Maluma has a new alter ego. Meet Don Juan, also the title of the Colombian superstar’s new album

By MARIA SHERMAN
AP Music Writer

LOS ANGELES (AP) — On New Year’s Eve, Colombian superstar Maluma bid farewell to his musical alter ego Papi Juancho. “Fue un placer,” he wrote on Instagram. “It was a pleasure.” Then he teased a new era. Don Juan, coming 2023. Now, the wait is over. On Friday, Maluma will release his highly anticipated album, “Don Juan.” Maluma called Don Juan a part of him. He described the album as “very personal.” It’s a reflection of his musical roots, like reggaeton, and “more mature.” “Don Juan” is both a clever reference to the infamous 17th century literary Lothario and a reference to Maluma’s birth name, Juan Luis Londoño Arias.