BY CLARA SEELY-KATZ

Manuel Turizo is a Colombian singer currently on the rise. In the past few years, he has shot to fame, having successful release after successful release and amassing over eleven million Instagram followers. His album “ADN” made serious waves in 2019, and with his most recent release “Dopamina”(2021) Turizo is slowly becoming one of the more influential reggaeton singers today. 

Like all of his previous works, “Dopamina” really is a fun album. It explores different aspects of reggaeton, and each track is fresh and different from the last. From the beginning to the end it really is a good time and a must-listen.

In our conversation, along with revealing his celebrity crush, Turizo told all about his musical muses, his new album, and where he hopes to take his future career.

Hey, how are you?

Excellent, thank you for having me!

My first question for you is if you could describe yourself in three words, what would they be?

That sounds like an easy question, but that's hard to answer when you really think about it. I think I would say I am real, I am very sentimental, and the last one I would say is I'm a dreamer.

Who is a singer that you would want to collaborate with soon that you haven't collaborated with?

There are so many in the Latin music community, English too. I would love to collaborate with Daddy Yankee, I would love to collaborate with him. I would love to collaborate with Justin Bieber. His music is so hot right now. Also, Chance the Rapper, I love him so much. I can't just choose one. 

What is one thing you can’t live without? 

One thing that I can’t live life without? Music, of course. 

Other than singing, what is something that you are passionate about?

I love to hang out with my people. I love animals. I love music.

Who is your celebrity crush?

My whole life it’s been Megan Fox.

What do you do during your free time?

I go to the beach, I kitesurf, I play sports. 

If you could visit one country that you haven’t been to yet, which would it be?

I would love to go to Japan. I've never been there. 

If you could say anything to your fans, give them any advice, what would it be?

I just want to thank you all. I want to say thank you to everyone who is talking about and sharing my music. Everything I want to say I said in 'Dopamina,' in my new album, so go check it out. 

Can you tell me about how your past year has been, especially with the pandemic and all?

I think for everyone, it was very stressful, but I cannot say anything because I am okay. I was lucky. I continued working. My family's okay. Everyone is okay. I thank god I'm able to say that, that everyone I love is okay. There are many people who lost their parents lost their family, so what I can say. It took me a few months before I was able to start work again, and I didn't want to be locked down for that much time, but I'm okay. I kept working. I kept doing my thing. 

I read that you started making music when you were thirteen. Can you tell me about how you got into the music industry at such a young age?

I really got into the music industry when I was sixteen, but I started making music when I was thirteen. But I've always made music. I've felt connected to music since I was just a baby. I used to play with guitars with microphones. They were toys to me, I didn't know how to use them, but that was like just how I used to play as a baby. Then when I started growing up, I went into guitar lessons, saxophone lessons, and violin lessons. At thirteen, that is when I actually started getting into music lessons, and that was when I began to love making music and felt more connected to it. Then, I began to write lyrics. I loved dancing, I loved that, I spent my free time as a kid writing lyrics, and that's how it started. When I turned fifteen, that's when I realized that I wanted to be an artist, I wanted to be a musician, I wanted to dedicate my life to this. 

Can you tell me about some of your musical inspirations and influences? 

Sin Bandera, Daddy Yankee, Aventura and Romeo Santos. 

You yourself have risen to fame relatively quickly, now you have over eleven million followers on Instagram. Can you tell me how it feels to have people looking up to you?

How do I feel about that? I feel like it's a responsibility, of course, because I have people who are looking at what I'm doing, and maybe they feel like I'm an example of what they want to do in their life. Many young guys want to do the same. I'm just me, I want to tell people to just work hard, and you can get what you want. It's like I told you at the beginning of the interview, I'm a dreamer, and that's what I want to inspire my followers to be, and that's how I want them to know Manuel Turizo. 

What are your favorite and least favorite parts about being famous? 

Well, what I don't like so much is that I don't have the same time that I had before. I really want to spend time with the people I love, to enjoy life with my friends, with my people with my family. I'm more all over now with so many things to do, I have to compromise a lot, and I don't get the time I used to. What I really enjoy is that I do get to work every day, and I get to work hard on my career, but I also get to grow up more and learn more every day. I wouldn't trade that in for anything. 

So has family always been a big part of your life?

Yes, of course. It has always been important to me, especially since I started maybe too young in this industry; I'm only twenty-one now. In the beginning, they were the ones who give support. They were the first ones who trusted in what I was trying to do in my pursuit of my career in music. Many of the people who follow me know my brother Julian Turizo is a songwriter too. He started his career as a songwriter at the same time as I started my career as a singer. They all have been an important part of what I have accomplished over the years. 

Your new album ‘Dopamina’ just recently came out, and throughout the whole thing, you utilize many different styles and tones. Can you tell me which song was your favorite to write and why? 

I love the whole album, from the first song to the last one, because 'Dopamina' was an album I did just because I wanted to. There was no other reason. I wanted to put out music to my people, to the people who listen to my stuff. For this album, it was completely my own, so I didn't have to compromise on anything in order to release it. I didn't have a time limit either. No one told me they needed a new album in one month or anything. One of the songs, La Nota, was something I made a while ago, but I fell in love with it. I tried to release it before the pandemic, but I wanted the song to be perfect, so we kept it for 'Dopamina,' and it works better for the present day. I really wanted people to enjoy the album from start to end. Each song has a different thing to give. 

For your album, you are going to be touring in America. How do you want American audiences to know you? 

How do I want to be known? My shows are really crazy. That's what I enjoy doing. I love doing shows. The people who have been to my shows during my first tour that I did in the United States around two years ago know how it is. I want the people who don't know me or who have not seen me on tour before to see who I am and hear my music. The 'Dopamina' tour is completely new, like nothing I've done before. I've been doing nothing for many months now, so the idea is to give it my all.

In the future, where do you hope to take your music? 

I want to stay connected with my people and give credit to my followers for the people who have continued to listen to my music. For my music, of course, I want to keep growing as an artist and become well known even in countries that don't know my name right now. I am working to keep making my music to keep doing what I like to keep connecting with other people and bring more goodness and joy to their lives. I think that's what music is all about.

If you weren't making music, what do you think you would be doing right now?

I honestly have no idea what I would be doing today if music hadn’t worked out in my life.

My last question for you is, if you were a book, what would the title of your life be?

My book would be called “To Be Happy, You Have to Chase What You Love in Life,” I’m all about doing what you love, not what people tell you to do.