Maluma Discusses His Royalty Records Label And What He Looks For In A Signee At Billboard Latin Music Week

During Billboard Latin Music Week’s third day, current cover star Maluma celebrated with a Superstar Q&A hosted by Billboard Espaol deputy editor Sigal Ratner-Arias.

He discussed the significance of launching the label in Colombia, as well as how he secured the label’s first two artists, Abril and Paulina B. According to Maluma, both artists captured his heart, and he admits with a smile, “It’s easy for me to fall in love.”

The five most important takeaways from his conversation are listed below.

“I have achieved a lot with my musical career, but now I am building the first steps of an empire… I’ve always wanted to help other artists. If I saw an artist I liked, I’d tell them, ‘Come on, let’s do this together.’ I realised there was a way to make this profitable. ‘I need some guidance,’ I told my manager and attorney. It is very easy to fantasise and say you want to do so many things, but if you don’t know how to do them, you will fail.”

Find yourself first: “When you start a career, we all have some references. It was Jutin Timberlake or Marc Anthony for me, and I’d say, ‘One day, I want to sing like them.’ You always feel like you have those benchmarks, but it is more important to discover yourself, your own style. Also, I always say that 80% of a musical career is discipline and 20% is talent — and this is what helped me. That’s what I want, for [the artists I sign] to feel happy and free.”

“Marc Anthony has been a blessing in my life because he gave me advice in the beginning, which would not have happened [otherwise].” When he told me that sometimes you have to be a little selfish — live your own happiness and calm — I remembered how tired I was of doing everything for everyone else. ‘Hey, there’s no formula, you just have to be yourself,’ Marc said. That’s when I was free to do whatever I wanted.”

Put your family first: “I am fortunate that [my father] is also my best friend in addition to working with me.” When you start working with your family in this industry, you’ll notice that there are some conflicts of interest and that the relationships suffer in some ways. I had no idea about the numbers when I finished my first concert with my first manager, and then he gave me everything so I could manage it myself, and I said, ‘I only know how to sing and make sandwiches.’ ‘I need you,’ I said to my father. That is when we began our financial journey together. ‘If you take care of my business, our relationship as father and son will suffer,’ I explained. We had that discussion. My father is now the CEO and president of my company, and things are going well so far.”

Allow your dreams to evolve: “As I grow, my priorities change, and so do my dreams.” My first dream will always be music, and I will never stop doing it until I die. But I also felt compelled to pursue other avenues, which is when we launched our first venture, the [Royalty by Maluma] collaboration with Macy’s. My perfume, as well as the important business of my mezcal. Everything, in my opinion, boils down to being disciplined and organised. [In the morning], I try to meditate and spend an hour focusing and planning my day. But it wasn’t always like this; I was in the studio until 4 a.m. and wanted to tour all the time. It’s different now. I have a routine and an office that I enjoy. But, as I always say, music always calls me… going on tour and singing in front of people is the best thing in the world.”

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