Music fans know exactly who Maluma is. He’s the talented Colombian singer and songwriter who brings his “A” game to every project he works on. He’s also a man who has an alter ego, and it’s the alter ego you know very little about. The alter is Papi Juancho. When people hear the name Papi Juancho, they often feel confused and unsure who they are hearing about, but it’s because it’s Maluma. He’s Papi Juancho. If you still don’t know what we are talking about, it’s time to get to know the Colombian singer’s alter ego and all that it stands for.
1. Papi Juancho is a Surprise Album
To start this off, we should point out that Papi Juancho is a surprise album that was released August 21, 2020 by Colombian musician Maluma. It’s the surprise album that no one saw coming straight out of pandemic quarantine, and it’s the one that is going to take the nation by storm – since it already has – but we mean this in a different manner.
2. Maluma’s Real Name is A Play on Papi Juancho
Here’s where things start to become more interesting. Papi Juancho is the alter ego of Maluma, but Maluma’s birth name is Juan Luis Londono Arias. The alter ego for the man with the nickname Maluma is a play off his birth name, which is just genius. He’s thought long and hard about all of this.
3. Papi Juancho is a Quarantine Personality
If the 2020 pandemic quarantine taught anyone anything, it’s that people who reside in states and cities where lockdowns were enforced strictly for months at a time had to develop an alter ego. Those who live in states where lockdowns lasted only a few weeks and the world opened back up on May 1, 2020 haven’t needed to do that. Those are the people who never stopped living their real lives, and they are the ones who went right back to normal from the start. Those locked down for long periods of time, however, had to find alter egos. The artist calls Papi Juancho his alter ego who represents the “lonely” sessions of the pandemic.
4. He Was Locked Down in Colombia
Maluma was locked down in Medellin, which meant he had a lot of downtime to write, to sing, and to record. That’s what he did, and that’s where this alter ego came from. This is what he did to curb the loneliness and the other unfortunate feelings that come along with being locked down in a pandemic.
5. One of His Hit Songs Was Used Against Him
After this album was released, footballer Neymar released a video of his team singing the hit song “Hawai,” from the Papi Juancho album. Why is this significant? It’s significant because Maluma’s ex-girlfriend, Natalia Barulich, is now dating the football star, and the song is an obvious breakup song, and it just seemed a little mean to many of Maluma’s fans.
6. This Album is Real
What’s special about this album is the fact that it was written by this man when he was in lockdown, and he did most of it on his own. Rather than working with a team of people like he typically does, he did this himself. It’s rawer and more honest than almost anything else he’s done, and that is what he loves about this album.
7. He Needed a Detox
When his social media accounts went dark in the summer, it was a much-needed situation for the artist. He needed to detox from the world, from the things going on, and from so much more. We feel that on a personal level having also done this several times over the course of the year. 2020 is the year of people complaining and being miserable, and being exposed to that all day long is just unhealthy. Good for Maluma for getting that out of his system.
8. He’s Been in the Game a Decade
Not only does this album mark his fifth studio album, but it also marks a decade since he began recording music. It was a relatively big year for the star, and it’s one that he’s not taking lightly. He appreciates where he is and what he’s been up to.
9. He’s Big on Changing
He’s only 26, but he’s a big fan of change. He calls his Maluma’s different over the years. He knows that each one that has come to work and created an album has been a little different than the last. He was 16 when he began recording, and he knows he had to grow up, change, and go through things. We love that he recognizes and owns the fact that he is not and will never be the same person twice.
10. He Likes Surprises
It’s something he enjoys. He wanted this album to be a surprise. He wanted to make sure his fans had something great going on in his life. He made sure his fans were happy, that they had something to look forward to, and he managed it with ease.
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