If you’re at all tapped into the Latin music space, you’re probably a big fan of [Manuel Turizo](https://www.instagram.com/manuelturizo/?hl=en). Boasting 11.5 million followers on Instagram alone, the young superstar is the definition of a recording artist who hails an international presence, touching the world with his feel-good bops and anthems… and it’s crazy to think Manuel is still only 21 years old.
In describing himself, Manuel states he’s “a young guy from the 2000s that loves music, who writes songs. That's Manuel Turizo, basically a young dreamer.”
Born and raised in Colombia, Turizo jump-started his music career at the young age of 13, ditching his previous dreams of becoming a veterinarian after taking singing lessons with a Cuban music teacher. In 2016, Manuel released "Una Lady Como Tú"... and the rest is history. To date, his diverse sound transcends the genres of Latin pop, trap, R&B, and vallenato, with an undeniable vocal range.
Fast forward to 2021, Manuel unleashes his newest single and visual for “Te Olvido,” hailing over 8.8 million views on Youtube within less than a month. The new release holds fans over until the release of his highly-anticipated forthcoming album titled _2000_, paying homage to the year he was born.
Everything Manuel touches is gold, and he’s making sure he’s representing the Latin community in the most positive light. Flaunt caught up with Manuel via Zoom, who was posted in Miami singing a song he has yet to release. Read below as we discuss his dreams coming true, “Una Lady Como Tú” blowing up, the making of “Te Olvido,” wanting to be an icon, naming his album _2000_, love for fashion, goals, and more!
**How are you feeling today?**
Miami’s great, sunny day today. It’s nice. Today in Columbia is a holiday, so today it’s a holiday for me too. \[laughs\]
**You say you’re a “young dreamer,” what were you dreaming back then?**
I was dreaming what I'm living today, thanks to God. I get to do what I really love, which is music. I was a difficult guy you can say, the type of kid that didn't like to do anything really. \[laughs\] There's something about when doing something you don't like, or when you don't know yet what you really want to do.
**When did you fall in love with music? Do you remember that moment?**
Actually, my whole life. When I was a baby, I didn't used to play with cars or trucks. I used to play with drums and guitars. I broke the drum that I used to have in my house like a 100 times. I used to get my brother's guitars and try to play them, but I never learned how to play any instruments for real. \[laughs\] I tried. That was me trying to play when I was a baby. When I started growing, I went into vocal lessons. That’s when I really started my musical dreams.
**How would you define your music? Your sound?**
Very relaxing. \[laughs\] Each song could sound different, but there's something that doesn't change. It's the vibe. It's what you want to make people feel when they listen to you.Music that makes you feel happy, that transmits happiness.
**“Una Lady Como Tu” is at 1.5 billion views. When you made the song, did you think it’d blow up like this?**
Oh, never! When my first song was released, I was 16 years old. I was in 10th grade, high school. I never thought it was going to be the first worldwide hit of Manuel Turizo. I'm 21, I was 16 when I made that song. No, I never thought that. I was thinking maybe some people will get to know me, get to know that I like to sing, but not that. I started my career, started knowing very important people. I did my first contracts for my career with the first song so it was very crazy for me. Today, I can tell you maybe I wasn't sure where it was leading, but I was trying to figure out how to do the things I had to do.
**How have you evolved, 5 years later? As a person, as a musician.**
I’ve evolved in every way of my life. I’ve changed, I've learned. I want to grow. I want to keep going to places. I have this thing before I die to get people that maybe don't understand what I'm singing, but they feel the vibes I want to put into songs. I feel more confidence in myself. I feel more prepared.
I had to figure out what I was doing. I didn't know what I was doing. Today, I know what I'm doing. I know what I want to do in my whole career. I know what I want to do when I'm producing, I know what I want to do when I'm in the studio recording. When we’re doing the video, I know what my vision is and what I want to give to the world, to show them. Today, I feel prepared. The first years is when you are practicing.
**You released “Te Olvido,” which translated to “forget you” right?**
Yes, it means forget you. As far as males, we don’t talk too much about relationships with girls? The men always want to be strong-hearted, who don't feel anything. But girls do things to us too. We get sad too, we feel hurt too. That's what “Te Olvido” talks about.
**Was there a certain female that made you feel this way?**
Yeah, everyone has to have felt it many times in their lives. Have to live it.
**What inspired the music video?**
For the video, I tried to recreate some very iconic scenes of things I saw from the 2000s. 2000’s is the year when I was born, it's my year. My next album, the third album will be called _the 2000's_. I tried to recreate very iconic scenes like Justin Timberlake at the MTV awards. Like the Lil Wayne black and white video of the 2000’s, like the 50 Cent video with the girls dancing in the background. Those things are very iconic from that year, I wanted to do that on the video. That's all the stories in the video. It's telling what the song talks about, but the visual idea is that one.
**Fondest memory from shooting the video onset?**
A funny thing about shooting the video on set, maybe the clothes. I had too many memories because the aesthetic was very different from what today is. It was very funny when I was getting dressed, we were prepared on the sets and everything. It looks very different. A little bit old, but that's the idea.
**Do you see yourself as an icon of this generation?**
I don't like to say a lot about myself. I try to. With my world, with the things I do, I try to be an icon. I try to be an example or a motivation, or an inspiration for people who want to work for their dreams too. It's more the people who have to answer that. You don't say you’re an icon, people have to say it.
**How was it performing in Puerto Rico when the song released?**
Yes, it was fire. It was great. I got a ticket because people went crazy. He wrote us a ticket, it was crazy. I enjoyed it too much.
**How does it feel to be going back on tour after the pandemic?**
It's amazing. We’re two years completely locked down without seeing people. We were working. I released 3 songs, and I’m the ones that didn't release too much in the quarantine. The ones that stay relaxed a little bit. We kept doing songs, but we couldn't enjoy them with a crowd. That's the idea of doing music and releasing music, with the people who follow you. It was very stressful but thank God we’re okay! Thank God we’re safe, but it was pretty bad. I was very excited, I’m a little bit nervous too because I wanted to do something different for this tour. I completely changed my show, it’s like I was doing it for the first time. I wanted to give my people something very cool, something very dope. I think we did it. The people enjoy it. I enjoy it like you can never imagine, I feel happy.
**What can we expect from the album, _2000_?**
In the visuals, we’re working on the _2000's_ aesthetic. Something I love too that goes too much with me without trying, I love the fashion looks of the 2000s. I love those influences. Obviously I was born that year, so it's my era. A different Manuel Turizo. I have two albums out. Each one I tried to change the whole sound, to elevate it a little bit. Upgrade or change it, see what else I can do. So I Don't stay in the same place.
Same with the kitchen. You go to the kitchen, you try different things and different flavors. 2000's are the same. We're changing all the rhythms or all the influences again, for the first one and for the second one too. Maybe house, we're doing EDM. We're trying different things that maybe people were doing before with Latin music. I want to try something else, I want to try something different. See what happens.
**How does it compare to your previous album, _Dopamina_?**
It's very different. The influences are very different. I don't want to sound the same. I don't want to make the same. I don't want to make the people feel the same. Everything is different, everything.
**How would you define your fashion style?**
That's a hard question. Umm, a young urban style. I like too many brands. Of course Louis Vuitton, Prada, Off-White, Nike.
**You actually wanted to be a vet. Do you still love animals?**
I still love animals too much. That's one of my passions, animals and nature. I love that. Not necessarily a vet, it's more I feel good in nature. I feel good with animals.
**Being only 21, what do you like to do for fun?**
Music, friends, go to the beach. Go out in the car. I'm a very common 21-year-old guy, just hang out and chill.
**Goals for yourself at this point in your career?**
Many, keep going. I want a whole lifetime of a career. I want to be those artists you see in 50 years, they keep doing music. They keep doing tours. I want to be that type of artist so I’m doing what I can. I have so much work on the road, we keep working every day. Going into the studio, learning what else we can do. That's me.
**Anything else you want to let us know?
**I'm excited for _2000_. I'm excited for “Te Olvido,” to build and nothing else. Thank you for the time. Thank you for having me. Shout out to the people and for everyone who follows me, who’s looking at what I’m doing and follows my music too. Much love for them.
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