Joining Bradley Cooper and Vinícius Júnior in the spotlight, Maluma takes centre stage in BOSS’ latest campaign for BOSS Bottled Beyond. Sitting down with Wonderland, the Colombian superstar opens up on connecting with his fellow BOSS ambassadors, the strength found in brotherhood and discipline, and why life’s biggest joys are often tucked into its smallest moments.
With BOSS Bottled Beyond, BOSS ventures further than ever before. The house’s first premium ginger-leather Eau de Parfum, it’s a fragrance where contradictions meet in perfect harmony – fresh yet carnal, niche yet blockbuster – with long-lasting depth and intensity. Two bold ingredients define its DNA: electrifying ginger, sparking vibrant, spicy freshness, and textured leather, enveloping the senses in addictive warmth. The result is a commanding, enduring signature that inspires as powerfully as it performs.
Fronted by Cooper, Maluma and Júnior, the campaign heralds a new vision of success – one rooted in camaraderie, respect, and pushing one another beyond limits.
As the campaign lands, we caught up with Maluma to talk BOSS, balance, and the beauty of keeping things simple. Keep reading…
Hi Maluma! How are you? What’s been keeping you busy lately?
Well, I’ve been working a lot. I’ve been in the studio making lots of songs. I’m about to release my new single “Bronceador”, which translates to “tanning lotion”. It’s the perfect single for summer, and it’s going to be out maybe second week of July. So I’ve been doing the video, connecting with my fans again and spending time with my family. I just became a dad. My daughter is one year and two months old. So I’m just enjoying my family, enjoying time in Medellin too.
Let’s get into this campaign! How did it come about in the first place? And what was it like working with the other ambassadors, Bradley Cooper and Vinicius Junior?
Well, I’ve been working with BOSS for a while already. We had the chance to do my last tour Don Juan and all the clothes were designed by BOSS. So it was pretty awesome to work with the creative team. Then they called us, and they had this idea of doing a global campaign next to Vinicius and Bradley. I’m a huge fan of them — Bradley as a great actor and Vinicius as one of the best soccer players in the world. And for me to be part of this campaign was absolutely a dream. I said yes right away, because I love working with the BOSS team. Not only because it was Vinicius and Bradley involved, but also because the energy that I have and the connection I have with the BOSS team is beautiful, so hopefully this is not going to be the last time that we work together.
It seems like such a great synergy! You’ve grown from a local artist into a massive, global icon, over the past 10-plus years. You’ve not lost your roots, though. How do you stay connected to where you come from, while always looking beyond — as the campaign refers to?
Well, I always say that the key of my success has been being connected to my roots. I love Colombia. I love Medellin. It’s always been the place where I get my inspiration from. As well as from my family. But they all live here, so for me, it is very, very important to spend time here. Also working with the producers that I’ve been working with my whole life. That’s something that makes me feel more and more in love with my career every day, because I’m the same guy, the same little kid as when I started, when I was 16 years old, now that I’m 31. I’ve never lost the motivation of making great songs and making my community proud of me. You know, I’m Latino, I’m not supposed to be here in this position, because when you come from Medellin or Colombia, it is not normal to become a global artist. But I’ve been working pretty hard for it. I know that my discipline and being focused on my goals is what took me far. And I feel like I’m just starting. I feel like this second half of my career – because I feel like I started over again last year when I turned 30 – I’m enjoying it a lot. I’m really doing what I love, and for me, that’s most important. I don’t think about numbers, I don’t think about fame. I don’t think about money anymore. I just think about my happiness, and I think about my family and coming to Colombia. And sharing time with my animals. I have a ranch with horses and a bunch of animals. So that keeps me very, very connected to my roots.
That sounds like the perfect place to be — you can operate at your full artistic power while also remaining really in sync with everything that matters most. When it comes to your personality, what part of your personality do you feel shines through the most in your music, and also in this campaign?
Great question. Well, I would say that I’m a very happy guy. I try to find happiness in every small detail in my life. It’s not just if I’m in front of 50,000 people. I just did a couple of stadiums here in Colombia, each show was 50k people, and of course, I had fun, but the next day, when I was sharing time with my family and enjoying the small things, it also made me feel very grateful. So I’m a happy guy. It doesn’t matter if I’m doing a BOSS campaign, if I’m on stage or if I’m just at home, you know, I feel like that’s totally the balance. I feel like I’m unique and I’m very real. Also I try to show to my fans who I really am and I don’t want to change that. I’m not building a character anymore. I’m just me, and if people love the way I am, for me, awesome. If they don’t like the way I am, that’s awesome too. I’m not gonna change. I just want to be myself. That’s what I love about working with BOSS. They only want to make you feel proud of yourself and what you do in your life. And if you see the campaign, you see Bradley as in his 100% human [state], also Vinicius and also myself. So it feels very unique and very real. That’s what I love about working with the BOSS team. They just want us to expand what we are.
When it comes to fragrance in particular, do you feel like fragrance can boost your mindset or your confidence in a moment?
Yeah, for me, it is totally important. I remember when I was a kid, seeing my dad using fragrance, every morning, to go to work. I used to see him looking in the mirror and just being that confident guy, and that’s a total mood for me. I do the same when I wake up, even before I go to bed. I love using fragrance to go to bed. It makes me feel relaxed. It makes me also confident in myself. And that’s a great, great tool to rest and also to go to work and make your dreams come true. You know?
I love the idea of always wearing a fragrance at home – it doesn’t have to just be something to show the world.
You can wear it for yourself. When you love yourself, you can show it to the world. That’s something that I’ve been trying to say through my social media, through all my messages when I’m on stage, that’s my priority, to share it to the world. If you love yourself, life is going to treat you the best way possible. So that’s a very important thing for me to share.
You’re a well groomed man, so I’m curious, what’s your number one grooming tip that you’ve picked up over the past 10 years in your career, that’s become a non-negotiable for you?
Well, I would say, my beard is something that I really care about. But to be honest, I’ve been thinking for the last two weeks about shaving it because I really want to let my face breathe a little. It’s something that I always have to take care of. But I would say that my beard is something that I love grooming. And for my hair, I have no problem, because I’ve been changing my style every month. But my beard, I love a natural beard and it makes me feel very confident in myself too.
The campaign slogan is “BOSS recognises BOSS” — how does that resonate for you personally?
I would say that being a boss, is being an example for your family and your friends and the people around you. That for me is the main thing, and I really care about it. When I wake up, now that I’m a dad, and I see my daughter every morning I just want her to see the best version of me every day. So I would say that the only way to become a leader is becoming an inspiration for your surround. So, yeah, for me, that’s the whole definition of being a boss: being an inspiration for everyone around you.
Has there been any piece of advice in particular that has aided that mindset?
Yes, to be disciplined. Discipline beats talent. It beats everything. Also to be focused on yourself and not looking around you. If you’re trying to be better every day, but not for everyone, just for you, you’re gonna see the change. I think that we, as human beings, are always looking on the outside, how to become the best human being, but we don’t understand that everything comes from the inside. So it’s about making time for yourself. If you can see yourself in the mirror and take the challenge to become better every day, that helps a lot.
Speaking of becoming your best self, when you look ahead in this next chapter of your career — how do you define success?
Success is being yourself, for sure. For me, I’ve been in the industry for a long time, and the most successful campaigns or the most successful songs I ever did in my life, was when I really wanted to show who I really am. And that’s what I’m going to keep doing now that I’m releasing new music, now that I’m working on new projects. As I told you before, I’m not building a character anymore, I just want to be myself and be proud of myself. I’m done being ashamed of myself, because sometimes we feel ashamed of different positions that we used to be in, but now I accept myself just the way I am. And it makes me feel very relieved and very peaceful.
Available at John Lewis & Partners, £105 (100ml)
