Manuel Turizo Levels Up in ‘201,’ His ‘Most Personal’ Album Yet: ‘Sounds From a Caribbean City’

variety.com:

Andrés Buenahora Manuel Turizo is in Los Angeles after weeks of international travel to promote his fourth studio album, “201.” Despite being thousands of miles from his hometown of Montería in Colombia, he’s managed to take a bit of his native country everywhere he goes. “This album is my home,” the 24-year-old tells Variety in Spanish.

Titled after his childhood apartment number, “‘201’ is the place where I decided to make music,” Turizo explains. “It represents culture and folklore, and the album reflects that – it’s my most personal project yet.” Turizo returns to his roots after contributing to a string of feel-good pop and reggaeton hits – collaborating with established Latin superstars from Shakira to Wisin y Yandel – and landing global Top 10 singles and Latin Grammy nomination for “El Merengue,” collaboration he shares with EDM superstar Marshmello.

His own solo single, “La Bachata,” hit a peak of No. 6 on Billboard’s Global 200 chart. Long before establishing “201” as the new album’s title, Turizo felt a longing to capture the feeling of his life back home. “The party, the Latin energy, the family gatherings, the way we live,” says Turizo.

This is best heard in songs from the album like “Enhorabuena” and “Plata Pa Gastar,” the former of which features an upbeat merengue, and the latter being a high-energy reggaeton anthem. “The inspiration was Latin culture.