Colombian music star Maluma has opened up on his journey to music and fame, which he credits for his “survival,” while also recalling how he was branded a talentless “pretty guy” in the beginning of his career.
The 29-year-old artist, whose songs have garnered over 50 billion streams worldwide, kicked off his North American tour in Sacramento last month.
His music is characterized by a genre-blending style known as reggaetón, which encompasses elements of Puerto Rican rap, hip-hop, and Jamaican dancehall. Reggaetón has had a profound and transformative impact on the global music scene over the past two decades.
As the Sobrio hitmaker sat down with Sunday Morning, he dived deep into what made him take his musical talents seriously. He recalled that after his dad lost his job and his mom struggled to make ends meet, he left his passion for soccer behind to pursue music. “I was like, I think this is what’s gonna take my family to a better life,” he said.
So, music was survival? asked interviewer Luciano.
“Oh yeah, survival. Music saved my life,” was the singer’s reply.
During the early times in his career, he was rejected by many and was judged as the guy who was “only pretty.”
“At the beginning it was hard,” he shared, “because they were all like, This guy is only pretty, whatever it is, he looks good like, whatever, but he doesn’t sing. He has no talent.”
“Do people doubt that you write? That you compose?” asked Luciano.
“Oh yeah. Everything. They were like, Okay, this guy, he doesn’t have any talent. And that’s where all my athlete mentality came right away. Started going to the studio every day. Making music every, every day.”
