The Colombian star announced on social media that the tile of his next album is 11:11, and while he did not share a release date, he did offer fans a look at the LP’s concept.
“11:11 is a direct signal from our guides, angels and teachers to establish a moment of connection, synchronicity and awareness with ourselves, with the whole, it is a wake-up call, it is a door to meditate, to listen to our intuition, to look in our interior, time to stop and feel the subtle energies of the universe, is a call from our essence, a reminder of our true purpose on earth, is a call to trust,” Maluma wrote.
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Luis Fonsi spoke with Billboard on Feb. 1, the release day of his new album Vida, to talk about his new “500-pound baby,” finally released a full two years after “Despacito.”
“In the beginning, I wanted to release the album because it was ready,” Fonsi says. “But I said, let’s show people little by little my quote, unquote ‘new sound.’ I hate using that expression, but so much has happened since my last album that it’s a new time. At the end of the day, two years later, here we are.”
Vida is not a collection of “Despacitos,” but a well-balanced album that digs deep into Fonsi’s R&B and romantic side with soaring ballads and mid-tempo tracks where he makes good use of his beautiful voice, always his strongest asset.
“I’ve always been like this,” he says. “Obviously earlier in my career the songs that were promoted were more ballad driven. But that doesn’t mean I didn’t do the uptempo, R&B songs. They were tucked in there. But I haven’t changed my way of writing a song or performing.”
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Notable tracks, beside “Despacito,” “Echame la culpa” and new single “Sola” — in English and Spanish — include “Ahi Estas Tu” (There You Are), which Fonsi wrote for his baby boy Rocco.
“[Album producers] Andres [Torres] and Mauricio [Rengifo] flew down here to Miami and spent a lot of time here, in my house and my studio, writing, working, and they lived all of this with me,” says Fonsi, telling the story behind the track. “My wife’s pregnancy, his birth. We were all sort of very emotional and positively inspired by his birth, and we’re songwriters. How can you not write a song about this?”
As it turns out, Rocco was born on the same day, Dec. 20, as his older sister Mikaela, which explains why their dad has the date tattooed below his neck.
“The other part of the tattoo is an Emmy Lou Harris guitar. It’s a Gibson, which is my go-to guitar where I write all of my songs. And underneath there’s a record player with my kids’ names,” he says.
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How about a tattoo of “Despacito?”
“I’m waiting to do that on my face. Right here,” Fonsi laughs. “No,” he adds quickly. “That is not going to happen anytime soon.”
As far as life post-“Despacito” goes, Fonsi says that the song will always hold a special place in his heart.
“I think one song doesn’t define a career,” says Fonsi, whose 2008 hit “No Me Doy Por Vencido” spent 49 weeks on the Hot Latin Songs chart and 19 at No. 1. “But definitely there’s a before and an after and I realize that, and I will always be happy to sing it, and it will always bring me back to a special time.”
Romeo Santos, Don Omar & more artists have taken to social media to mourn Sarante.
Dominican singer Yoskar Sarante died Monday in Orlando, Fla., due to a lung problem. He was 48. The news was confirmed by J&N Records President Juan Hidalgo and Vice President Nelson Estevez, both of whom worked with the artist for many years.
“We were great friends, almost like brothers,” Hidalgo said in an official press statement. “We lived many experiences together. There are many happy memories with him. He was a good person and we are very sorry for his loss.”
Estevez added: “Dominican music is in mourning because it has lost one of the best bachateros. Yoskar imposed a style in the ’90s bachata that was the propeller of the change of this genre. We must also highlight the work of his music producer Martinez de León, who worked with him from the beginning, his manager Rodrigo and we, at J & N Records, who were the first to believe in Yoskar and to this day promote his legacy.”
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Artists have since taken to social media to express their condolences. “Our genre has lost a superstar, one of the best voices of Bachata,” Romeo Santos wrote on Instagram. “Your departure has been sudden and surprising,” Don Omar posted. “Bachata and your beautiful country are in mourning.” Colombian DJ Alex Sensation stated, “I will always remember you with that joy and all your songs that made me your fan since the beginning of your career.”
Sarante was born January 2, 1970, in the Dominican Republic, with a musical trajectory that spanned 25 years. Known as “El Prabu,” Sarante kicked off his career in 1994 as a merengue singer in the local band Grupo Melao. He then dipped his toes into the bachata genre, becoming one of the most popular bachata singers of the ’90s.
Known internationally for his romantic bachata tunes, Sarante is the man behind classic bachatas such as “Llora Alma Mia” and “Perdoname.” You can revisit some of his work below.
