Maluma is continuing to rip up the rule book when it comes to releasing new music by releasing new album ‘#7DJ' (‘7 Days in Jamaica) to celebrate his 27th birthday.
The visual album, which comes only 5 months after ‘Papi Juancho', consists of seven interconnected songs and videos as Maluma explores the heart of Jamaica, letting go of the trappings of fame and connecting with a new reality, renewed by the Island through its people, music, and spirit of freedom.
The album features collaborations with Jamaican artists Ziggy Marley and Charly Black. It incorporates traditional Jamaican musicians and live instruments (trumpets, saxophone, bass, drums).
The ‘#7DJ' visual album concept was born more than a year ago on a seven day trip the artist took with his close friends and longtime music collaborators to Jamaica, a place he had dreamed of visiting since he was a child. He was able to immerse himself in island life and sounds while spending time writing and collaborating, creating new connections and fusions every day on a trip that he describes as life-changing.
“Those seven days in Jamaica came at a time when I needed to escape and decompress as I had intensely worked non-stop on my career for seven years… causing me to question if I should even continue doing music. I did a lot of soul-searching and came back a different person, completely inspired and having realized that music is not just what I do, its part of who I am; how I experience and interpret life,” expressed Maluma.
‘#7DJ' was produced by Edgar Barrera “Edge”, Johany Alejandro Corral “Nyal” and The Rude Boyz (Kevin “ADG” Jimenez and Bryan Lezcano “Chan El Genio”) with all the songs written by Maluma (Juan Luis Londoño) with Edgar Barrera, Vicente Barco, Johany Corral “Nyal”, Kevin Jimenez, Bryan Lezcano, Miky La Sensa, Ziggy Marley and Charly Black, among others.
Shot in Jamaica and Los Angeles, 36 Grados produced the short film comprised of seven interconnected videos that make the album an audio-visual adventure.
The ‘#7DJ' album cover is an image created by Colombian artist Federico Uribe, renowned for using recycled materials to create life-like sculptures and art pieces. The artwork created from pieces of discarded plastic is a stunning portrait of Maluma that will be auctioned off with 100% of the proceeds going to environmental non-profits presented by Maluma’s foundation El Arte De Los SueÑos.
With the concept of executing a pop-up, sustainable art exhibit in Miami for the release of ‘#7DJ', Maluma chose seven other Uribe art pieces made with everyday materials that represent each song of the album. The show is open to the public for a month and will be streamed for everyone around-the-world to visit virtually.
A portion of the proceeds from each sale will benefit the following non-profits based in Colombia: Fundación Amigos del Mar, Jardín Botánico de Cartagena and Stand Up Providencia.
The track list for ‘#7DJ' (7 Days in Jamaica) is:
1. Tónika ft. Ziggy Marley
2. Love ft. Charly Black
3. Chocolate
4. Agua de Jamaica
5. Desayun-Arte
6. La Burbuja
7. Peligrosa
