The reggaetón hits of the Colombian megastar have surpassed 50 billion streams worldwide. But his success has gone far beyond the world of music.
Electrifying entire arenas to dissolve all inhibitions and dance like nobody’s watching comes naturally for Colombian music star Maluma. The 29-year-old, whose songs surpass 50 billion streams worldwide, greeted « Sunday Morning » in Sacramento last month at the start of his North American tour.
His genre-melding sound is called reggaetón, a mix of Puerto Rican rap, hip-hop, and Jamaican dance hall, just to name a few. Reggaetón has transformed music globally over the last 20 years.
Luciano asked, « What needs to be on a reggaetón song? »
« The spirit of being a warrior, » Maluma replied. « When I met all these reggaetón big artists, they came from the streets and they had to hustle, you know? Someone that wants to conquer the world without many opportunities. »
And conquer he has – music, of course, but also film, a mezcal, menswear, a Porsche partnership and a burger brand. But a world away from screaming fans and flashing lights, in the hills outside his hometown of Medellin, Colombia, Juan Luis Londoño Arias (his birth name) reins in the fantasy, keeping a tight grip on what feels real.
Luciano asked, « I wonder if the person who drives through those doors and comes to this ranch and spends time with the horses, is that still Maluma, or is that Juan Luis? »
« That’s a good question.
