Maluma is an extremely attractive man. Just ask Donatella Versace, who hired him as the face of her SS 2022 campaign, or maybe J-Lo, whom he was seen cheating on in recent romcom Marry Me, or even one or two of the 28.3 million subscribers to his YouTube channel. Or you could survey any one of the thousands of delirious punters at the O2 last night, who spent the evening hanging onto the Colombian heartthrob’s every word.
Yes, after multiple postponements, the Papi Juancho World Tour finally arrived in London, making the Medellín-raised singer/actor the first ever male South American artist to headline the O2. Already a long-standing titan of the Latin music world, Maluma – real name Juan Luis Londoño Arias – has become a pop A-lister since his last UK headline show, thanks in part to collaborations with Madonna and The Weeknd, plus his contributions to Disney smash Encanto. Yesterday evening the 28-year-old more than proved his star power with a polished stage production that put his sex appeal front and centre.
Performing in the round, beneath a 360° video screen – fortuitously facilitating fans in admiring him from every angle – Maluma proved a magnetic presence, and not just because he spent the first half of the set smouldering in hot pink. Whether leading the venue in a capella singalongs, performing sizzling choreography with his team of bikini-clad dancers, or raising a toast to the Spanish-speaking nations in attendance – an audience member’s bra casually slung over one shoulder – he kept the arena rapt.
Bookending the show with his biggest hit – and strongest song – Hawái, it was a solid set of party-ready reggaeton and Latin trap, embellished with impressive projections and pyrotechnics. At the climax of 2016-hit Cuatro Babys, Maluma exited the stage by seeming to levitate, while during the night’s only ballad, ADMV, he emerged from the floor and sang draped over a white baby grand while being showered with red confetti.
Bar a brief cameo from a backing vocalist to perform Shakira’s verses on Chantaje, this pianist was the only musician to actually make it onto the stage, with the rest of his band relegated to the floor of the venue throughout. And yet even with a full orchestra onstage there would have been no distracting from the star attraction, thanks to the night’s camera operator.
At the end of Sobrio, Maluma gave one lucky fan a personalised close-up of that dazzling grin, taking a playful selfie with a phone tossed onstage. In truth, it was a fun moment that felt characteristic of an extremely charismatic and likeable performer.
