Manuel Turizo’s New Album 201 Is a Love Letter to Latin America

Manuel Turizo has solidified himself as a leading Latin pop heartthrob.

In the two years since releasing his breakthrough single “La Bachata,” (which has nearly two billion streams on Spotify), the Colombian star has gone global, performing with Coldplay and getting a cosign from his home country’s biggest artist, Shakira. Turizo’s sultry baritone voice has captivated listeners around the world, regardless of whether or not they understand Spanish. With his new album 201 due out November 22, he is now bringing the focus back to his roots—and the music of his birthplace.

“‘La Bachata’ brought me a lot of success, and I’m grateful for that,” the 24-year-old tells W over Zoom. “I’m still moving the same way I was before the success of that song. My routine hasn’t changed, I’m still the same person. But this new era is inspired by the folklore and culture of where I come from.”

Turizo first emerged as a musical force in 2017, as part of the Colombian reggaeton explosion that made J Balvin, Maluma, Karol G, and Sebastián Yatra stars. Although Turizo is often grouped with those artists from Medellín, his roots lie in the coastal region of the country: the city of Montería. His 2016 debut single “Una Lady Como Tú” bore the musician’s tropical spin on reggaeton, punctuated by ukulele, courtesy of his older brother, Julián. The elder Turizo also cowrites songs and plays the ukulele onstage with his sibling during concerts.

“Working with my brother is something that’s natural for us now,” Manuel Turizo says. “The relationships of being brothers and being business partners are different, but they also complement each other. He was the first person that I had on my team, and he’s still there for me. We’ve created music together for a long time.”

Turizo broke out of the reggaeton bubble with his third album, 2000, in 2023. The LP proved that the musician’s vision fit into any genre—take, for example, the EDM fusion of “El Merengue,” a song he made with the producer Marshmello. That year, Turizo caught the attention of Latin pop queen Shakira, who enlisted him for her hit “Copa Vacía.” While she played a mermaid in the music video and sang about being thirsty for affection, Turizo costarred as her dreamy (and drenched) Prince Eric. The two have remained friends—Shakira recently danced with Turizo in a TikTok video to his upcoming salsa song “Sígueme Besando Así.”

“Collaborating with Shakira is a moment where my chest swelled with pride,” he says. “I’ve listened to her music my whole life. She’s from Barranquilla—that’s the coastal region as well.”

Turizo’s chest is known by many. His Instagram is filled with plenty of topless thirst traps; during his concerts, he is known to occasionally lose his shirt, which draws cheers from women and gay men alike. When asked how it feels to be seen as a sex symbol, Turizo lets out a laugh. “For my part, I always feel and welcome the good, love, and care coming from everyone. So let them see me how they want to see me.”

Turizo’s 201 album is named after his childhood apartment number in Montería, but the project’s sound spans the whole of Latin America. There are underlying themes that call to both the specific Caribbean region of Colombia where he was raised, and the music of his home country at large. There’s the sensual salsa in “Sígueme Besando Así”—an homage to sounds from Cali and Cartagena. He pays tribute to another one of Colombia’s icons, the music group Juanes, by plugging into a pop-rock rush on “Mirando Al Techo.” Turizo also highlights the folk genre of vallenato, bringing musician Elder Dayán Díaz onto the album, as well as the late vallenato king Diomedes Díaz’s son for the fiery “La Ex de Mi Amigo.”

“Diomedes in Colombia was what Michael Jackson was to the rest of the world [during that era,]” Turizo says. “I said, ‘If we’re going to write a vallenato song, I want to do it with [Elder]. A majority of the songs we wrote on the guitar in the style of vallenato, and then we reshaped them into the genres they are now.”

One of the tracks originally written in the vallenato style was the soulful “De Lunes a Lunes,” which transformed into a Mexican cumbia track with Tejano band Grupo Frontera. (Turizo promises that, next year, he will explore more música Mexicana.) He also revisits the bachata genre with an Afrobeats twist, courtesy of rising Colombian artist Kapo. “Baby, tell me when you’re ready to give me some kisses and I’ll dedicate a Diomedes song to you,” Turizo sings in Spanish in the alluring “Qué Pecao.”

But the artist Turizo dreams of collaborating with next doesn’t hail from Latin America. “The person at the top of my list is Bruno Mars,” Turizo says. “His voice, his energy, and the way he writes, it’s all very versatile. He’s written songs like ‘Young, Wild, & Free’ with Snoop Dogg, to ‘Versace on the Floor.’ I can relate to the way he enjoys playing around with music.”

Turizo adds that he hopes his heartfelt album can be the soundtrack for the approaching Noche Buena (Christmas Eve) and New Year’s Eve festivities. “I want this album to live in the moments when you’re having a good time with people, getting drunk, and talking about your life stories, your love, or your heartbreak,” he says. Before taking some time off for the holidays, Turizo adds that he’s already plotting a world tour for next year—with plans to visit the U.S., Latin America, and Europe.

“I’ve spent eight years of my life dedicating myself to this,” he says. “And I’m working to grow. I want to keep having fun. I want to show the ideas in my head and keep connecting with people who like what I do.”