Juan Luis Londoño Arias (born 28 January 1994), known professionally as Maluma, is a Colombian singer, songwriter, and actor.
Born and raised in
Medellín
Medellín ( or ), officially the Municipality of Medellín ( es, Municipio de Medellín), is the second-largest city in Colombia, after Bogotá, and the capital of the department of Antioquia. It is located in the Aburrá Valley, a central re ...
, he developed an interest in music at a young age, recording songs since age sixteen. He released his debut album, ''
Magia'', a year later in 2012. But, his breakthrough album was 2015's ''
Pretty Boy, Dirty Boy
''Pretty Boy, Dirty Boy'' is the second studio album by Colombian singer Maluma, released on 30 October 2015, by Sony Music Latin. Work on the album lasted three years, during which Maluma collaborated with various songwriters and producers. '' ...
'', which led to successful collaborations with many artists. He released ''
F.A.M.E.'' in 2018, another commercial success. He followed it with ''
11:11'' in 2019, and ''
Papi Juancho
''Papi Juancho'' is the fifth studio album by Colombian singer-songwriter Maluma. It was surprise-released on 21 August 2020 by Sony Music Latin. The album features guest appearances from Randy, Yandel, Yomo, Lenny Tavárez, Justin Quiles, Ñeng ...
'', released without further announcement in 2020. His single "
Hawái" reached number three on the
''Billboard'' Global 200, and became the first number one single on the
''Billboard'' Global Excl. U.S. chart. Selling more than 18 million records (albums and singles), Maluma is one of the best-selling Latin music artists.
Musically, Maluma's songs have been described as
reggaeton
Reggaeton (, ), also known as reggaetón and reguetón (), is a music style that originated in Panama during the late 1980s. It was later popularized in Puerto Rico.
It has evolved from dancehall and has been influenced by American Hip hop m ...
,
Latin trap
Latin trap is a subgenre of Trap music, trap music that originated in Puerto Rico. A direct descendant of southern hip hop, and influenced by reggaeton, it gained popularity after 2007, and has since spread throughout Latin America. ''The trap'' ...
, and
pop.
Maluma has a number of singles that have charted within the top ten on ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
''
Hot Latin Songs
The ''Billboard'' Hot Latin Songs (formerly Hot Latin Tracks and Hot Latin 50) is a record chart in the United States for Latin songs, published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. Since October 2012, chart rankings are based on digital sales, rad ...
, including "
Felices los 4", "
Borró Cassette", and "
Corazón". His collaborative efforts "
Chantaje
"Chantaje" (; English: "Blackmail") is a song by Colombian singer Shakira, featuring vocals by fellow Colombian singer Maluma. The song was released as a single to anticipate Shakira's eleventh studio album ''El Dorado'' (2017) on 28 October 20 ...
" with
Shakira
Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll ( , ; born 2 February 1977), professionally known by the mononym Shakira, is a Colombian singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Barranquilla, she has been referred to as the " Queen of Latin Music" and is ...
and "
Medellín
Medellín ( or ), officially the Municipality of Medellín ( es, Municipio de Medellín), is the second-largest city in Colombia, after Bogotá, and the capital of the department of Antioquia. It is located in the Aburrá Valley, a central re ...
" with
Madonna
Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...
have reached the top of the Hot Latin Songs and the
Dance Club Songs
Dance Club Songs is a chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It is a national look over of club disc jockeys to determine the most popular songs being played in nightclubs across the country. It was launched as t ...
chart, respectively. He has worked with other international artists, such as
Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lynn Affleck (' Lopez; born July 24, 1969), also known as J.Lo, is an American singer, actress and dancer. In 1991, she began appearing as a Fly Girl dancer on the sketch comedy television series ''In Living Color'', where she rema ...
,
Ricky Martin
Enrique Martín Morales (born December 24, 1971), known professionally as Ricky Martin, is a Puerto Rican singer, songwriter, and actor. He is known for his musical versatility, with his Ricky Martin albums discography, discography spanning ...
,
J Balvin
José Álvaro Osorio Balvín (born 7 May 1985), known professionally as J Balvin, is a Colombian singer and songwriter. He has been referred to as the " Prince of Reggaeton" (from Spanish: "Príncipe del Reggaetón"), and is one of the best-sell ...
, and
The Weeknd
Abel Makkonen Tesfaye (born February 16, 1990), known professionally as the Weeknd, is a Canadian singer, songwriter, record producer, and actor. Known for his sonic versatility and dark lyricism, his music explores escapism, Romance (love), ...
. Maluma has won a
Latin Grammy Award
The Latin Grammy Awards are an award by The Latin Recording Academy to recognize outstanding achievement in the Latin music industry. The Latin Grammy honors works recorded in Spanish or Portuguese from anywhere around the world that has been r ...
, an
MTV Video Music Award
The MTV Video Music Awards (commonly abbreviated as the VMAs) is an award show presented by the cable channel MTV to honour the best in the music video medium. Originally conceived as an alternative to the Grammy Awards (in the video category) ...
, two
Latin American Music Awards
The Latin American Music Awards (Latin AMAs) is an annual American music awards show produced by the MRC Live and Alternative. It is the Spanish-language counterpart of the American Music Awards (AMAs). As with AMAs, the Latin AMAs are determine ...
, and been nominated for a
Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...
for
Best Latin Pop Album
The Grammy Award for Best Latin Pop Album is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for releasing albums in the Latin pop genre. Honors in ...
.
Early life
Maluma was born to Marlli Arias and Luis Londoño and grew up with an older sister, Manuela. He took an early interest in football which he started playing as a toddler through middle school, competing in the lower divisions in the teams
Atletico Nacional and Equidad Sports Club. Additionally, he developed a keen interest in music during his early teenage years and was famed as a good singer in his high school. He graduated from Hontanares School in El Retiro where he was encouraged by many of his friends to enter local singing competitions.
He got his first musical break when he was fifteen after he composed, together with a close friend, a song titled "No quiero"; a year later Juan Parra, his uncle, offered him the opportunity to record it in a studio as his birthday present.
After impressing a group of music producers, he was asked to choose a name that would be easy to remember and be accepted by followers of the urban genre. He chose the stage name ''Maluma,'' which is a combination of the first syllable of the names of his mother Marlli, his father Luis and his sister Manuela.
Career
2010–2013: Beginnings and ''Magia''
Maluma began his musical career in 2010, recording singles. After "Farandulera" became a radio hit,
Sony Music
Sony Music Entertainment (SME), also known as simply Sony Music, is an American multinational music company. Being owned by the parent conglomerate Sony Group Corporation, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is owned by Sony Entertainment ...
and its subsidiary label
Sony Music Colombia decided to sign the singer to record his first studio album.
His next single was "Loco", which was inspired by "rampant and uncontrolled love".
In 2012, Maluma released his first
studio album
An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...
, titled ''
Magia''. The video for the single "Obsesión" was filmed at the
Antioquia Department
)
, anthem = Himno de Antioquia
, image_map = Antioquia in Colombia (mainland).svg
, map_alt =
, map_caption = Antioquia shown in red
, image_ma ...
Railway Station and featured Colombian model Lina Posada, who had previously appeared in the music video for the song "
Taboo
A taboo or tabu is a social group's ban, prohibition, or avoidance of something (usually an utterance or behavior) based on the group's sense that it is excessively repulsive, sacred, or allowed only for certain persons.''Encyclopædia Britannica ...
" (2011) by
Don Omar
William Omar Landrón Rivera (born February 10, 1978), better known by his stage name Don Omar, is a Puerto Rican reggaeton singer, songwriter, rapper, record producer and actor. On September 1, 2017, he announced that he would retire after a ...
. So far the video has more than 185 million views on
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
. Other singles released from the album include "Miss Independent" and "Pasarla Bien", with "Miss Independent" reaching number two on the Colombian
National-Report
The National-Report is the Colombian music industry standard singles popularity chart tracking company. Chart rankings are based on radio play and issued weekly. The data are compiled by monitoring radio stations through an automated system in re ...
songs chart, becoming his first top five song on the chart. Maluma was also nominated for a 2012 Shock Award as "Best New Artist".
The final two singles from his debut album, "Primer Amor" and "Miss Independent"; the latter was accompanied with a music video, recorded in
Medellín
Medellín ( or ), officially the Municipality of Medellín ( es, Municipio de Medellín), is the second-largest city in Colombia, after Bogotá, and the capital of the department of Antioquia. It is located in the Aburrá Valley, a central re ...
, gathering 48 million views on YouTube.
![Maluma en vivo](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4e/Maluma_en_vivo..JPG)
In 2013, "
La Temperatura", featuring Puerto Rican singer Eli Palacios, was released as the first single from his upcoming mixtape, ''
PB.DB The Mixtape''; the song reached number seven on the
National-Report
The National-Report is the Colombian music industry standard singles popularity chart tracking company. Chart rankings are based on radio play and issued weekly. The data are compiled by monitoring radio stations through an automated system in re ...
charts. It also became his first single to enter the US charts for the Latin audience by ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
''; it reached number 25 on the
Tropical Songs
The Tropical Airplay chart (formerly known as Tropical/Salsa and Tropical Songs) is a record chart published by ''Billboard'' magazine introduced in 1994. The first number-one song on the chart was " Quien Eres Tu" by Luis Enrique. Originally, ra ...
chart, number 8 on the
Latin Pop Airplay
Latin Pop Airplay (also referred to as Latin Pop Songs) is a record chart published on ''Billboard'' magazine and a subchart of the Latin Airplay chart. The chart focuses on Latin pop music, namely Spanish-language pop music. It was established b ...
songs chart, number 24 on the ''Billboard''
Hot Latin Songs
The ''Billboard'' Hot Latin Songs (formerly Hot Latin Tracks and Hot Latin 50) is a record chart in the United States for Latin songs, published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. Since October 2012, chart rankings are based on digital sales, rad ...
chart and number 4 on the
Latin Rhythm Airplay
Latin Rhythm Airplay is an airplay-only chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' that ranks the most popular songs being played on Hispanic rhythmic/hurban radio stations in the United States. The music typically heard on these stations include r ...
songs chart.
2014–2018: ''Pretty Boy, Dirty Boy'' and ''F.A.M.E.''
Maluma's song "Marinero" is similar to
GOT7's song "Thank You".In 2014, he released the music videos for the singles "
La Curiosidad", "
Carnaval" and "Addicted". He also collaborated with singer
Elvis Crespo
Elvis Crespo Díaz (born July 30, 1971) is an Puerto Rican singer and songwriter of the Merengue genre. He has won multiple awards, including a Grammy and a Latin Grammy Award in merengue.
Early years
Crespo was born in New York City and was na ...
, on the theme song "Olé Brazil" recorded for the
2014 FIFA World Cup
The 2014 FIFA World Cup was the 20th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's national football teams organised by FIFA. It took place in Brazil from 12 June to 13 July 2014, after the country was awarded the hosting ri ...
. On 16 July 2014, Maluma appeared at the
2014 Premios Juventud, where he performed "La Temperatura". That same month, the singer was confirmed as a judge/coach on
Caracol Television
Caracol is a large ancient Maya archaeological site, located in what is now the Cayo District, of Belize. It is situated approximately south of Xunantunich, and the town of San Ignacio, and from the Macal River. It rests on the Vaca Platea ...
's ''The Voice Kids'', alongside
Fanny Lu
Fanny Lucía Martínez Buenaventura (born 8 February 1973), better known professionally as Fanny Lu, is a Colombian singer, songwriter and actress from Santiago de Cali, Colombia. She studied at the University of the Andes and received a degr ...
and
Andrés Cepeda
Andrés Cepeda Cediel (born July 7, 1973) is a popular Colombian singer-songwriter. He was born in Bogotá, the youngest of five children. He displayed an inclination towards music from an early age, studying piano since the age of 5. He compose ...
. In August, he made his debut as a host at the inaugural awards
Kids' Choice Awards Colombia
The Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards Colombia was the Colombian edition of Nickelodeon's Kids Choice Awards, held in Bogotá
Bogotá (, also , , ), officially Bogotá, Distrito Capital, abbreviated Bogotá, D.C., and formerly known as Santa F ...
of 2014.
![Maluma - Sin contrato - Festival de Viña del Mar 2017](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bf/Maluma_-_Sin_contrato_-_Festival_de_Vi%C3%B1a_del_Mar_2017.jpg)
In early 2015, Maluma released the mixtape ''
PB.DB The Mixtape'', a compilation of various singles. His second album ''
Pretty Boy, Dirty Boy
''Pretty Boy, Dirty Boy'' is the second studio album by Colombian singer Maluma, released on 30 October 2015, by Sony Music Latin. Work on the album lasted three years, during which Maluma collaborated with various songwriters and producers. '' ...
'' was released in late 2015, containing elements of reggaeton,
pop and
urban music
Urban contemporary music, also known as urban music, hip hop, urban pop, or just simply urban, is a music radio format. The term was coined by New York radio DJ Frankie Crocker in the early to mid-1970s as a synonym for Black music. Urban contem ...
. The singles "
Borró Cassette", "
El Perdedor" and "
Sin Contrato" entered the top 10 on ''Billboard''
Hot Latin Songs
The ''Billboard'' Hot Latin Songs (formerly Hot Latin Tracks and Hot Latin 50) is a record chart in the United States for Latin songs, published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. Since October 2012, chart rankings are based on digital sales, rad ...
.
In April of that year he performed at the newly named
Riccardo Silva Stadium
Riccardo Silva Stadium is a college football and soccer stadium on the campus of Florida International University (FIU) in Westchester, Florida. It is home stadium of the FIU Panthers football team and the Miami FC soccer team from the USL Cha ...
for the inaugural match of the new NASL soccer team The
Miami FC
The Miami FC is an American professional soccer team based in Miami, Florida that competes in the USL Championship, the second tier of the American soccer pyramid.
The club began play in the North American Soccer League (NASL) in the 2016 se ...
. He then embarked on The
Pretty Boy, Dirty Boy World Tour
The Maluma World Tour was the first headlining concert tour by Colombian reggaeton singer, Maluma, in support of his second studio album ''Pretty Boy, Dirty Boy'' (2015). The tour, which has visited Latin America, Spain, Europe, Asia, Oceania, Ca ...
in May 2016.
In 2017, his hit single "
Felices los 4" became his fifth top 5 on the
Hot Latin Songs
The ''Billboard'' Hot Latin Songs (formerly Hot Latin Tracks and Hot Latin 50) is a record chart in the United States for Latin songs, published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. Since October 2012, chart rankings are based on digital sales, rad ...
chart, followed by "
Corazón", which also reached the top 5 on the chart. The music videos for both singles have over 1 billion views on
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
. He also released the short film ''X'', which featured his songs "
GPS
The Global Positioning System (GPS), originally Navstar GPS, is a Radionavigation-satellite service, satellite-based radionavigation system owned by the United States government and operated by the United States Space Force. It is one of t ...
" featuring
French Montana
Karim Kharbouch (Arabic: æɾiːm χɑɾbuːʃ born November 9, 1984), better known by his stage name French Montana, is a Moroccan-American rapper. Born and raised in Morocco, he emigrated to the United States with his family when he was 13. ...
, "
Vitamina
"Vitamina" is a song recorded by Colombian singer Maluma featuring American singer Arcángel. It was one of the three promotional singles featured in the short film ''X'', and was released on 24 November 2017, alongside "GPS" and "23" as a promot ...
" featuring
Arcángel
Austin Agustín Santos[Biografía de Arcángel](_blank)
Retrieved on May 19, 2017 (born Decembe ...
and "23".
Maluma recorded the Spanish version of "
Colors
Color (American English) or colour (British English) is the visual perceptual property deriving from the spectrum of light interacting with the photoreceptor cells of the eyes. Color categories and physical specifications of color are associa ...
", one of the theme songs of the
2018 FIFA World Cup
The 2018 FIFA World Cup was the 21st FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's national Association football, football teams organized by FIFA. It took place in Russia from 14 June to 15 July 2018, after the country was awa ...
, and performed in English by
Jason Derulo
Jason Joel Desrouleaux (born September 21, 1989), known professionally as Jason Derulo (; formerly stylized as Derülo), is an American singer and songwriter. . Maluma returned to the Riccardo Silva Stadium in Miami to record the video, one of a growing number of artists using the city to shoot music videos. Maluma's third studio album ''
F.A.M.E.'' was released on 18 May 2018. In an interview he expressed its name means "Faith, Alma
oul in Spanish Music & Essence". He worked with producers Jay Cash, Vinylz and collaborators
Daddy Yankee
Ramón Luis Ayala Rodríguez (born February 3, 1976), known professionally as Daddy Yankee, is a Puerto Rican rapper, singer, composer, and actor. Known as the " King of Reggaetón" by music critics and fans alike, he is the artist who coined ...
,
Prince Royce
Geoffrey Royce Rojas (born May 11, 1989), known professionally as Prince Royce, is an American singer. At an early age, Royce took an interest in music, and in his teenage years began experimenting with music and writing poetry. By age nineteen ...
and Jason Derulo on the album. He performed "Felices los 4" at the
2018 MTV Video Music Awards. With "Mala Mia", he topped the Latin Airplay,
Latin Pop Songs
Latin Pop Airplay (also referred to as Latin Pop Songs) is a record chart published on ''Billboard'' magazine and a subchart of the Latin Airplay chart. The chart focuses on Latin pop music, namely Spanish-language pop music. It was established ...
and
Latin Rhythm Airplay
Latin Rhythm Airplay is an airplay-only chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' that ranks the most popular songs being played on Hispanic rhythmic/hurban radio stations in the United States. The music typically heard on these stations include r ...
charts for the second time in the year, following "
Clandestino
''Clandestino'' is the first full-length solo album by Manu Chao, released in 1998. The album contains many soundbites throughout, two of which are bits of a speech by Subcomandante Marcos and, like Chao's subsequent albums, was mostly recorded ...
".
2019–present: ''11:11'' and ''Papi Juancho''
![Maluma and Madonna (cropped)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f3/Maluma_and_Madonna_%28cropped%29.PNG)
In 2019, Maluma collaborated with American singer-songwriter
Madonna
Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...
, appearing on the songs "
Medellín
Medellín ( or ), officially the Municipality of Medellín ( es, Municipio de Medellín), is the second-largest city in Colombia, after Bogotá, and the capital of the department of Antioquia. It is located in the Aburrá Valley, a central re ...
" and "Bitch I'm Loca" from her album ''
Madame X
''Madame X'' (original title ''La Femme X'') is a 1908 play by French playwright Alexandre Bisson (1848–1912). It was novelized in English and adapted for the American stage; it was also adapted for the screen twelve times over sixty-five ...
''.
In April it was announced that Maluma will star in ''
Marry Me'' alongside
Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lynn Affleck (' Lopez; born July 24, 1969), also known as J.Lo, is an American singer, actress and dancer. In 1991, she began appearing as a Fly Girl dancer on the sketch comedy television series ''In Living Color'', where she rema ...
. He also featured as a voice actor in
Walt Disney Animation Studios
Walt Disney Animation Studios (WDAS), sometimes shortened to Disney Animation, is an American animation studio that creates animated features and short films for The Walt Disney Company. The studio's current production logo features a scene fro ...
film ''
Encanto
''Encanto'' is a 2021 American computer-animated musical fantasy comedy film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. The 60th film produced by the studio, it was directed by Jared Bus ...
'' as Mariano.
On 17 May 2019, Maluma released his fourth studio album ''
11:11'', supported by the singles "
HP", "
11 PM", "Instinto Natural" with Sech and "
No Se Me Quita" with
Ricky Martin
Enrique Martín Morales (born December 24, 1971), known professionally as Ricky Martin, is a Puerto Rican singer, songwriter, and actor. He is known for his musical versatility, with his Ricky Martin albums discography, discography spanning ...
. Another collaboration with Madonna, "Soltera", appeared on the album.
To promote the album, Maluma embarked on the
11:11 World Tour, with concerts around the world between May 2019 and September 2020.
On 26 September 2019, he collaborated with Colombian singer
J Balvin
José Álvaro Osorio Balvín (born 7 May 1985), known professionally as J Balvin, is a Colombian singer and songwriter. He has been referred to as the " Prince of Reggaeton" (from Spanish: "Príncipe del Reggaetón"), and is one of the best-sell ...
on his single "Qué Pena".
Maluma surprise-released his fifth studio album, ''
Papi Juancho
''Papi Juancho'' is the fifth studio album by Colombian singer-songwriter Maluma. It was surprise-released on 21 August 2020 by Sony Music Latin. The album features guest appearances from Randy, Yandel, Yomo, Lenny Tavárez, Justin Quiles, Ñeng ...
'', on 21 August 2020. The second single from ''Papi Juancho'', "
Hawái", became a commercial success. It reached number one in multiple countries and topped the
Hot Latin Songs
The ''Billboard'' Hot Latin Songs (formerly Hot Latin Tracks and Hot Latin 50) is a record chart in the United States for Latin songs, published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. Since October 2012, chart rankings are based on digital sales, rad ...
chart for nine consecutive weeks, becoming his second number-one hit on the chart. He also released a remix featuring
The Weeknd
Abel Makkonen Tesfaye (born February 16, 1990), known professionally as the Weeknd, is a Canadian singer, songwriter, record producer, and actor. Known for his sonic versatility and dark lyricism, his music explores escapism, Romance (love), ...
. The remix peaked at number 12 on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100 and became Maluma's highest peak on the chart.
On 29 January 2021, Maluma released an EP titled ''#7DJ (7 Días en Jamaica)'' featuring seven songs along with their music videos on his YouTube channel.
Artistry
![Maluma at Coca-Cola Arena](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a6/Maluma_at_Coca-Cola_Arena.jpg)
Maluma possesses a
tenor
A tenor is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The lo ...
vocal range
Vocal range is the range of pitches that a human voice can phonate. A common application is within the context of singing, where it is used as a defining characteristic for classifying singing voices into voice types. It is also a topic of stud ...
. Maluma defines his music as "urban pop". A ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
'' editor wrote, "Maluma's brand of reggaetón syncs nicely with his image, managing to be both romantic and raw. His sound represents an evolution of the genre."
In a 2016 interview, he stated: "I grew up with this genre
eggaetonthat literally became life. It is one of the genres that I sing... I am an urban performer, I sing reggaeton. If you listen to my last album
retty Boy, Dirty Boy
''Abrus precatorius'', commonly known as jequirity bean or rosary pea, is a herbaceous flowering plant in the bean family Fabaceae. It is a slender, perennial climber with long, pinnate-leafleted leaves that twines around trees, shrubs, and he ...
there are ballads, mambo, merengue and reggaeton and underground stuff. I like to show the versatility that I have to perform."
He has cited
Héctor Lavoe
Héctor Juan Pérez Martínez (30 September 1946 – 29 June 1993), better known as Héctor Lavoe, was a Puerto Rican salsa singer. Lavoe is considered to be possibly the best and most important singer and interpreter in the history of salsa ...
,
Justin Timberlake
Justin Randall Timberlake (born January 31, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He is one of the world's best-selling music artists, with sales of over 88 million records. Timberlake is the recipient of numerous awards and ac ...
and
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...
as his main musical influences.
While talking about them, Maluma said: "Justin Timberlake has been a great reference for modern music. But as for music as a sauce, Héctor Lavoe was always the number one artist I admired. I know all his songs, I listen to them every day and there is not one that bores me. He is my great musical inspiration." He considers the folkloric elements
Shakira
Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll ( , ; born 2 February 1977), professionally known by the mononym Shakira, is a Colombian singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Barranquilla, she has been referred to as the " Queen of Latin Music" and is ...
incorporated into her music an important influence on his career. He has also stated that
Ricky Martin
Enrique Martín Morales (born December 24, 1971), known professionally as Ricky Martin, is a Puerto Rican singer, songwriter, and actor. He is known for his musical versatility, with his Ricky Martin albums discography, discography spanning ...
"is one of the artists I wanted to be growing up, He's my idol in the industry".
Public image
![Maluma in 2018](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f1/Maluma_in_2018.jpg)
In 2019, ''
Vogue
Vogue may refer to:
Business
* ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine
** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine
** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine
** ''Vogue Australia'', an Australian fashion magazine
** ''Vogue China'', ...
'' called Maluma "Menswear Icon in the Making", saying "Maluma has attitude, Maluma has style. He likes his clothes brights and bold, which goes quite nicely with his bright and bold music, personality, and overall demeanor." In 2021, he collaborated with
Balmain on a Miami-Inspired Capsule Collection. In March, 2022, he launched a clothing line titled Royalty by Maluma, which is a collaboration with Reunited Clothing and
Macy's
Macy's (originally R. H. Macy & Co.) is an American chain of high-end department stores founded in 1858 by Rowland Hussey Macy. It became a division of the Cincinnati-based Federated Department Stores in 1994, through which it is affiliated wi ...
.
Through his music, he has also carried out social activism, such as the music video for "
El Perdedor", where showcased the racism and discrimination by the US police to people of Latin descent living in the country. Maluma has publicly declared his support for the
LGBT community
The LGBT community (also known as the LGBTQ+ community, GLBT community, gay community, or queer community) is a loosely defined grouping of lesbian, gay men, gay, bisexuality, bisexual, transgender, and other queer individuals united by a comm ...
.
In October 2016, the song "
Cuatro Babys
"Cuatro Babys" is a song by Colombian singer Maluma, featuring Puerto Rican recording artists Noriel, Bryant Myers, and Juhn. The song is taken from the album ''Trap Capos: Season 1'' (2016). It was released as the album's first single on 7 Octob ...
" featuring
Noriel
Noel Santos Román, known by his stage name Noriel, is a Puerto Rican rapper and songwriter, signed to Sony Music Latin. Noriel became known after singing with Maluma on his track "Cuatro Babys" and releasing a popular album called ''Trap Capos: S ...
,
Bryant Myers
Bryan Robert Rohena Pérez (born April 5, 1998), known professionally as Bryant Myers, is a Puerto Rican Latin trap and reggaeton rapper and songwriter. Rohena was born in Loma Alta, Puerto Rico. He began sampling and making his own songs in 2013 ...
, and Juhn received controversy over its lyrics, as some considered them to objectify women. A petition was posted on
Change.org
Change.org is a worldwide nonprofit petition website, based in California, US, operated by the San Francisco-based company of the same name, which has over 400 million users and offers the public the ability to promote the petitions they care abo ...
demanding the removal of the song from digital platforms. Despite this controversy, the popularity of "Cuatro Babys" earned it a 12× Latin Platinum certification by the
RIAA
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
.
At the
2022 FIFA World Cup
The 2022 FIFA World Cup is an international association football, football tournament contested by the men's national teams of FIFA's member associations. The 22nd FIFA World Cup is taking place in Qatar from 20 November to 18 December 2022 ...
, Maluma left a live TV interview broadcast on Israeli public television after the reporter suggested he could be accused of whitewashing
Qatari human rights abuses.
Maluma has done a number of venture capital investments, including Colombian
proptech company La Haus.
Personal life
Maluma is Catholic but has said he appreciates aspects of other religions.
In a January 2018 interview he stated he was in a relationship with American model Natalia Barulich.
Awards and nominations
In 2013, Maluma was nominated for several awards, including for
Best Latin America Central Act at the
MTV Europe Music Awards
The MTV Europe Music Awards (originally named MTV European Music Awards, commonly abbreviated as MTV EMA) are awards presented by Paramount International Networks to honour artists and music in pop culture. It was originally conceived as an al ...
, and the
Best New Artist
The Grammy Award for Best New Artist has been awarded since 1959. Years reflect the year in which the Grammy Awards were handed out, for records released in the previous year. The award was not presented in 1967. The official guidelines are as ...
at the
Latin Grammy Awards
The Latin Grammy Awards are an award by The Latin Recording Academy to recognize outstanding achievement in the Latin music industry. The Latin Grammy honors works recorded in Spanish or Portuguese from anywhere around the world that has been r ...
, as well as a win for Best Radio Song at the Shock Awards for "La Temperatura". In 2017, Maluma was nominated for two categories at the
''Billboard'' Music Awards, including
Top Latin Artist. In 2019 he was awarded
El Premio ASCAP for Songwriter of the Year.
He won a
MTV Video Music Award for Best Latin
The MTV Video Music Award for Best Latin was first introduced to the MTV Video Music Awards in 2010 under the name tr3́s Latino Artist of the Year. The winner was chosen by the viewers voting on MTV Tr3s' official website. The winner, however, d ...
in 2020.
Discography
;Studio albums
* ''
Magia'' (2012)
* ''
Pretty Boy, Dirty Boy
''Pretty Boy, Dirty Boy'' is the second studio album by Colombian singer Maluma, released on 30 October 2015, by Sony Music Latin. Work on the album lasted three years, during which Maluma collaborated with various songwriters and producers. '' ...
'' (2015)
* ''
F.A.M.E.'' (2018)
* ''
11:11'' (2019)
* ''
Papi Juancho
''Papi Juancho'' is the fifth studio album by Colombian singer-songwriter Maluma. It was surprise-released on 21 August 2020 by Sony Music Latin. The album features guest appearances from Randy, Yandel, Yomo, Lenny Tavárez, Justin Quiles, Ñeng ...
'' (2020)
Tours
*
Pretty Boy, Dirty Boy World Tour
The Maluma World Tour was the first headlining concert tour by Colombian reggaeton singer, Maluma, in support of his second studio album ''Pretty Boy, Dirty Boy'' (2015). The tour, which has visited Latin America, Spain, Europe, Asia, Oceania, Ca ...
(2016–17)
*
F.A.M.E. Tour (2018)
* 11:11 World Tour (2019–20)
* Papi Juancho Tour (2021)
Filmography
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
1994 births
Living people
People from Medellín
Colombian child singers
21st-century Colombian male singers
Colombian reggaeton musicians
Urbano musicians
Latin trap musicians
Colombian Roman Catholics
Latin Grammy Award winners
Colombian pop singers
Sony Music Latin artists
MTV Europe Music Award winners
Latin music songwriters