Maluma, a Colombian artist, walked out of a live television interview after the reporter implied he would be charged with downplaying Qatari human rights crimes.

Maluma was asked, “Don’t you have a problem with human rights violations in this country?” during a broadcast on Israeli national television.

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He said that was a problem he couldn’t tackle and added that he had learned to “enjoy life, enjoy soccer.”

The singer appears on Tukoh Taka, the official anthem of the FIFA Qatar World Cup, together with Nicki Minaj and Myriam Fares.

Who is Maluma?

Maluma is the stage name of Juan Luis Londono Arias, a Colombian singer, composer, and actor who was born on January 28, 1994, in Medellin. He was born to Marlli Arias and Luis Londoño and the artist grew up alongside his older sister, Manuela.

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Since the age of sixteen, he has been recording music. A year later, in 2012, he released his debut album, entitled Magia. However, Pretty Boy, Dirty Boy, his breakout album from 2015, opened the door for several fruitful artist collaborations. In 2018, he dropped F.A.M.E., another commercial hit. In 2019 and 2020, he released 11:11 and Papi Juancho, respectively, without making any more announcements.

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Hawái, one of his singles, peaked at number one on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart and at number three on the Billboard Global 200. Maluma is one of the top-selling Latin music performers, with album and single sales of more than 18 million units. Maluma’s music has been classified as pop, reggaeton, and Latin trap.

The singles Felices los 4, Borró Cassette, and Corazón by Maluma have all peaked in the top ten of Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs chart. He worked with Shakira and Madonna on the songs Chantaje and Medelln, which peaked at the top of the Hot Latin Songs and Dance Club Songs charts, respectively.

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Other international musicians he has collaborated with include The Weeknd, Jennifer Lopez, and Ricky Martin. Maluma has been nominated for two Latin American Music Awards, a Grammy Award for Best Latin Pop Album, an MTV Video Music Award, a Latin Grammy Award, and two MTV Video Music Awards.

He claimed to be dating model Natalia Barulich, a Cuban-Croatian, in an interview from January 2018.

He features in the official anthem of the 2022 FIFA World Cup alongside Nicki Minaj and Myriam Fares.