Latin star Ozuna says he worked hard to make ‘Nibiru’ great

By Associated Press AP

PUBLISHED 12:40 PM ET Nov. 29, 2019

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Ozuna set a record for most weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Latin albums chart by a male artist with his 2017 debut album, “Odisea.” The superstar reggaeton and Latin trap singer, who has sold-out New York’s Madison Square Garden, is also the first artist to have seven music videos reach a billion views each on YouTube.

Because he wanted to match his previous success — and reach even greater heights — Ozuna got more involved in the production process of “Nibiru,” his third full-length album released Friday.

“I believe this is the album (that) I have dedicated (the most) time in my career,” Ozuna said in Spanish in a phone interview from New York City this week. “I feel good (about) the music ... we took things from everywhere to do this.”

The album features the hit single “Baila Baila Baila,” which earned him his first Latin Grammy nomination this year (he lost to Rosalía). “Nibiru” also includes “Reggaeton en Paris,” featuring Dalex and Nicky Jam, and his latest single “Hasta Que Salga el Sol,” which he said was made “for the disco and the party.”

“It’s a great song with great energy,” he said. “If you wake up with a song like this, you got to cheer up that day.”

“Nibiru” also includes collaborations with high-profile performers such as Diddy and DJ Snake (“Eres Top”), Snoop Dogg and Anuel AA (“Patek”) and Swae Lee (“Sin Pensar”). The track “Temporal” features Willy of the Puerto Rican rock band Cultura Profética — a song that takes the rocker to more tropical grounds.

“I love the style of rock. I love the electric guitar,” said Ozuna about his relationship with rock music.

Ozuna, born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, performed at Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade in New York City on Thursday. Last week he was one of the headline acts at the Coca-Cola Flow Fest in Mexico City, where 75,000 fans attended and Ozuna shined onstage with a bright red jacket and hat.

“It’s out of respect for my fans, you got to look and dress good,” Ozuna said of his fashion choices.

He will return to Mexico for the Machaca Festival next year. His 2020 will be super-busy: He’ll launch his “Nibiru” world tour and he will appear in “Fast & Furious 9,” which will hit U.S. theaters on May 22.

Ozuna is ending 2019 on a bright note. At the beginning of the year, he said he was being extorted over an explicit video filmed when he was 16 years old.

To those facing similar challenges, Ozuna said: “Keep going forward.”

“Those are special situations, everyone comes here to learn something, surely they will learn from those situations. It’s just going to be an experience.”