Manuel Turizo

Manuel Turizo (full name Manuel Turizo Zapata) is an urbano and reggaeton singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist from Colombia whose trademark is his smooth, buttery, tenor singing voice. He has made major global inroads into the Latin pop mainstream. His 2016 hit “Una Lady Como Tú” was the winner of a Colombian Kids’ Choice Award for Favorite Song in 2017. He released his debut long-player, ADN, for the Medellin-based, Sony-distributed La Industria Inc. It peaked at number eight on the Top Latin Albums chart. The following year he joined Ozuna for the Top Five smash “Vaina Loca.” He collaborated with Noriel on “Mala Influencia” in 2020, and the following year released his sophomore album, the charting Dopamina. He appeared later in 2021 in duet with TINI on her streaming hit single “Maldita Foto.” The solo hit “La Bachata” appeared a year later.
Turizo was born into a musical household — his mother and older brother are musicians. In interviews he has described participating in music as compulsory. As a child he learned to play saxophone, guitar, ukulele, and piano. While his initial career choice was to become a veterinarian, his brother Julian convinced him to take singing lessons with a Cuban teacher, and the end result — personally discovering his talent as a singer — altered the course of his life. (Because of his early success as a professional musician, he had to finish his studies via internet courses.)
In 2016, his first two self-released singles, “Baila Conmigo” and “Vámonos” (both produced by his brother), racked up positive responses on social media and garnered excitement from industry insiders. On March 16, 2017, he released “Una Lady Como Tú” along with a video clip — the latter went viral with some 300 million views. He signed to the Sony Music-distributed La Industria Inc. label. The track made the Top 40 of the Hot Latin Songs chart and scored even higher on three others including Digital Song Sales, Latin Pop Songs, and YouTube charts. After opening for Ozuna on a Colombian tour, he undertook his own national run of trendy clubs and discos, selling all of them out.
In May 2017, reggaeton singer Valentino released the song “Bésame” featuring Turizo. The video single got 50 million views, and Turizo gained international exposure. In August, he released a remix version of “Una Lady Como Tú” featuring Nicky Jam that got airplay all over Latin America and in the United States. He reached number six on the Columbian charts with 2018′s “Culpables,” which was included on his 2019 full-length debut, ADN. The album hit number four in Mexico and cracked the Top Ten of Billboard’s Top Latin Albums chart.
That same year, Turizo scored an even bigger hit with “Desconocidos” featuring Mau y Ricky and Camilo. Likewise, the 2019 collaboration with Jowell & Randy “Dile la Verdad” reached number two and was quickly followed by the platinum-selling “Esclavo de Tus Besos” with Ozuna. The following year, Turizo again landed on the Latin charts with “La Nota” featuring Rauw Alejandro and Myke Towersand collaborated with Noriel on “Mala Influencia.” In early 2021, he released the single “Mala Costumbre” with Wisin & Yandel, and in April he released Dopamina, his sophomore long-player. It peaked at 15 on the Top Latin Albums chart and placed inside the Top 20 across streaming platforms. Later that year he appeared as TINI’s duet partner on her smash single “Maldita Foto.” Among his 2022 releases was another major hit in “La Bachata.” ~ Thom Jurek