Maluma (real name Juan Luis Londoño Arias) was born in Medellin, Columbia on 28 January 1994. His pseudonym consists of two first letters of his mother’s name (Marrli), two letters of his father’s name(Louis), and two letter of his sister’s name (Manuela).
When he was young, Juan dreamed of becoming a soccer player. He played for a local team for eight years. The boy also enjoyed playing volleyball, table tennis, and chess. However, his love for music, which was with him since childhood, turned out to be stronger than other hobbies. In high school, Juan often wrote poems so his friends could give it to their girlfriends. In 10th grade, he participated in a singing contest and won it.
When Juan was 15, he wrote “No quiero”. The song was so well written that his uncle decided to give the boy a session in a recording studio as a birthday gift. The gift turned into a contract with a group of producers. That’s when Juan came up with his pseudonym Maluma.
In 2010, Maluma started taking music lessons and recording singles. He released "Farandulera", which became a local radio hit. After the song was released, Maluma was offered a contract with Sony Music. Together with Sony, he recorded the next single, “Loco.” The popularity came to the singer in a blink of an eye. Even in the beginning of his career, it was very hard to book Maluma for any private event.
