US pop has been travelling south to appropriate Latin heat since time immemorial. But since 2017’s Puerto Rican smash Despacito and particularly Justin Bieber’s remix, there’s no longer a meaningful divide between anglophone territories and the global pop market. Perfectly placed to ride this wave is Colombia’s Maluma: rapper, singer, reggaetonista, catwalk model, social media presence and abettor of Madonna in her latest Latin fetish. You can hear the pop baton being passed when Ricky Martin jumps on No Se Me Quita, one of 11:11’s many two-handers.
In the run-up to Madonna’s Medellín, Maluma’s 2018 F.A.M.E. album went 6x platinum in the US. His fourth album boasts even more A-list producers (Max Martin), and more bilingual outings: Ty Dolla $ign crops up doing his best Drake impersonation on Tu Vecina, in which a neighbour wonders where all the sex noises went. For Soltera, Madonna piles on Auto-Tune and a weird accent.
How thrilling these good-natured, thigh-rubbing party tunes are depends on your interest in the interplay of stereotypical “mamacitas” and “papi”s. But songs like No Puedo Olvidarte nail the sweet spot between hunky smouldering and wavy club music, and recent single HP sees things from a female perspective.
