On day three of Billboard Latin Music Week, current cover star Maluma celebrated the occasion with a Superstar Q&A, hosted by Spanish billboard associate editor Sigal Ratner-Arias.
Dressed in a maroon suit and loafers, the artist-turned-businessman talked about his new label Royalty Records, which signed its first two artists, in addition to other ventures. Meanwhile, he reveals that he already has at least 50 songs for his next album, which he plans to do even better.
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Her best advice for doing so many things at once was simple: “Everything in life, you have to have enthusiasm and love.”
He spoke about the importance of launching the label in his country, Colombia, as well as how he marked the first two artists of the label: Abril and Paulina B. As he tells it, the two artists captivated his heart, Maluma admitting with a smile, “It’s easy for me to fall in love.”
Here are the top five takeaways from his conversation.
Realize your dreams: “I’ve accomplished a lot with my musical career but now I’m building the first steps of an empire… I’ve always dreamed of helping other artists. If I saw an artist that I liked, I said to him: ‘Come, let’s do this together’. I realized there was a way to market this. I met with my manager and my lawyer and said, “I need advice. It’s very easy to dream and say that you want to do so many things but if you don’t know how to do them, it won’t succeed.
Find yourself first: “We all have a reference when you start a career. For me, it was Jutin Timberlake or Marc Anthony, and I was like, ‘One day I want to sing like them.’ We always have the impression of having these benchmarks but it is better to find yourself, your own style. And also, I always say that 80% [of a career] in music it’s discipline and 20% is talent — and that’s what helped me. That’s what I’m looking for [artists I sign] to feel happy and free.
Live for yourself: “Marc Anthony was a blessing in my life because he gave me advice early on, and it just wasn’t happening. [otherwise]. When he told me that sometimes you had to be a little selfish, live your happiness and calm, I remember that I was doing everything for others and I was tired. When Marc said to me: ‘Hey, there is no formula, you just need to be yourself.’ That’s when I was able to do what I wanted to do. »
Put your family first: “I am lucky that in addition to working with me [my dad] is my best friend. In this industry you see that when you start working with your family, well, there are conflicts of interest and in some ways relationships are damaged. When I finished my first gig with my first manager I had no idea about the numbers and then he gave me everything so I could manage myself and I said, ‘I only know how to sing and make sandwiches. And then I said to my father, “I need you. That’s when we started this financial journey together. I said, ‘If you’re going to mind my business, our relationship as father and son will be affected.’ We had this conversation. Now my dad is CEO and President of my company and everything has been going great so far.
Let your dreams evolve: “As I grow my priorities change and my dreams also change a bit. My first dream will always be music, I will never stop making music until the day I die. But I also felt that I had to explore other avenues, and that’s where we started our first business and that’s the [Royalty by Maluma] collaboration with Macy’s. Also my perfume, and the important business of my mezcal. I think it’s all about discipline and organization. I try to meditate [in the morning], have an hour of concentration and planning my day. But it wasn’t like that before, I was in the studio until 4am and I wanted to shoot all the time. Now it’s different. I have my routine, my office and I love it. But I always say the music always calls me… touring and singing for people is the best thing in the world.
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