett teamed up for Whine Up Yuh Body, which was another club banger, reaching the top 20 on Billboard’s Dance chart in 1995.

In De Ghetto was one of five songs recorded in Jamaica and co-produced by Tucker and Dunbar for Morales’s debut album The Program, distributed by Mercury Records.

The other tracks are The Program and Gimme Luv (Eenie Meeny Miny Mo), both featuring Papa San. Both songs as well as In De Ghetto topped the Billboard Dance Music Club Play chart.

Singer Stanryck contributed the songs Beautiful Thing and Sunshine to The Program.

In Da Getto won the ASCAP Award in October last year for Winning Hot Dance/Electronic Song at the ASCAP London Music Awards.

BMI® (Broadcast Music, Inc) celebrated its top Latin songwriters and publishers at the 30th Annual BMI Latin Awards Tuesday night at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, California.

The private event was hosted by BMI President & CEO Mike O’Neill and BMI vice-president, Creative, Latin, Jesus Gonzalez.