All language subtitles for MALUMA-Lo-Que-Era-Lo-Que-Soy-Lo-Que-Sere-Documental-Oficial

This program has footage
that is not suitable for minors.

Viewer discretion is advised.

My dream, since I was young,

was to be onstage
and leave my mark on the whole world.

I thought my future was going
to be in soccer,

but I've loved music
since I was a little boy.

This is my dream, to be here with you.

But having to hide my pain
was very difficult.

Maluma!

I sacrificed everything.

My friends.

My family.

Maluma is in the eye of the hurricane.

He didn't need to go through
this type of scandal to be famous.

It was the price I had to pay
to become who I am today.

Ready, let's do it.

Three, two, one, Maluma's interview.

MALUMA
WHO I WAS, WHO I AM, WHO I WILL BE

Everyone wants to be the center of attention,

but the normal person doesn't understand
how hard it is.

JUAN LUIS LONDOÑO

I gave everything I had,

body, soul, heart, to my music career.

I can't believe I came to Houston for...
How many hours?

Six, seven.

Being the sister of a public figure
is very complicated.

MANUELA LONDOÑO ARIAS
SISTER OF MALUMA

Because you lose your privacy.

Roll it down a little bit.

Maluma!

You never see him.

I wish I could spend more time with him
because I can't go with him.

Lots of people think that
I had my career handed to me,

that it happened overnight,

but they don't know the story behind it all.

Attention!

Let's sing Happy Birthday to the boy.

Boy? I'm a boy. Have some respect!

Luis Alfonso and I loved children.

MARLLI ARIAS
MOTHER OF MALUMA

We always said we'd have three or four.

I got pregnant with Manu,

and her arrival was pure joy

because she was the only granddaughter
for both families.

We never planned the second one.

LUIS ALFONSO LONDOÑO
FATHER OF MALUMA

I was managing a company in Villavicencio.

We arrived in Medellín, and it happened.

We have always been more than just siblings.

We are friends.

What I always tell people is

that if you think he's beautiful
on the outside,

that's nothing compared
to how he's on the inside.

My parents made me feel so loved,
from day one.

That was the most important value
they instilled in me

Yudy, my sister, loves Juan Luis
as if he were her own son.

From the day he was born,
Yudy has been devoted to him.

YUDY ARIAS
AUNT OF MALUMA

I was devoted to him, as an aunt, nanny,
a sister, everything,

because I was too young to be an aunt,
but Juan Luis was my baby.

The world will never really understand

because the connection
we have is on another level.

We have a soul connection.

She raised me too.

That's why she's like a second mother to me.

I always loved music,
since I was a little boy.

My grandparents loved salsa,
especially my mother's father.

I've always loved music.

PEDRO ARIAS
MATERNAL GRANDFATHER OF MALUMA

Sonora, Billo's Caracas,

tango, bolero, and he would start to dance.

In my day, it was Los Cuyos, Los Panchos...

JAIRO LONDOÑO
PATERNAL GRANDFATHER OF MALUMA

Conjunto America.

BERENICE ZAPATA
PATERNAL GRANDMOTHER OF MALUMA

He paid attention to everything he heard.

When he was two years old,
we were on a day trip with some friends.

One said, "I have a professional drum set,
and I don't know what to do with it,"

so they gave it to Juan Luis.
Drums to a two-year-old.

You gotta teach me something
really cool to play live.

He would play the drums
and just hit everything.

Finally, we were all going crazy
listening to him,

so Mom said, "Hey, no.

"What is this? We can't have this.

"Give it away. That's enough."

He was always singing.

He loved romantic music.

He would say,
"I want to listen to Andrés Cepeda,"

and he knew the songs,

And he would perform them.
He didn't just sing the songs.

No, he would do it with an attitude.
He'd sing with feeling.

I remember when we had visitors over,
the first thing he would do

was go put on some boots and sing.

Five years old, wearing a hat,
his sleeves rolled up,

singing a Vicente Fernández song. What?

He would always say he was in the choir,

and I was like, "What choir? You can't sing."

I would laugh and tell him he couldn't sing.

He always learned songs so easily,

but he was very focused on playing soccer.

My first years playing soccer,

I remember very well
because that was my dream.

I wanted to be a soccer player.

That was his first experience
with responsibility,

effort and sacrifice.

I was with him for nine years
during that time.

And he was really talented.
And he put in a lot of effort.

...21, 22...

His life had always been soccer, only soccer.

Sorry, man.

5TH CIPA-METRO CUP
10-YEAR-OLDS

With us, he had the opportunity to play
in several tournaments.

CHALO MONTOYA
SOCCER COACH - ABC SCHOOL

He was one of those players
who liked ball-handling a lot

and was a good influence
on the other players.

That's why he was captain for some of
the more important games we played.

He had leadership skills.

Everyone who grew up in Colombia,
in Medellín, watched soccer.

Some of our friends ended up being
professional players.

That's where the inspiration comes from.

I remember watching
the Colombian national team.

I always wanted to be on the field like them.

Hey, friends! We're here,
at Medellín's International Airport.

We came to pick up one of my friends,
Juan Fer Quintero.

He's representing Colombia.

I met him a long time ago.
We were part of a group of friends.

Check this out.

He kicks with his left. He has power.

JUAN FERNANDO QUINTERO
SOCCER PLAYER FOR COLOMBIA NATIONAL TEAM

Lefties aren't common in soccer.
He's exceptional.

We had an agreement with talented players.

ALEJANDRO ARBOTEDA
SOCCER COACH - ALEXIS GARCIA SCHOOL

We saw potential in him as a forward.

2018 WORLD CUP
MOSCOW, RUSSIA

Nobody called him Juan Luis. "Hey, Joaco!"

And he slurred his words.

Oh, man, look at my gangster face.

I look like a Russian spy.

"Come on, man, pass the ball."

I came to play soccer.

That's it.

I came to say hello to the guys.

-What's up, man?
-All good.

-Looks good on you.
-We both look good.

He could have gone pro.

Let's play some ball.

With his skills, yeah, I think he could have.

I really made a difference
when I played soccer,

so I always thought that'd be my future.

It complemented his education
and complemented his development.

Soccer helped me develop responsibility,

discipline, determination, perseverance,

which have been key factors
in my music career.

I always told him
he was going to fill stadiums,

whether it was with soccer or music,
and here we are.

Hello, Israel!

I'm going to the hotel.

HAYARKON PARK
TEL AVIV, ISRAEL

Have a great show. I missed you guys.

Thank you for believing in the music.

Let's make this unforgettable.
Love you. Let's do this.

The whole chapter, when my parents divorced,

even though I was really young,
I understood everything.

It was very hard, very painful.

I couldn't talk about it.
I said, "No, this isn't happening."

Every divorce is difficult.

It makes for very complicated times.

Ours wasn't easy.

It was complicated and difficult.

It was hard because

I'd spent 17 years watching them together,

so I just couldn't understand.

Luis Alfonso, after we divorced,
moved to Bogotá.

He had several job offers in Bogotá,
and things were not good in Medellín,

so he left to go find that help.

Thank God, I stayed with them.

I tried to move on, but it wasn't easy.

I'd been abandoned. It was hard.

As the only man in the house,
as a ten-year-old,

I had to comfort my mom and my sister.

Juan Luis was really close to his dad.

He'd go out to the garage.

The superintendent called me and said,

"Ma'am, Juan Luis is in the garage."
He was half asleep.

We found him there, crying,
waiting for his dad to come.

I don't remember what I told him.

We made a decision,
and there was nothing to do about it.

Damn, it still hurts.

It was a chaotic time.

The family was in a kind of fog.

We couldn't see clearly.
We didn't know what was going to happen.

I thought it was the best thing to happen.

I split up with my partner, not my kids.

No, never.

Our financial situation hit rock bottom.

I had never worked before.

Luis Alfonso always had very good jobs,

but he ended up in a very bad situation.

I was the leader of the team.

Those are critical times.
Times you never imagined would happen.

That's when you ask yourself,

who am I? What am I made of?

Even if I was really young, I knew
we had to find a way to move on.

We couldn't just sink
because of a family problem.

That's when I told her

to give me the little money she had,

so I could...

make some sandwiches, and I...

So I could sell them at school.

Juan Luis helped me.

He would go to El Hueco to buy bags of candy.

And he would give me the money he made.

He'd say, "Mom, this is for milk,
or whatever you need for tomorrow."

We bought the cheapest bread, ham and cheese.

And I went to school
with people who had money.

And there I was with my backpack
full of sandwiches to sell at school.

And when I got home with the money,
I'd give it to my mom,

so she could go to the market
and get food for us.

Juancho would give it to me and say,
"This is to make more sandwiches,

"and use the rest for whatever you need.
I don't need any of it."

That was a big help
from such a little person.

He was giving me money
for breakfast or lunch.

I got some candy and chocolate.

They came in bags
that cost a dollar or two,

but I sold each one for a dollar.

So I'd make 35 dollars,

when I'd only spent one or two dollars
for the whole bag.

When he talks about that,
he does it with pride.

And I applaud him.

Because he saw that it was
a difficult time for his family,

for his dad,

and it motivated him to sell that candy.

Businessman.

That's how I started being an entrepreneur
at such an early age

in my life.

And, again,

every time in my life has been beautiful.

With some pain on occasion,

but those times only made my family stronger.

Obviously, I love my mom and my sister,

and I'd do anything for them. Always.

Like I do today.

AMERICAN AIRLINES ARENA
MIAMI, FLORIDA

Turn on the flash.
Everyone get your cellphones out!

Your phone, come on!

Come on!

Thank you, Tel Aviv. Thank you, Israel.

I'm so happy to be back and sing for you.

Everybody with your phones in the air.
Come on!

The story of why I'm called Maluma.

My parents told me about
a dog they had called Malu,

which is the initials of
my mom and my dad's names.

I've always remembered that story
since I was a little boy.

Juan Luis didn't have any tattoos,

and he was dying to get one,

but my parents weren't going
to give him permission.

The only way my family wouldn't complain was

if it was a tribute to my family.

"The initials 'Ma' from Marlli,

"'Lu,' Luis, my dad, and 'Ma,' you, Manuela,

"beautiful. How can they get mad?"

Three years ago, I got a tattoo.

MALUMA

When I started getting to know salsa
and where it came from,

Puerto Rico...

When he was older,
I started going to the gym with him.

I would pick him up,

and we would always play reggaeton
really loud in the car,

and he knew every song.

Later, I went to a reggaeton concert.

Don Omar, Ivy Queen, Wisin & Yandel,
and Tégo Calderón were playing, among others.

When I got there, I saw that stage,
and I went crazy.

I went crazy. I knew all the songs.

And when I saw all those artists onstage,

I realized that's what I wanted to do.

That it was in my blood,
and I wanted to do it.

I wanted to be on that stage with them.

When he started singing,

I think it was partly
because of my influence.

Not partly, it was my influence.

The relationship I have
with my aunt is inexplicable.

She is like my best friend,
my sister, my second mom.

My aunt is everything to me.

They say they're soul mates.

Your soul mate isn't
your boyfriend or your wife.

I believe in karma.

It says that one person will come back
looking for the other one

because they need to live
close to each other again

to do great things.

A friend of mine who I went to school with,

Arias, I told him I liked to sing

and write songs.

He said, "Really? I've written songs.
I've been to the studio."

I've always worked in television,

and I had friends who were singers,

so I think he saw that.

Arias showed me his music.

He told me about the producers
he'd worked with.

I didn't believe it.

I was so close, it could actually happen.

I called my aunt Yudy.

He said, "Aunt, it's almost my birthday."

"I've written some songs,
but I don't know any producers.

"Maybe you can help me out."

At that time, my family was having
serious financial issues.

We didn't even have money for decent food,
much less for a song.

"For my birthday, I want to record a song."

And I told him, "Okay, let's do it today."

I've always been like that with him.

I called a producer, "Hey, how are you?"

"Hey, girl, how are you?"

"Look, I have a very talented nephew."

I gave him wings.
"You can do this, you're talented."

Yudy was always in the middle.

BRYAN LEZCANO / CHAN EL GENIO
THE RUDE BOYZ - MUSIC PRODUCER

She contacted us through Reykon's manager.

"Hey, man, what's up?

"I wanted to know how I could
work with you, and all that."

We had great chemistry.

It's funny.

I called Arias, from school,

and I told him my aunt was helping me
with the song,

that I wanted to do a duet, Maluma and Arias.

When I told him to meet me at the studio,
I don't know,

I think we were supposed to record at 5:00.

He was late, like, 30 minutes late,

so I decided to record the song alone.

I knew if I didn't make that call then,

it'd be more complicated in the future,

after launching my career with him.

At that time, Kevin and I weren't
the Rude Boyz.

He had his work, and I had mine,
and we'd do a couple of things together.

I spent two weeks before going to the studio,
thinking about the name

because J Balvin's name is José Álvaro.

Reykon's name is Andrés.

I couldn't be Juan Luis,
Juan Luis is an artist from the '80s or '90s.

No one would follow me or believe me.

I already had the Maluma tattoo.

People at the studio would
call me Malu, Maluma.

That's it.

I'm Maluma.

I was baptized.

Maluma, baby.

We were at the studio
with Juan Luis every day, creating.

I think it was a good start for all of us.

The next day, I go to school,

and I play the song for my friends.

I remember he had the CD,
and we played it in the car.

CHRISTIAN VALLEJO
FRIEND OF MALUMA

I think that was the day we realized
it was all very real.

I think it was a hard decision for him...

ANA VILLEGAS
FRIEND OF MALUMA

...choosing between soccer and music.

You know, I've always been
a very decisive person.

It's black or white, soccer or music,
I can't do both.

I knew I couldn't split my energy
between so many things.

So, in 2010, he says,

"Coach, I need to talk to you."

"What's going on?"

"Coach, I want a career in music."

The music thing was a surprise for everyone.

-'Cause...
-Yeah.

We thought he was gonna be
a soccer player for Colombia.

I finished soccer practice,

and my dad comes to pick me up.

I look at him in the eye and say,

"Dad, I don't want to play soccer anymore."

That was a shock to me.

I can't even explain it.

I thought soccer

helped me, as a father,
with my personal growth.

"How can you tell me you don't want
to play soccer, just like that?

"This is your life.
This is what you've done your whole life."

But that wasn't the only shocker.

I looked at him and said,

"I want to be an urban musician.
I want to sing reggaeton."

I stopped the car, almost crashed.

I parked and took a deep breath.

My dad almost had a heart attack.

Who likes reggaeton?

Everyone was laughing so hard,
the biggest laugh ever.

"What music are you talking about?
You slur when you talk."

We congratulated him,

but the whole school was
kind of laughing at him.

They called him Maluca instead of Maluma.

They said things like,
"He's crazy, he won't get anywhere.

"That video, that crazy song."

Really negative comments.

Well, from people not very close to him.

"Thank you." He said that phrase,
which I think is the best payment

you can receive as a coach and teacher.

He told me, "Coach, I'm thankful
for the discipline you taught me.

"I know it will serve me well for everything
I'm about to embark on."

And then he started on his career.

"You know what, Dad?

"The education I got at home, from family,
and the discipline I've learned from soccer

"will be enough for me to be successful.

"Support me, and let's do this."

So, from my aunt's gift,
and her husband, Juan Parra,

this dream started.

The foundation was built
for this whole music project.

COLISEO GENERAL RUMINAHUI
QUITO, ECUADOR

I started doing music.
I did two songs in the studio.

And that's how this dream started.

I started a journey
with my aunt and Juan Parra.

Juan Parra was my first manager.

Yudy Arias, Juan Carlos Parra, her husband,

they were the engine that got
this life project going.

We should always appreciate that.

We didn't know anything about this industry.

We did it out of love.

And my husband, Juan Parra,
besides his love for him,

he knew what could happen
in a year with Maluma.

Juan was always a visionary.

Thanks to him, we had structure
in our company since the beginning.

My husband always insisted he do his lessons.

"Juan Luis, did you go to dance class?
Juan Luis, did you practice your vocals?"

And Juan Luis is a perfectionist.

It was the three of us against the world.

None of us had studied music.

We didn't know anything about management.

I was a young artist, I was 16.

Life, the media,
everything showed us what to do.

We realized we needed a DJ,

we needed dancers,

so we started to build a team,
but that was expensive.

They asked if I could replace
the previous DJ.

DANIEL VELÁSQUEZ / DJ RABIAZ
MALUMA'S FORMER DJ

I took a chance and said yes.

He was so young and so disciplined,

that's how I knew he had a future.

Who taught me how to do a show?

No one.

It was all work, experience, life lessons.

It was just me,
watching myself in the mirror,

making mistakes,
and doing a ton of shows.

In 2010, I did between 250 and 300 shows
in schools in Medellín.

At that time, no one believed in me.

I went to radio stations
and they treated me like, "Oh, another one."

I got up at 7:00 a.m. 'cause we had
an interview at a radio station.

Went there, knocked on the door,
and no one answered.

Sometimes he would get sad.

"I can't do this,
and look at what my friends get to do."

For example,

instead of going to his
end of the year field trip,

he would go sing for other schools
on their trips

The microphone wasn't working, the sound
wasn't working, they only had a megaphone.

No track, no sound, nothing.

There I was, singing with a megaphone,
and all the kids looked at me like,

"Who is this idiot?

"Get him off."

Creating an artist, in this case, Maluma,
is very hard work.

In 2010, I got a call from Juan Parra.

DJ HZ
DIRECTOR AT MIX 89.9 FM

He said he had a nephew
who wanted to sing reggaeton.

I said, "Okay, we'll invite your artist."

I met him, he presented his song.

Some DJs didn't like it, some did.
I loved it.

The idea was to play the song Farandulera

so that kids in schools
would start to recognize it.

We went to all the neighborhoods in our city,

to all the schools.

They would pick me up at school at 2:00

and I'd go to other schools to sing.

Everything was free.
We were promoting ourselves.

He needed to make himself known.

It was the day to day,
I learned by making mistakes.

Whether there were one or two girls,
or nobody,

it didn't matter.
That was the way to promote him.

The first show I was paid to do was
a 15th birthday party in Neiva.

The girls were dying to see him.

Having him at your 15th birthday party
was the dream for those girls.

Eventually we were doing
two birthday parties a night

almost every weekend.

They were crazy about him.

One, two, three, four!

The drunk dad didn't want Maluma to get
too close to his daughter.

...13, 14, 15!

Did I realize the effect I had on women?

Where are all the single ladies?

Of course, when I went to a school
and they knew Farandulera,

and now they saw who was behind the music,
it made it clear.

Papacito! Papacito!

It was something I had always dreamed about.

I'd be lying if I said I didn't like
all the girls throwing themselves at me.

But, yeah, there was always a connection.

Another one.

Often when I was told no,

I considered taking the easy way out.

That is to say, keep playing soccer

or going to college.

But when I would think like that,
I would take it back,

'cause this had to happen in my life.

It's something I needed.

I have to have those moments of frustration,
those moments of anger

to grow, and I won't let it affect me.

I have to go forward.

Thank you!

My husband and I were always like
his grounding influence.

We worked together
towards a positive purpose.

We didn't know what that was yet,
but it would come.

And we needed him to grow.

We needed Maluma to fly, to be great.

After the song Farandulera,

I organized a concert in Bello, Antioquia.

I had Nicky Jam, who was new to town,

and I invited Maluma.

When I was little,

I listened to lots of artists,

and today I have the privilege
to share a stage with them.

And one of the first ones
I listened to was this man.

Please, welcome Nicky Jam!

I was always a fan of those
old-school artists,

so when I got the chance
to share a stage with them

when I was just starting out,

that was a lot of pressure.

Plus, I didn't know there were
going to be pyrotechnics

"What was that?"
Then other side, bam!

I got scared. I reacted.

I didn't know if the dancers would move
or if I'd bump into them.

I had an earpiece, so I could listen,

but I didn't know how it worked,
so I took it out during the concerts.

Some of the artists
would look at him weirdly,

like, "Who is this kid?
Hey, H, who's this kid?"

Hey, baby.

You didn't understand the song either, huh?

Baby, it's simple.

Being the youngest, he made an impression.

We needed a teen
who could sing to teen girls.

Since he was their age,
they could identify with him.

I'm 16 years old.

He arrived at the perfect moment.

It's amazing the way you've welcomed me.

I never questioned his voice.

You know why?

Because Juan Luis is pure attitude.

Nice to meet you, princess. I'm Juan Luis.

Juan Luis has something
that makes you want to touch him.

And everything else you can manage.

Then, he launched Obsesión...

NICK ALEJANDRO
BACKUP SINGER OF MALUMA

...the song that I think made him popular
on a national level.

The girls are going crazy over Maluma!

First promotional tour, day two.

It's my first time here, my first interview.

Good things are coming.
This is only the beginning.

Whatever it takes to be successful.

I'm happy. This is my time to get to work.

Papá Parra decided to get two racks of ribs.
No big deal.

One day, in Bogotá, I was in a café,

and suddenly, on the radio...

Maluma?

The little giant Maluma's new single.

I started crying right there.

I was literally crying.

"How can this be? That's my son!
That man is my son!"

After Maluma became well-known in Colombia,

I'm talking about myself in the third person,
how stupid.

When I became well-known in Colombia,

we started with the whole touring process.

But we toured in a frugal way.

What's up, fam? Working 24/7.

Today's my mom's birthday,
and I'm here, working.

She's waiting for me back home.

Doesn't matter, 'cause this is
the most hard-working group in the world.

We never stop.

People think all artists start
on a private jet.

No.

Back then, my shows weren't very profitable.

We were a group, we had to travel,

we had to pay the DJ, the manager,

everyone who toured with me back then.

So, the plan to save money was get there,
do a good show, and go home.

We all shared a room.

We were like a family.

Three months in a van
across the whole country.

I dare you

to eat a piece of gum bigger than this.

No!

We were like Siamese twins, never apart.

In airports, on planes.

Of course, on planes, we were like this.

But those were the kind of things
that happened during those adventures.

He gave me this gift for my 20th.

All the guys are here for Muñeco's birthday.

Rat, Grumpy, Dog Washer, and Marc Anthony.

MSG LIVE MADISON SQUARE GARDEN
NEW YORK, NY

What's up, Miami?

Three, two...

All right, baby, come on!

Miami, put your hands in the air!

I need something heavier, man.

Me, me.

Robby, Robby.

The second step in my career,

after I stopped doing
birthday parties and stuff,

was with the song Temperatura.

I think there was an evolution,
a physical one.

KEVIN JIMENEZ / KEVIN ADG
THE RUDE BOYZ - MUSIC PRODUCER

He went from being a kid to an adult.

MALUMA - ELI PALACIOS
LA TEMPERATURA

Rhythm had a lot to do with it
because it was an electronic Merengue.

I think he was ready for that step.

That was another step in my career.

And I started experiencing different things.

Get back! Get back!

The first few months were really hard.

I realized I couldn't
just get off a plane anymore.

Today's Mother's Day, but...

Even now, eight, nine years into my career,
I don't get off planes.

No stopping. This is my life.

Usually artists become famous
after living their adolescence,

after having fun and enjoying that time.

I didn't have time for that.

The number one artist in Colombia!

Maluma!

I'm intense, and I love to work.

Ready to start another tour tomorrow.

Here we come, Panama.

We were in Peru too.

Too much love, Venezuela.

I sacrificed everything, like my family,

they couldn't come with me. My friends...

From the top. From the top of the song.

During my free time,
instead of going out with my friends,

I preferred to stay in the studio
and keep making music.

The music speaks for itself.
The good stuff gets out there,

and people like it. That's how it is.

FLEX
ARTIST

I had to break up with my girlfriend

'cause she wasn't a priority. Music was.

When he broke up with her,
he called me up crying.

He was like...

He was inconsolable.

I feel a little emotional,
there are a lot of people here.

I love you! I love you with all my heart!

I was very ambitious,
always wanting to be number one,

always wanting to be the hottest artist.

The party tonight will be awesome.
We're going to kill it like always.

And I was like,
"What did they do to you? What happened?"

"It's okay, there are plenty of women
out there. Don't worry."

Thank you for believing in me,
for believing in Juan.

Without him, none of this would've happened.

The people in the back, make some noise!

What about the ones in the front?

I didn't really have an adolescence.

Man, I love my fans, I love them!

Son-of-a... Never mind.

The Latin Grammy nomination was
a perfect moment in my career.

I was 19.

When they told me, I was so happy.

There were so many stars.

He was like, "Aunt, did you see..." "Yeah!"

And these big, important people would say,
"Hi, Juan Luis. Hi, Maluma."

"They know my name."

We went to the Grammys,
but we really had no clue.

We knew nothing about that industry.

We had a focus, but no ambitions.

Everyone here is proud of being Latino!

Pump it up! Pump it!

We had conquered one area,

Latin America.

We needed him to be a superstar.

One day, I received an email that said,

"This person who manages that person
wants to contact you

"regarding Maluma."

I told my husband, and he said,
"Wow, that guy is big."

Guys, we're here at a very gringo place.

The most gringo place
I've ever seen in my life.

Are we going to play Jenga or what?

We started spending more time
in the States, in Miami,

while I focused on making
my career international.

We moved to Miami, so his career could grow.

We moved the whole family.

We got in touch with Walter Kolm.

He started working on my musical career.

He's helped make lots of stars,
and he knows the world really well.

We saw an opportunity.

He'd be in charge of Juan Luis,
but we'd still be managing him.

It was an easy deal because
we complemented each other well.

WALTER KOLM
CEO - WK ENTERTAINMENT

They gave Juan Luis the stability he needed,

and I worked on making him a global artist.

Everything started to grow.

To manage the Maluma project,
I got Miguel Lua.

It was a partnership

MIGUEL LUA
MANAGEMENT - WK ENTERTAINMENT

with Juan continuing to manage
the artist's day-to-day,

and me making the marketing decisions.

My contract went from Sony Colombia
to Sony Latin.

I understood that this was
the beginning of an artist

who could transcend and have global success.

NIR SEROUSSI
EX PRESIDENT - SONY MUSIC LATIN US

He took a niche genre and made it accessible.

It was a solid team,
and it worked well for several years.

One day, my husband told me,

"Juan Luis is telling me some weird things."

The infrastructure that I had at that time
wasn't enough for my music career.

I decided to stop working with Juan Parra.

We really didn't expect that.

He never said,
"Aunt, I don't want this anymore."

It was very complicated. It was hard

because at a family level, it was traumatic.

It still is traumatic.

It was like...

"Who told him... Where did this come from?"

The thing is, I could see it coming.

It's like a marriage.

You can see the divorce coming.

That tear, "Aunt, I'm leaving.
I don't want this anymore."

Knowing I was going to spend
less time with him,

it was sad.

Very sad.

One of the saddest things
I've ever experienced in my life.

What's up, fam?

I'm not happy because...

there are situations that happen in life
that we have to face.

I made that decision, but I was so young.

I didn't know who would support me.

So many things were happening,
and I was left all alone with all of it.

I didn't know what to do.

I never went to college,
so I didn't know how to manage my money.

We agreed on the terms, and we left.

His father came and took over the space,
the emptiness, the void.

My dad isn't my manager.

He just came to help me with my finances

and to help me be a little more stable.

Because if I wasn't financially stable,
on the business side,

then I couldn't make good music,
I wouldn't be happy.

The positive things wouldn't happen.

Back then, he'd say,
"Dad, don't meddle, I can handle it."

I always respected his decision.

In a restaurant, in Miami,
he wrote on a napkin,

"Dad, this is who I was,

"this is who I am,
and this is who I want to be.

"Help me, I can't do this alone.
I don't know about this stuff."

My relationship with my aunt isn't the same.

We still love each other.

Maybe even more.

But it's not the same because there are
so many situations that we cannot share.

What hurt the most was not being able
to have him near.

I don't want to use the phone.

I want the baby I raised,
the one I saw grow up.

If it were up to me,
she'd be with me every day.

But I understand.

It's something she taught me, compassion.

I understand. I put myself in their shoes.

It's healthy and it's normal

that things aren't the same.

I wish they were 'cause I miss her a lot.

When I started with Maluma in Colombia,

he was a phenomenon with the girls,
on social media,

but I saw something in him
that very few artists have.

The potential to become a celebrity.

So, I said, "He's got to be on a TV show."

This is awesome.

We're backstage at La Voz Kids.

I feel like a kid on his first day of school.

Maluma hasn't been behaving very well.

But I think he'll learn, right?

No, ma'am.

Put a little bit more under the...
Yeah, that's right.

Musically and vocally, I think you're great.

Those two seasons strengthened
Maluma's career in Colombia,

so we started thinking of exporting him.

Pretty Boy, Dirty Boy comes out,

with his first international hits.

Hey, what's up, guys?

We're on a photoshoot
for my album Pretty Boy, Dirty Boy.

And it was a plan that happened very fast,

but we spent a lot of time working on it.

Finally, after two years,
we're doing the final touches.

Don't erase the cassette.

As I said before,

everyone has to go. No one can miss it.

Hi!

Who wants tickets?

There are two ways.

Fight for your woman,
or leave your house like a dog

with the face of a... Perdedor.

You know what, baby?

I love you, but...

There's no one like Pretty Boy.

When I started with Maluma,
they said he was a reggaeton artist,

and I always said he was more than that.

Maluma is an artist

who can sing reggaeton, pop, salsa,

but no one would listen to me.

So I met with Afo Verde,
the Chairman of Sony Latin,

and Afo said he had a plan.

And the process
of conquering the world began.

I thought Maluma was a broader artist...

AFO VERDE
CHAIRMAN & CEO - SONY MUSIC LATIN IBERIA

...than a genre artist.

I wanted to see him doing something else.

I wanted to see Maluma next to a big star,

and his first experience with that
was Vente Pa' Ca.

I talked to Ricky about him.

He loved the idea.

Look at this crazy guy.
Don't pay attention to him.

Ricky!

-Like it?
-Yeah.

-Send it to me.
-Of course.

The next time I was at Shakira's house,

she had started making music again
after having her second child,

and she said, "Tell me what's going on."

SHAKIRA
ARTIST

I was in a very open moment.

I said yes.
I wanted to see what would happen.

You never know what'll happen at the studio.

It's an experiment.
It can go well, or it can go wrong.

In this case, it went extremely well.

-We can interchange it.
-And what we have are "chanteos."

Like Pimpinela...

Between you and I,
we can do a duo like them.

Us two.

How do you know Pimpinela
if you are so young?

My mom! And my dad too!

I see all those hours of work
reflected at an international level

and I begin to do concerts
in different parts of the world.

SANT JORDI CLUB
BARCELONA, SPAIN

What's up, Barcelona?

We're the Spanish fan club!

I'm very happy. The tour has been a success.

We sold out city after city,

unforgettable shows city after city.

Maluma is in the eye of the hurricane.

The controversy of the moment--

Why would he transgress?
This is a provocation.

He's being criticized for his latest hit,
Cuatro Babys.

This is a violent song.

Women in Spain want to ban it.

When you recorded Cuatro Babys,
did you expect all this controversy?

This is supposed to be an interview
about my song with Pipe.

Yes, but we can talk about other stuff.

They told Tony, "It's Felipe's song,

"it's Felipe's video, come on."

FELIPE "PIPE" PELAEZ
ARTIST

"Don't talk about that.
It's driving Juancho crazy."

Then at the end, he derailed.

-Would you record a trap song?
-Oh, God.

I don't think you should answer that.

-Let's talk about that music video then.
-Okay.

Are you really asking me
about Cuatro Babys?

I'm just messing with you.

Cuatro Babys is a hit.

When an artist is popular,
there will always be controversy.

Trap started being very popular
in Puerto Rico.

Even more popular than reggaeton.

Juan Luis was interested because he wants
to be involved in what's hot,

in what people want to hear.

The music industry has made a mistake
that movies and TV haven't.

When you turn on the TV
and watch a violent scene,

a guy pointing his gun to another guy,

we all know that's fiction.

For some reason, that's not true for music.

It was a hard time.

Not for me, but for my family.

I'd say, "Mom, don't worry. Cover your ears.

"But uncover them when Cuatro Babys is on
and sing it with me."

During his shows, that's the song
I sing the most. I dance to it.

But, yes, that song got talked about.

He records Cuatro Babys,

and then he wanted to record other songs.

We shot a movie with all the trap songs.

This is a movie scene.

We are all here, papi, supporting Maluma.

DE LA GHETTO
ARTIST

The stud, the original stud.

He's a born stud.

Action!

-You made it!
-I made it!

As artists, we're used to performing...

BAD BUNNY
ARTIST

...but this is acting, which is nice.
It's nice to do something different.

For me, this is historic.

Six videos in five days.

Ready to punch, baby.

Why did we come here?

To cry, or what?

BRYANT MYERS
ARTIST

This helps the trap movement a lot.

I think the first time I met this guy,
it was in the video of Cuatro Babys.

-"Hey, baby, how old are you?"
-"Eighteen."

I'm from Puerto Rico,
but my Whatsapp is Colombian.

For my Maluma!

ARCANGEL
ARTIST

JESSY TERRERO
DIRECTOR

You'll take the bullet here
and you fall back on the mat.

I learned how to die, man!

When Cuatro Babys came out,
they really tried to target Maluma,

they wanted me to remove the song,
or stop singing it, but no.

Quadruple platinum record
in the United States.

For Cuatro Babys!

So, thanks to all those people
who didn't want the song to grow

because they gave it a lot of energy.

If you like songs like Cuatro Babys,

I'm going to keep making songs like this.

Yeah, I'm in love with Cuatro Babys.

MEXICO CITY ARENA
MEXICO CITY, MEXICO

Juan, I have a surprise for you.

What the fuck is that? No.

Oh, shit. You're kidding me.

All for you, baby.

Oh, man!

This is fame.

Friday. On Friday!

I'm shaking.

Do you like surprises?

With so many sexy ladies here, you gotta
keep me on stage for a little longer.

Started from the bottom, now you're here.
Make some noise!

This is like Christmas.

JENNIFER LOPEZ

CARLOS VIVES

OZUNA

Long live the Latinos!

NORIEL

WISIN

JASON DERULO

FLO RIDA

Guys, we're ready for tonight.

A spectacular gala, The Art of Dreams
and the Eva Longoria Foundation.

We're here on Facebook Live
from the Global Gift Gala with Eva Longoria.

-How are you?
-Good, thanks.

And, Maluma, how are you?

Very good.

He'll speak in English,
and I'll speak in Spanish.

Okay, all right.

We always dreamed of starting a foundation,
but were never sure what for.

We want to give back to society,
to the community,

all of the love they've given my brother,

so we started a foundation for urban art.

Say "Maluma!"

Maluma!

It's called The Art of Dreams.

Keep supporting them, keep believing in them.

That support for young people, for your
children, is the most important thing

I have always been a grateful person.

I want to send a positive message,
that dreams do come true

if you're disciplined

and focused on what you want.

The generosity of our hearts has no limit,

and so, with each experience lived,
we want to give our best.

Our biggest dreamer, our founder, Maluma!

All of this started within my family,
with my parents, when I was very young.

What I remember is that I would wake up
and see them helping people,

and that's something you inherit.

Today, the very least I can do
for the people who listen to my music,

is to give back a drop in the bucket
of what you've given my family and my career.

Welcome to The Art of Dreams. God bless.

Whenever you're ready.

What's up, peeps? It's Maluma.

Come celebrate 50 years of the fair.

In the Sambil parking lot.

Talk to me, fam!

Greetings from paradise. Julieta!

Julieta! Where are we going?
She's excited too, see?

He's the most followed
Latin male artist in Instagram.

What role does social media play in my life?

CHANTAJE - 2.3 BILLION VIEWS
FELICES LOS 4 - 1.4 BILLION VIEWS

A big one.

PERDEDOR - 1.1 BILLION VIEWS
SIN CONTRATO - 1 BILLION VIEWS

4 BABYS - 874 MILLION VIEWS
VENTE PA' CA - 1.5 BILLION VIEWS

MALUMA - SUBSCRIBE - 18M

Social media has become
one of my best allies.

I'm here with my pals walking in LA.

These platforms allow me to
connect directly with my fans

like I never had before.

@princeroyce

I've always been real.

Look at this after-party.

This is my after-party.

Let me introduce you to the DJ.

DJ Pillow!

I want to be real.

NOW OR NEVER

I want people to relate to a young man
who wants to better himself,

and, like anyone, has dreams
and works hard for them every day.

I'm so happy!

We made history!

This is the first time that a Latin artist

performs a song completely in Spanish

at the VMAs.

And the winner for Artist of the Year,

Social Media, is...

Maluma!

MALUMA
ARTIST OF THE YEAR, SOCIAL MEDIA

Good morning, guys!

Excuse her, she's crazy.

Here we go. Good morning, guys! What's up?

Look at this little princess.

It's Halloween! I'm dressing up as Maluma.

This guy is successful,
and I've known him since he was poor.

@echohits

I love Los Angeles.
I don't know if you knew that.

But it's nothing like my country,
like Colombia.

#FAMETOUR

November 10th in Bogotá.

MOVISTAR ARENA
BOGOTA, COLOMBIA

I missed you!

Maluma, baby!

This is pretty rough. I didn't want to do it,

but I had to, they insisted.

I have to sacrifice myself for the team.

Poor me.

Put your hands in the air!

Why did I cry like a baby
at the concert in Miami?

Well, there were like 17,000 people clapping.

So many connected hearts.

So much energy. It was a magical moment.

And at that moment, all I could think of was

all the sacrifices and the things
I've gone through to get to where I am now.

The truth is, in my free time,
I just want to spend time with my family,

I'm a family man.

When I say God took things from me,

I don't mean material things.

Material things don't mean anything to me.

Important moments
I would have liked to be a part of.

My priority has been my career,

and I've had to leave some people behind.

It's not easy to understand that
when you're 16.

You have a family, friends, moments.

Merry Christmas, I'm happy this December,

I'm here, with my family, my group.

You want to have the life
of a regular teenager, but you can't.

You become famous.

You can't just go out for drinks
with your friends

because everyone's taking your picture.

No, he's not in it.

-What should I do with the girl?
-Give her to me.

So you have to, in a way,

to create a false self,

so that people think the best about you.

To me, that was really hard.

Having to hide all that suffering,

all that anger inside me at having to
leave behind all the beautiful things

that were happening in my life and my youth.

What is your ideal woman?

A hard worker who likes Juan Luis,
not Maluma.

That's life. Look...

My career

has given me lots of things,

more than I could ever imagine,

but it also took a lot from me, you know?

It's not all a bed of roses.

But it's all good.

In five years, they will be talking about you
like they talk about Marc Anthony.

Are you ready for that kind
of responsibility, Maluma?

Of course.

-Fuck that shit.
-We'll figure this shit out.

No, take it, we just did a fucking remix
in two seconds, I'm like, all right, cool.

I'm gonna follow you.

Motherfucker, you're always finding
the right way to fucking fuck with me, man.

I love you. Yo, kill that shit.

I have a new album called 11:11.

All the songs on the album remind me

of when I started my music career.

I wanted a more urban sound

to get back to my roots.

I have songs with other artists.

So, that's what's coming this year,

good music and hard work.

Right now, I don't want to slow down.

My career is just starting.

I feel the best is yet to come.

The Latin Grammy goes to...

From Colombia, my friend, Maluma!

I want to dedicate this award to my team,
who are always with me,

to my family, who couldn't be here today.

Mom, it was hard, but we made it!

A big kiss for you!

And, finally,

I want to dedicate it to the kids
in my foundation, The Art of Dreams

Keep dreaming, it's worth it, guys.

I had to stop touring,

I had to quit promoting,
I had to stop making videos,

I had to pause my career a little.

I injured my right knee.

I felt it was a sign from God, life, destiny,

telling me I needed to slow down.

My first painting.

I'll sign it. Just wanted to show
the love I have for this.

That's when I stopped for a while
and got connected on a spiritual level

and went through this rebirth
that I feel is happening today.

I feel like I'm being reborn.

Nothing about him surprises me.
For him, the sky's the limit.

One more song, then we go home!

What I admire the most about Juan Luis
is his discipline.

Obviously, talent is important,
but without discipline, you'll get nowhere.

Malu doesn't sleep.

When he's on tour,
he has a mobile studio where he can work.

Let's get more music done. Cheers!

The music industry is always changing.

Right now, everything's very urban-sounding.

But if it changes, Maluma will be able
to sing other genres that don't exist yet.

We'll see.

Limitations only exist in our heads,
in our minds.

With work, perseverance and determination,
you can reach great goals.

What's next for me?

Performing at Madison Square Garden!

To keep filling stadiums.

I'll see you tonight, Rome.

Hello, London!

Today, I can say

that dreams do come true.

Maluma is a dream that came true.

Tonight's show was
the best I've ever had in my life.

I want to thank you all for doing your job,

and doing it magnificently.

See you soon.

Thank you.