Manuel Turizo: "Reggaeton is no longer the pop music of today."

Two billion, with a double M for Manuel. That's the number of streams La bachata has on Spotify. Not the musical genre, of course, but the biggest hit by Colombian Manuel Turizo (Montería, 2000). The video for his best-known single has 885 million views on YouTube. But Manuel Turizo has no reason to worry about being a one-hit wonder .

" I said I forgot you, but I hadn't forgotten you ." However, " you can go out with anyone, na-na-na-na-na ." These are two verses that accompany the singer when he finds himself " driving through the streets you left me ." If you dig deeper, you'll probably find more choruses that have been sung in every nightclub, party, or popular festival in our country.

Spain has welcomed Manuel Turizo as its own. He's currently a coach on the Antena 3 talent show La voz kids . He'll also embark on his 201st Tour through Spain starting October 3rd, performing 15 times in cities like Bilbao, Barcelona, ​​and Madrid. His music will then take him through Europe and Latin America, eventually reaching the United States. "I'm excited, brother, it's my first time on my own tour in Spain," he says.

The young performer seems to have followed in the footsteps of his compatriot Maluma, albeit with a more Hispanic approach. He has also not shied away from exploring more folkloric and tropical sounds , like Bad Bunny or Rauw Alejandro in his latest works, but without neglecting pop or electronica.

The Colombian has also been gradually leaving reggaeton behind, at least in appearance. "More than that genre, it's an urban identity," he explains. "When you start your career, you're classified by a style, but I never considered myself a reggaeton artist," he says. "Not even in my early days. Reggaeton is gradually ceasing to be the main focus, perhaps; it's no longer the pop of the moment."

There's one genre that Manuel Turizo struggles with: "We're in Spain, and I haven't done flamenco yet; that would be really hard," he says. "We want to get back to feeling organic things," says Turizo. "We're in such a technological age that everything is becoming synthetic." And this search for traditional sounds seems to be a trend. "Today, we're bringing back what was forgotten and that new generations don't know."

We must continue growing to make songs that mark generations, like 'A Lady Like You'

The performer has sung duets with several Spanish artists, including Abraham Mateo, Alejandro Sanz, and Lola Índigo, with whom he shares the set of La voz kids . "There are many more I like, and I know we could do amazing things: Rels B, C. Tangana, Quevedo, Bad Gyal... There are so many," he explains.

Colombia, Turizo's home country, is also full of stars with whom he's collaborated: Carlos Vives, Maluma, Shakira... Although there's one fellow countryman who seems to be taking a long time to appear: Karol G. "I'm a big fan of hers, maybe some of my comments, said with less than optimal energy, have been misinterpreted," he says. Will Manuel Turizo and Karol G have a song together? "She's an incredible artist, we'll see one day."

On Spotify, apart from the 2 billion plays on La Bachata , he has almost 800 million plays on El Merengue (with DJ Marshmello), and 775 on his first hit Una Lady Como Tú . "I don't really like being aware of those numbers," he says. "I'm not going to be modest and say that they're not something I'm proud of; I've worked for it and I deserve it." This doesn't mean he's stopped working: "You have to keep growing to make songs that mark generations, like Una Lady Como Tú ." And he gives another example: "With La Bachata we broke a ceiling that we thought existed for Manuel," he says in the third person. And he laughs as he adds: "There were renovations."

Something Manuel Turizo isn't considering for the moment is singing in English, because he feels "in Spanish" and dreams "in Spanish." "I cry in Spanish, brother, my emotions are translated into Spanish," he says. He also doesn't rule out singing in that language if it happens "organically." For now, his mix of styles, his music, and perhaps a surprise guest are what we'll be able to see in Spain—and in Spanish— on stages starting this fall .