Nicky Jam on ‘Insomnio’, Retirement Rumors, Reggaetón Journey & More

On a balmy Could night in 2023, the Glasshouse — a neon-lit venue six tales above the Hudson River in Manhattan’s Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood — buzzed with pleasure. A music-­business crowd of lots of had gathered for a non-public Telemundo Upfront occasion and its featured efficiency by Nicky Jam. And from the second the seminal reggaetón star stepped onstage, clad in his signature baseball cap and an athletic Amiri ensemble beneath a wool trench coat, he showcased why he’s not simply a part of the style’s historical past but additionally a significant architect of its current and future.

As Nicky sang 2003’s “Yo No Soy Tu Marido,” a daring attendee leapt onstage to bop alongside him. “Oh, ella quiere perrear!” (“She desires to twerk!”) he exclaimed, fortunately participating together with his surprising companion as she enthusiastically started to grind on him. For about two hours, Nicky commanded the highlight with that form of easy swagger, biking by his expansive catalog of hits, from his 2014 worldwide breakout smash, “Travesuras,” to the pulsating beats of “Hasta El Amanecer,” to the pop-reggaetón banger “El Perdón,” to the groundbreaking collaborative monitor “Te Boté (Remix).”

Twenty years into his profession, Nicky remains to be very important onstage — which made it all of the extra surprising when, final October, he advised his greater than 40 million Instagram followers that he was “retiring quickly.” He paired his social media announcement with footage from his 2018 Netflix bio-series, Nicky Jam: El Ganador, which chronicled how he’d recovered from a turbulent previous marked by drug habit (and a stint in jail) to turn into certainly one of Latin music’s most illustrious figures. “I’m not going to be a singer for the remainder of my life,” he tells Billboard immediately over Zoom from his Miami house. “I believe I’ll in all probability retire quickly… Properly, not retire. Singers by no means retire. You simply tone it down.”

Nicky Jam will headline Rumbazo on Sept. 13 on the Downtown Las Vegas Occasions Heart. For extra info, go to rumbazofest.com.

Offstage, the 43-year-old born Nick Rivera Caminero definitely doesn’t appear to be he’s slowing down. He’s channeled his creativity right into a burgeoning enterprise empire, operating an elegant Miami restaurant, La Industria Bakery & Cafe, and some boutique inns in Colombian cities together with Cartagena, Guatapé and Medellín. “I’ve one other resort in Tierra Bomba that we’re nearly ending. It’s on an island resort [in Colombia] that I purchased,” he mentions casually, then provides with a smile: “I’ll in all probability come out with weed too.”

Along with these ventures, he’s lately launched his personal strains of vape merchandise (NickyJam x fume) and vitality drinks (Athon) and even dipped his toes into the media world as host of The Rockstar Present (which streams on his official YouTube channel in addition to all podcast platforms), the place he’s interviewed Latin music stars together with Karol G, Rauw Alejandro and Tainy (to not point out Billboard’s personal chief content material officer of Latin/Español, Leila Cobo). “We’re popping out with the third season proper now,” Nicky says. And he additionally simply signed his first full administration consumer, up-and-coming Bronx rapper Axel Leon. (Nicky can also be a part of the administration group for Manuel Turizo.)

Nonetheless, for the second, Nicky continues to search out music creatively fruitful. The artist has been open about his battles with habit, however when talking with Billboard, he additionally reveals that he’s grappled with anxiousness and melancholy for the previous two years. That emotional turbulence — and the sleepless nights that got here with it — impressed his sixth studio album, certainly one of his most private to this point. Insomnio, out Sept. 6, delves into his private reflections and nocturnal musings, whereas musically mixing the sounds of Afrobeats, soul, entice and reggaetón.

For the undertaking, he enlisted a variety of expertise from everywhere in the world together with Jamaican dancehall veteran Sean Paul, Puerto Rican entice star Eladio Carrión, Italian DJ-­producer Benny Benassi, Argentine rapper Trueno and Colombian reggaetón star Ryan Castro. “It’s loopy to collaborate with an individual you grew up listening to on the stoops of your neighborhood, the automobiles blasting his music in your metropolis,” says Trueno, who company on the classically reggaetón single “Cangrinaje.” “It’s like having the ability to transcend the road from being an admirer to having the ability to collaborate with that affect. Nicky Jam, undoubtedly, was a type of visions that has stayed with me.”

“Having a monitor with Nicky for his newest album may be very particular to me as a result of I watched him carry out in nightclubs in Medellín,” says Castro, who’s listened to Nicky since he was a child. “Seeing him overcome all the pieces he went by in life and obtain what he has is the last word inspiration for me. Nicky is a star, and since I met him, we’ve developed a fantastic friendship. I really feel like he’s certainly one of our personal in Colombia.”

Earlier than his resurgence within the mid-2000s, nonetheless, Nicky confronted vital struggles on his native island. “In Puerto Rico, I wasn’t reserving any exhibits. No person needed to take care of me — I had a bunch of issues on the streets, I used to be into medicine, I used to be a large number. Again in Puerto Rico at the moment, I used to be the embarrassment of reggaetón music,” Nicky advised the podcast Drink Champs final yr. “However in Colombia, I used to be a legend,” he added, noting that Colombians appreciated each his hits and the songs that weren’t widespread again house.

When Nicky moved to Colombia in 2007, he skilled a rebirth. “He arrives from Puerto Rico to Colombia con una mano atrás y otra adelante,” says his longtime supervisor Juan Diego Medina, utilizing the Colombian expression for arriving with nothing. “In Colombia, he went by a whole musical course of. He says that he discovered to be human there, within the metropolis [of Medellín] and nation.” (In July, the 2 amicably parted methods after 13 years however stay shut pals.)

“Shifting to Colombia gave me the mojo to do the music,” Nicky says. “I acquired to Colombia in a second once I desperately wanted to work. They have been listening to my previous songs; they mentioned they have been classics. It modified my mind-set and my manner of writing music. I simply sat down and I mentioned, ‘If I make a No. 1 hit on this nation, that might imply loads of views on YouTube.’ With 45 million folks [back then in Colombia], I used to be motivated. So I did a No. 1 nationwide hit in Colombia, then 4, 5 extra. I grew to become the brand new Colombian sound.”

In Colombia, Nicky embraced native tradition whereas leveraging then-emerging digital platforms to succeed in a wider viewers. “He had his entire trajectory in Puerto Rico and went to Colombia to attempt to reinvent himself, to search out that viewers that might give him a second alternative,” says Stephanie Carvajal, artist relations and improvement, Latin lead at YouTube. “What allowed him to interrupt past was a platform like YouTube. Nicky Jam was one of many pioneers in understanding and harnessing the ability of YouTube to increase his music to audiences worldwide.”

Launched in February 2015, “El Perdón,” Nicky’s game-changing collaboration with Enrique Iglesias, was a pivotal second in reggaetón’s evolution from crude barrio style to international juggernaut. “Nicky Jam was blowing up in Colombia, and Enrique had simply put out ‘Bailando,’ ” recollects business veteran Gerardo Mejía, who had labored intently with the Spanish pop famous person at Interscope Information and remained in shut contact with him. “I mentioned to Enrique, ‘Bro, you bought to do one thing with Nicky.’ Nicky despatched us ‘El Perdón.’ I mentioned, ‘Wow, it is a hit.’ We noticed how the [reggaetón] crossover started to occur by Enrique’s pop power. All reggaetón began changing into extra [mainstream] — it wasn’t so road anymore.”

However Iglesias’ pop-oriented model initially gave Nicky pause when he first heard it. “I felt the tune was too pop-ish,” he admits. “I used to be apprehensive about my road neighborhood. My city neighborhood. I assumed they have been going to criticize me, so I put out the tune with out him. Then the document label, Sony, was like, ‘Yo, bro, we’d like you to place Enrique again on that monitor as a result of it will likely be one of the best transfer you’d do.’ We did the video and the model with Enrique, and that grew to become a worldwide hit.”

Virtually a decade later, Nicky Jam is certainly one of YouTube’s most watched Latin artists of all time, boasting seven movies within the platform’s Billion Views Membership. On the Billboard charts, “El Perdón” started a run of 9 entries on the Scorching 100 for him, and two of his albums, 2017’s Fénix and 2019’s Intimo, charted on the Billboard 200.

His Insomnio singles have additionally fared nicely: The 2023 Feid collaboration “69” climbed to No. 41 on Scorching Latin Songs, No. 37 on Latin Airplay, No. 18 on Latin Digital Music Gross sales and No. 10 on Latin Rhythm Airplay; “Calor,” with Beéle, reached No. 20 on Latin Airplay and No. 6 on Latin Rhythm Airplay; and the title monitor, launched in August, soared to No. 9 on Tropical Airplay.

And as he prepares for Insomnio’s launch and contemplates what may come after, Nicky is nicely conscious of his affect. “I got here out precisely at that second the place all the pieces occurred,” he says. “For some bizarre cause, me being an old-school singer, I began what’s occurring proper now. I’m fortunate to say I’m from the old-fashioned. I did loads of hits again within the days, however when it got here to the brand new stuff and the brand new motion, I’m one of many creators and pioneers of that second, too.”

Insomnio is an evocative title. What impressed it, and the way does it relate to the music’s themes?

I’ve been having two loopy years. I used to be scuffling with anxiousness and melancholy. Numerous the issues from the previous have been catching as much as me. It led me to drink so much. I had issues with medicine prior to now, however by no means with alcohol. Alcohol is one thing authorized that you just discover wherever you go. I began consuming so much, and it took me to a darkish spot the place I used to be feeling prefer it wasn’t the Nicky individuals are used to. I used to be partying an excessive amount of, going out and I wasn’t sleeping. The loopy factor is typically, out of dangerous issues, good issues come. I did badass songs for this album throughout this darkish second. The explanation why the album known as Insomnio is as a result of a lot of the songs [were written, recorded and] happen at night time.

How did the nocturnal songwriting course of affect the album’s total tone and message?

Keep in mind, music is the artwork of expression, and I’m expressing myself. I’ve all the time been that sort of one who’s very clear. I by no means conceal who I’m or what I do. If you happen to hearken to “3 a.m. y yo en la cyber truck, pensando cuando contigo me daba los shot” [from “La Cyber” featuring Luar La L], “Exótica” [with lyrics] like “ver el sol caer,” a lot of the songs speak about me in full self-destruction mode, partying and never giving a f–okay about life and simply going loopy. If you happen to hearken to “Insomnio,” the merengue tune, it’s a really unhappy tune [lyrically].

Merengue is often joyful, however “Insomnio” takes a darker flip. How did you steadiness its upbeat rhythm with its somber themes?

If you happen to hearken to “El Perdón,” it’s a tragic tune. However you place that beat [on it], it routinely turns into a cheerful tune. I believe that’s a part of my magic. I could make a tragic tune sound glad. That’s a part of my creation mode. I actually like that individuals can sing a tragic tune not even generally known as a tragic tune. That’s magic! If I have been to sing that with low, darkish chords, you routinely would have been like, “Rattling, this motherf–ker is unhappy as f–okay.” The truth is I used to be unhappy once I wrote that tune, however within the manufacturing second, I mentioned, “I’m not going to make this a tragic tune, I would like this upbeat.”

Each album has its personal distinctive creation journey. How would you differentiate Insomnio from Infinity, Intimo or Fénix by way of the artistic course of?

I’m going to be sincere with you. Fénix is an album which you can understand is Nicky Jam in his prime, doing his comeback and really glad about life. It was a distinct second in my life. These different two albums, it was simply working. I used to be touring a lot and I simply did music and put the [album] identify after. These different two albums don’t have any which means for me. Insomnio has extra which means than any of those albums as a result of I’m telling the folks how I felt in certainly one of my darkest moments.

On Insomnio, you navigate between entice, merengue, reggaetón, Afrobeats and digital music. Are you able to speak about exploring a large spectrum of genres?

I’m not this man that stays in a single nook. I might sing R&B, hip-hop, entice, reggaetón, merengue, no matter. The merengue factor is one thing I’ve by no means performed. That’s why I needed to do it. That’s humorous as a result of I’m half Dominican. Merengue proper now could be doing actually good. Karol G got here out with a merengue, Manuel Turizo, and a few others. I needed part of it. However the entire entice tune factor was as a result of Eladio Carrión despatched me the [beat]. Then the Afrobeats is one thing that’s actually occurring proper now. Quería cubrir todas las partes — I needed to have each nook block. That’s what I did with the album.

Alongside your music, you’ve ventured into enterprise, investing and launching eating places and inns. How do these match into your long-term plans?

I’m not going to be a singer the remainder of my life. I’m 43 years previous. In a [few] years, I’ll be 50. A 50-year-old reggaetón artist; I don’t know if that appears so good. Daddy Yankee retired at 47, 48. I believe I’ll in all probability retire quickly, too. Not now, however in all probability in seven to 10 years. Properly, not retire. The phrase “retire” for a singer doesn’t make any sense. Daddy Yankee mentioned he retired, and he got here out with a tune [“Loveo”] a few months in the past.

There are loads of new children, and also you’re not going to compete if you’re nearly 50 with a 20-year-old that has that brand-new sound, that new vibe that youngsters like. The truth is that is younger folks’s music. I’m not saying older folks don’t hearken to it, however in case you see the checklist of the folks, you’re going to see that it’s largely the youth that hearken to this music. You’ll be able to’t compete with that. So I ready myself businesswise.

When folks say, “OK, Nicky, you’re too previous for this,” I’ll be like, “All proper, however I’m wealthy, child. I acquired companies that handle me and [I] nonetheless dwell the life-style.” That’s what you need, to capitalize so many companies that you just don’t even need to carry out and do music to dwell the life-style. I labored onerous for it. That’s why I do companies on the aspect, the place I might revenue sufficient that I can hold residing that good life.

How do your restaurant, La Industria Bakery & Café, and your inns replicate your private pursuits?

La Industria is generally a brunch place. You get your pancakes and French toast. It’s that sort of vibe. Right here in Miami, I used to go to loads of these spots, however I acknowledged there wasn’t a Spanish one. So I got here out with the bakery, and it’s been a boon. It has my DNA in all places. I used to be born and raised in Massachusetts, however I lived in Puerto Rico most of my life. On the finish of the day, it’s a candy pancake spot — however the bestseller is a hamburger referred to as La Boricua. All people goes and will get that hamburger. They find it irresistible. You may have a knife proper by the center.

You latterly signed a administration take care of hip-hop artist Axel Leon. What qualities do you search for in artists you mentor?

They acquired to be proficient, disciplined, versatile and have loads of charisma. That charisma goes loopy with the folks. Simply with that, you can conquer the world within the music business. Expertise is one thing, however when you’ve got charisma and also you’re hungry to work…

What led you to start out The Rockstar Present?

I used to be in pandemic [mode]. Bored. I wasn’t doing something. I used to be in my home and I mentioned, “I started working.” So I acquired a studio and I began interviewing artists. It began with a few interviews. From there, we went to The Rockstar Present. We’re popping out with the third season proper now.

You took The Rockstar Present to Billboard Latin Music Week in 2023, and through your onstage interview with Ivy Queen you began beatboxing. What was that about?

I’m from the old-fashioned. Again within the day, we have been MCs and we did all the pieces. We’d rap, beatbox and dance. I used to breakdance. I used to [freestyle] battle within the corners like they do within the Pink Bull Batalla. I’m excellent. Imagine me, ain’t no one f–king with me.

As you proceed diversifying your profession, are there some other new avenues you’re trying to nonetheless discover?

Largely hospitality, inns. That’s what I’m actually doing. I’ve performed performing [in movies like 2017’s xXx: Return of Xander Cage and 2020’s Bad Boys for Life], I’ve performed music, I’ve performed all of it.

Every part I do is to encourage folks. Sure, it’s enterprise, however on the finish of the day, I come from a black gap most individuals don’t come out of. Lots of people that have been raised with me, they’re lifeless proper now. I’m not speaking about one or two, I’m speaking about lots of of them. There’s an opportunity. There’s hope. If I did it, you can do it. That’s my philosophy.

This story seems in Billboard‘s Rumbazo particular situation, dated Sept. 14, 2024.