Colombian pop star Manuel Turizo dishes on new album ‘201’ 💿

Feeling las vibras has taken Manuel Turizo a long way.
The 24-year-old singer-songwriter showed a precocious aptitude for music in his native Montería, Colombia. By the time he was 17, Turizo scored his first hit with the help of his musician brother Julián Turizo on a suave reggaeton bop called “Una Lady Como Tú.”
Turizo followed up this success with three studio albums – 2019’s “ADN,” 2021’s “Dopamina,” 2023’s “2000” – and 14 top 10 hits on Billboard’s Latin Airplay chart, including the platinum-selling “La Bachata.”
And while striking music gold remains a priority for the Latin Grammy-nominated singer, he also wants to have a good time.
Enter Turizo’s latest musical offering, the warm and dance-friendly “201.” The album, named after his childhood apartment, captures the intimate partying scene Turizo grew up around.
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“It’s a part of our culture and how it works in Latin America when you’re with your people – with your family, with your friends – getting drunk with the people that you love and you feel good with,” Turizo tells USA TODAY. “So, where does that happen? That happens in your house, in your place. That doesn’t happen anywhere else.”
Just in time for the holiday season, when “everyone is going to be with their people just having fun,” Turizo hopes the LP can serve as a feel-good soundtrack.
“It’s a lot of dancing, a lot of power, a lot of energy,” Turizo says. “It’s a vibe. It’s like when you’re in the summer or when you’re on vacations.”
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Turizo is a musical chameleon, and his colors shine through on “201.”
The 12-track album ricochets between genres including bachata and mambo (“Qué Pecao,” “Enhorabuena”) to reggaeton and dance-pop (“Mamasota,” “Bahamas”). This sonic variety comes naturally for Turizo, who says “When I’m listening to music, what I want is to just have fun, to put me in a mood that’s better than how I maybe am in my every day. (Making music) is the same: Let it go, let it flow.”
Turizo’s favorite song on the album? “Plata Pa Gastar” (“Money to Spend”), a kinetic electropop banger about wanting to shower a lover with lavish gifts. “It’s very me – the lyrics, the mood,” he says.
The album also sees Turizo pay homage to his Colombian roots on “La Ex De Mi Amigo,” a mellow midtempo that draws inspiration from the regional folk genre vallenato. The song, which features vocals from vallenato icon Diomedes Díaz’s son Elder Dayán, may not be the last we hear of Turizo in the genre.
“It’s something that is very organic for me. It’s the most cultural music from where I am,” Turizo says. “Since I was a baby, if you put on the radio, you’re going to listen to vallenato every time.”
Of all the collaborations on “201,” one holds a special place in Turizo’s heart.
The pop star joined forces with Puerto Rican singer and reggaeton icon Yandel for the track “Mamasota” (“Hottie”), a bouncy ode to unapologetic lust. The pair flirted with danger for the song’s music video, which shows Turizo and Yandel facing off in a mob-esque underworld.
“Mamasota” marks Turizo’s third collaboration with Yandel. The singers linked up on “Celda” for Yandel’s 2020 album “Quién Contra Mí 2,” and the Latin emcee’s former duo Wisin & Yandel was featured on Turizo’s sophomore album “Dopamina.”
“They were the biggest artists for me since I was super, super young,” Turizo says. “There’s an expression that sometimes it’s better to not meet your idols because they’re not going to be your idols anymore, but it’s not like that. When I met him, he was even more. He’s a super cool guy.”
The release of “201” follows Turizo’s massive breakout success with “La Bachata.”
Taken from his third album “2000,” the forlorn heartbreak anthem peaked at No. 1 on Billboard’s Tropical Airplay chart for 14 weeks, earned Turizo a slew of awards and became the most-streamed Latin solo song in Spotify history.
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Turizo’s record label was initially reluctant about him releasing a song in the bachata style, a soulful dance genre that originates from the Dominican Republic. Looking back, however, Turizo says the experience taught him the importance of staying true to his art.
“You just have to vibe with the things that you’re doing because the only thing that’s super true in our life is you know what you connect with and what you don’t,” Turizo says. “So, that has to be your principle.”
Turizo is ready to take the “201” fiesta on the road.
The singer is set to headline a world tour in 2025, a musical outing that Turizo says will channel the celebratory and “very Latin” spirit of the album.
“This is going to be my biggest tour up until now,” Turizo says. “I want the tour to feel like you came inside a New Year’s party in the Caribbean zone of Colombia. That’s the vibe that I want to get.”
While nurturing his music career is “the DNA of everything” in Turizo’s life, the singer also envisions expanding his creative world to include artforms such as acting, fashion and songwriting for other artists.
“I’m just trying to get information and keep learning from the people who know the most about the things that I like and that I want to be in,” Turizo says. “My perfect life is to wake up every day and just think about what I want to create today.”