Last Updated on September 13, 2024
Juan Luis Londoño Arias, known professionally by his stage name Maluma, is a Colombian singer, songwriter, record producer, and actor.
After achieving modest success as a young artist, Maluma broke into the international limelight with his 2015 second studio album ‘Pretty Boy, Dirty Boy.’ The album was an instant hit and led to several high-profile collaborations with other artists.
Maluma would later follow up with three more albums and several singles. Many of his singles have featured within the top ten on Billboard Hot Latin Songs.
Maluma Quick Facts
| Full Name: | Juan Luis Londoño Arias |
| Popular Name: | Maluma |
| Nicknames: | Juancho |
| Birth Date: | January 28, 1994 |
| Age: | 28 years |
| Parents: | Luis Londoño and Marlli Arias |
| Siblings: | Manuela Londoño Arias |
| Birth Place: | Medellín, Colombia |
| Nationality: | Colombian |
| Ethnicity: | Colombian |
| Religion: | Christianity |
| Education: | Hontanares School |
| Marital Status: | In a relationship with Susana Gomez |
| Sexual Orientation: | Straight |
| Children: | None |
| Net Worth: | USD 12 million |
| Source of Wealth: | Singing, Songwriting, Record Producing, Acting, Other Ventures |
| Height: | 5′ 10″ (1.76 m) |
| Weight: | In kilograms: 70 kg; In pounds: 154 lbs. |
Early Life and Career Information
Early Life
Juan Luis Londoño Arias was born on January 28, 1994, in Medellín, Colombia, to Luis Londoño and Marlli Arias.
Arias graduated from Hontanares School located in El Retiro.
Music Career
Juan Luis Londoño Arias took an interest in athletics before discovering his musical ambitions. He was particularly interested in football, which he played competitively from his early childhood through middle school. He’s noted for competing in the lower divisions in the Atletico Nacional and Equidad Sports Club teams.
But shortly after joining high school, Arias gave up his athletic ambitions and chose to focus fully on music. He decided to pursue music seriously following encouragement from many of his high school friends who believed in his talents.
Juan Arias officially kicked off his music career by participating in local singing competitions. He got his first break at the age of fifteen when he teamed up with a close friend to compose the single ‘No quiero.’ The following year, his uncle Juan Parra offered him a chance to record the song in a studio as part of his birthday present. Arias impressed the producers who asked him to come up with a perfect stage name, and that’s how the moniker ‘Maluma’ was birthed. The name is a combination of the first two letters of his mother, father, and sister’s name.
Maluma began to release songs under his new moniker in 2010. He released the single “Farandulera,” which became popular on Sony Music.
Following the success of Farandulera, Sony Music’s subsidiary label – Sony Music Colombia – signed Maluma to record his debut studio album. The album, titled ‘Magia,’ was released in 2012. It spawned several popular singles, including “Obsesión,” ‘Miss Independent,” “Primer Amor,” and “Pasarla Bien.” All songs were a tremendous success, with their respective music videos garnering millions of views on YouTube.
In 2013, Maluma released the track “La Temperatura” with Puerto Rican artist Eli Palacios. The song became the first single in the upcoming mixtape ‘PB.DB The Mixtape.’ It reached #7 on the National-Report charts and became Maluma’s first single to debut on the US charts for the Latin audience.
Maluma’s second studio album, titled ‘Pretty Boy, Dirty Boy,’ was eventually released in 2015. The album contained several top-charting singles that propelled the artist further into the international limelight. Noteworthy ones include “Borró Cassette”, “Sin Contrato,” and “El Perdedor,” all of which featured in the #10 on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs.
Maluma has since followed up his first two studio albums with three more. They include F.A.M.E (2018), 11:11 (2019), and Papi Juancho (2020).
Acting Career
Maluma made his cinematic debut in 2014 by appearing as a coach in Season 1 and later Season 2 of the reality television series ‘La voz Kids Colombia.’ The same year, he served as the main presenter of the ‘Kids Choice Awards Colombia.’
Maluma has since made many other television and film appearances during his career. Notable ones include;
Films
• X (The Film) (2017)
• Encanto (2021; as a voice actor)
• Marry Me (2022)
Television Shows
• Despertar contigo (2016)
• La Voz… México (2017 – 2018)
• La Voz Kids México (2017)
• Lo Que Era, Lo Que Soy, Lo Que Seré (2019; YouTube documentary)
Maluma’s Net Worth
Maluma is one of Colombia’s most successful and fastest-rising musicians. As at December 1, 2022, the artist had a net worth of $12 million.
Maluma’s music-related earnings come primarily from record and album sales. However, he also makes decent cash from touring and live performances.
The artist has since embarked on four tours, beginning with the ‘Pretty Boy, Dirty Boy World Tour’ in 2016. His most recent tour was the ‘Papi Juancho Tour’ in 2021, which came hot in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Lessons from Maluma
1. Celebrate your family
Maluma is proud of his family and celebrates them at every opportunity he can find. He chose to immortalize his family by choosing a stage moniker that contains the first two letters of the names of people who matter the most in his life – his mother, father, and sister.
2. Infuse some diversity into your projects
Maluma may be Colombian. But his music travels far and wide. The artist understands that his songs appeal to multicultural audiences. Which is why he has often translated some of them from his native Spanish language to English.
3. Don’t always reveal your next move
It’s almost like an unwritten rule in the music industry for artists to build up to their song releases. However, a few musicians like Maluma believe that success sometimes consists in pulling pleasant surprises. A case in point is when he surprise-released his 5th studio album, Papi Juancho.
Famous Quotes by Maluma
• I feel grateful for the Puerto Ricans who created this genre that has inspired me to have such a beautiful career.
• It’s not only about the material things – I also have a spiritual side.
• Maluma Everyone knows I’m a huge fan of Chris Brown and Justin Timberlake. For me, it would be more than an honor to work with these talented musicians.
• People should focus on my foundation, my projects, and everything positive and important that I am doing in Latin America and the around the world.
• That connection that I have with my fans is really special, and every time, when I have moments, when I have free time, the only thing that I think about is what I’m going to post, what I’m going to say to my fans.
Wrap Up
Maluma is one of Colombia’s most talented musicians of his generation. His mastery of releasing culturally-diverse music is the reason his songs have achieved monumental success even among non-Spanish speaking audiences. It’s also the reason he enjoys a cool $12 million net worth.
