If you’ve been hearing or seeing the name Maluma in abundance lately it’s no coincidence. The Colombian reggaetón artist has been on a crossover mission as of late. From new tracks with Madonna, to appearances on The Tonight Show and walking the red carpet at the “are you on the list!” Met Gala. Maluma is in rarefied air right now. The perfect combination of new and novel to U.S. audiences, yet an established veteran in the reggaetón and Latin trap world with numbers and street cred to back his standing. With a new album and tour Maluma is making a full court press.
The Album
One year after the release of F.A.M.E., Maluma dropped his fourth studio album “11:11” on May 16th. The album features appearances by a number of prominent artists including Ty Dolla Sign, Madonna, Ozuna, Ricky Martin and Nicky Jam. Thus far the reviews have been positive. NME said with “11:11”Maluma “cements his rise with a bang-on-trend album that’ll generate heat from Bogotá to Bognor”, while The Guardian called it a perfect blend of “party tunes meets hunky smoldering”. It should not come as a surprise. Maluma has heavyweight producers on this album, including Edgar Barrera, MadMusick, Tainy, Andrés Castro and Sergio George.
The Tracks
More specifically the album has a number of standout tracks which have critics and fans nodding their heads in approval. As is the case these days, Maluma has dropped over half a dozen of the songs with videos to accompany them. Here are a few of the noteworthy ones.
“11 PM”
This seems to be the song garnering the most attention via streams and YouTube views. It also opens the album. The songs message – if you are crying for someone who is not worth it, its alright because the sun always comes back around. The video has nice modern-day Colombia Romeo & Juliet feel to it.
“No Se Me Quita”
Maluma reteams with his prior collaborator from “Vente Paca” Ricky Martin. The track has a catchy pop feel to it. Many say Martin’s contribution is reminiscent of the days when he was the vanguard of Latin pop.
“Tu Vecina”
This song is a collab with TyDolla Sign and it’s the fast-paced beat and catchy chorus will definitely stay in your mind. It’s one of the few tracks where Maluma drops some lyrics in English and for those that could not fully appreciate his vocal ability for failure to know Spanish, can now understand why many consider this cat a crooner in addition to his reggaetón/trap skill set.
The Tour
As most artists are want to do when they release new material. Maluma is taking the show on the road. In support of “11:11” there is a world tour. But he’s not doing the local festival circuit. Maluma will be hitting venues like Auditorio Nacional in Mexico City, the Toyota Center in Houston, American Airlines Arena in Miami, the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas and Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Not bad for a kid from Medellin, who growing up just wanted to be a soccer player!