Able to effortlessly transition from a verse filled with hardcore rap to a hooky pop chorus in either Spanish or English, Becky G has an impressive range. While still a teenager, she worked alongside artists like Cody Simpson and Kesha before breaking out with her solo hit "Shower" in 2014. As she released a steady stream of singles, G also branched out into acting, appearing in the 2017 Power Rangers movie, then landing a big Latin hit with her Bad Bunny collaboration "Mayores." The song later appeared on her 2019 debut album, Mala Santa, which hit the Top Five on the Latin charts. Another string of singles carried her into the next decade, including 2020's "No Drama" with Ozuna and 2022's "Mamiii" with Karol G, before she returned to the Top Five of the Latin Albums chart with her sophomore album, Esquemas. Staring with 2023's, Esquinas, she delivered two consecutive albums celebrating the Regional Mexican music she grew up with. Encuentros followed a year later.
Born and raised in Inglewood, California, Rebbeca Marie Gomez began her career at the age of 14, uploading cover versions of popular songs like Kanye West and Jay-Z's "Otis" and Frank Ocean's "Novacane" to video-sharing services. Using the stage name Becky G, she amassed an online following and caught the attention of producer Dr. Luke, who signed her to his Sony-owned Kemosabe imprint. At first, she focused on features, joining Cody Simpson on his 2012 single "Wish U Were Here" and appearing on the remix of Kesha's single "Die Young." Her own debut single, "Becky from the Block," landed in 2013 alongside her EP Play It Again. A year later, G's single "Shower" became a breakout hit and cracked the U.S. Top 20, eventually going multi-platinum. She followed it up later in the year with the Pitbull-assisted "Can't Get Enough" and logged time on the road opening for both Demi Lovato and Katy Perry.
In 2017, Becky G's career got another boost when she appeared in the feature film Power Rangers playing Trini, the yellow Power Ranger. In July of that year, she scored a major Latin chart hit with "Mayores," a collaboration with Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny. She returned to English in July 2018 with "Zooted," featuring French Montana and Farruko, and was also featured on Kane Brown's song "Lost in the Middle of Nowhere." In October 2019, G finally released her debut full-length album, Mala Santa. Along with the previously released "Mayores," the record spawned the spotlight tracks "Sin Pijama" with Natti Natasha, "Cuando Te Besé" with Paulo Londra, and "Dollar" featuring Myke Towers. The set peaked at number three on the Billboard Top Latin Albums chart. Also that year, she paired with Anitta for "Banana" and joined Maluma for the song "La Respuesta." More stand-alone tracks arrived in 2020, including "Perdiendo la Cabeza" with Carlos Rivera and Pedro Capó, "Muchacha" with Gente de Zona, and "No Drama" with Ozuna.
Becky G and Natti Natasha joined forces again in 2021 on "Ram Pam Pam," which was followed by "Fulanito" featuring El Alfa. The following year saw G team up with Karol G on the single "Mamiii." All of this led up to the release of the singer's sophomore full-length album, 2022's disco- and reggaeton-infused Esquemas, which cracked the Top 20 of the Hot 100 and hit number one on the Latin Pop Albums chart. She followed in March 2023 with the Omega-assisted non-album single "Arranca." That September, she returned with her third full-length, the Edgar Barrera-produced Esquinas. Anchored by the singles "Chanel" (with Peso Pluma) and "La Nena" (with Gabito Ballesteros), the album found her embracing a mix of traditional horn- and guitar-driven Regional Mexican styles. It hit number 109 on the Billboard 200 and reached the Top Ten of the Latin charts. Along with the solo single "Boomerang," G teamed up with El Alfa and the Black Eyed Peas for "Tonight" from the Bad Boys: Ride or Die soundtrack in the front half of 2024. The hit "Mercedes" with Oscar Maydon led to the October's Encuentros, another regional Mexican release and her fourth studio album. ~ David Jeffries
Maluma is the stage name of award-winning Colombian pop singer, songwriter, and rapper Juan Luis Londoño Arias. Possessed of a sweet, grainy tenor voice and streetwise yet romantic delivery, the pop urbano was able to cross over from a reggaeton audience to the mainstream thanks to infectious early singles such as "Obsesión" and "Miss Independent" (whose videos also went viral). His 2012 debut Magia endeared him to radio listeners across Latin America, while 2015's Pretty Boy, Dirty Boy broke through in the U.S., landing on the upper rungs of the Latin Pop, Urban, and Tropical charts. Since that time, Maluma has been charging toward world domination with a steady stream of videos, charting singles, and hit albums like 2019's 11:11 and 2020's Papi Juancho. He was also the subject of the documentary Maluma: Lo Que Era, Lo Que Soy, Lo Que Seré. His success continued in the next decade with the chart-topping 2021 single "Sobrio," his starring role in the 2022 Jennifer Lopez rom-com Marry Me, and the release of The Love & Sex Tape. 2023 brought additional hits like "La Fórmula" (with Marc Anthony) and "Coco Loco," before the August release of his sixth long-player, Don Juan. That album returned him to the Top 20 of the Latin charts and was followed by the 2024 Pirlo team-up "MIONCA."
Maluma's name is a tribute to his family. Before he began singing professionally, his now-famous stage name was a tattoo on his left leg. He made the word up from the initial syllable of his family's names -- his mother Marlli, his father Luis, and his sister Manuela. He adopted the name a few years later when he started singing and gained fame as a teenager. He originally pursued football as a vocation for eight years and was gifted enough to attract the attention of the media in his native Medellín. He initially sang for pleasure at hundreds of birthday parties, weddings, and celebrations. Given the rise of social media, and YouTube in particular, his already intense focus on music turned exclusive.
In 2011, at the age of 16, Maluma cut his first independent single, "Farandulera." Due to its internet popularity and emergent radio airplay in Colombia, the song gained the attention of Sony Music, which signed him. The following year, Maluma released Magia, his debut album. Several of its singles -- "Obsesión," "Loco," and "Miss Independent" -- received consistent airplay and hit the charts in Colombia and Latin America. His next single, "La Temperatura," entered the North American charts and earned him a Latin Grammy nomination in 2013. The following year, he was the featured vocalist on Elvis Crespo's hit "Ole Brazil," recorded for the World Cup.
Maluma returned in early 2015 with PB DB. The Mixtape, a compilation of hits with two new singles, "Me Gustas Tanto" and "Climax." The new tracks charted and set the stage for a brand-new album, Pretty Boy, Dirty Boy, which appeared in the fall. The recording was produced by Walter Kolm. In 2016, Maluma released a collaborative track with fellow Colombian star Shakira, "Chantaje," and the video became massively popular, racking up over one billion views online within five months. The track "Cuatro Babys," which reflected him as a swaggering Lothario with a rotating cast of women in and out of his bedroom, sparked a backlash when offended listeners called out the song's objectification of women. Some circulated a petition to have it removed from digital platforms. (It wasn't, but Maluma apologized.)
In 2017, Maluma was named "Artist of the Year" at the Premios Lo Nuestro, a Latin music awards show presented by Spanish-language television network Univision. That same year, he began work on his next album, writing songs in English as well as Spanish. In November 2017, he delivered an initial pre-release single, "Corazón," featuring Brazilian singer Nego do Borel, that peaked at number five at Hot Latin Songs. In May, he released the full-length F.A.M.E., produced mainly by the artist's Medellín camp, including Édgar "Edge" Barrera and "Rude Boyz" Kevin ADG & Chan el Genio, with further duet contributions by Timbaland ("Mi Declaración"), Prince Royce ("Hangover"), and Jason Derulo on the bilingual "La Ex." The album reached the top spot on the Latin Albums chart and number 37 on the Hot 200.
Early 2019 saw Maluma issue a remix of the single "Mala Mía," which featured contributions from Anitta and Becky G. A few months later, he collaborated with Madonna on the song "Medellín" from her album Madame X. The pair's hi-tech performance of the song at the Billboard Music Awards brought the house down with its use of holograms. That May, Maluma released his fourth studio album, 11:11, supported by the singles "HP" and "11 P.M." His collaborators on the record included Ozuna, Madonna, Daddy Yankee, and Ricky Martin. It entered the Top Latin Albums chart at number one in June while F.A.M.E. was still in the Top 20. Also in 2019, YouTube Originals premiered its documentary on the singer, Lo Que Era, Lo Que Soy, Lo Que Seré, directed by Dominican filmmaker Jessy Terrero.
In early 2020, Maluma scored another hit with the single "ADMV," which paved the way for his fifth album, Papi Juancho. Released in August of that year, it featured appearances by Yandel, Yomo, Lenny Tavárez, Justin Quiles, and others, peaking at number two on Billboard's Top Latin Albums chart and reaching number 34 on the Billboard 200. 2021 began with the release of the #7DJ (7 Días en Jamaica) EP, followed by the chart-topping stand-along single "Sobrio." Among Maluma's other singles that year were "Imposible Amor" with Natti Natasha and "Mama Tetema" featuring Rayvanny. In 2022, Maluma starred alongside Jennifer Lopez in the romantic comedy Marry Me, and also sang on the soundtrack. A few months later, he revisited the steamier side of his sound with The Love & Sex Tape which yielded several hits including "Cositas de la USA" and "Nos Comemos Vivos" featuring Chencho Corleone. Subsequent single "Junio" hit number one in Colombia, and Maluma recorded "Tukoh Taka" with Nicki Minaj and Myriam Fares for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
"La Fórmula," a duet with Marc Anthony, became another Colombian chart-topper in 2023. Maluma followed with solo single "La Reina" and "Diablo, Qué Chimba" with Anuel AA. "Coco Loco" followed in June. In August, Sony released the long-player Don Juan. The whopping 25-track album, is, according to the artist, titled after an alter ego. The set includes collaborations with a range of singers and rappers like Carin Leon, Jowell & Randy, Ryan Castro, Don Omar, J Balvin, and Yandel, and boasts ten pre-release singles. It hit number 11 on the Top Latin Albums chart and cracked the Billboard 200. "MIONCA," a collaboration with Pirlo arrived in May 2024. ~ Thom Jurek
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