Humberto Gatica’s “World”-wide Success

The hit 1985 single "We Are the World" is a true phenomenon and one of the greatest charitable projects in pop-music history -- and ISINA's head of audio engineering and production Humberto Gatica was significant in its creation as the track's co-engineer, mixer and a musician on the session. Recorded to benefit African famine relief, the song was written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, produced by Quincy Jones and Michael Omartian, and featured a who's who of the era's stars on vocals, including Jackson and Richie, Stevie Wonder, Paul Simon, Tina Turner, Billy Joel, Diana Ross, Bruce Springsteen, Cyndi Lauper, Bob Dylan, Ray Charles and many others. It was an international success, attaining the #1 slot on charts across the globe, became the first single to earn a mullti-platinum award, scored three Grammys, and contributed to raising $63 million for humanitarian aid via record sales and merchandise.

 

As it happens, the "We Are the World" album that featured the single was supervised by Humberto as well. And when a catastrophic earthquake devastated the island of Haiti in 2010, Humberto was at the forefront of the remake charity single "We Are the World 25 for Haiti," co-producing, engineering and mixing the release. Among the contributing vocalists on this one: Jackson and Richie, Tony Bennett, Justin Bieber, Mary J. Blige, LL Cool J, Snoop Dogg, Miley Cyrus, Celine Dion, Wyclef Jean, Pink, Barbara Streisand and Usher. The Haiti single reached the Top 20 pop charts in multiple countries, hitting #2 in the U.S.

 

In all of its iterations, "We Are the World" remains a landmark achievement and is undoubtedly a source of great pride to Humberto and his ISINA colleagues.