Thursday, August 23, 2018

Ozuna Talks New Album ‘Aura,’ Akon Collab, Cardi B, and More

Ozuna
Ozuna (Source: Instagram)

As he prepares to drop his new album Aura on Friday (Aug. 24), Latin superstar Ozuna sat down with Billboard for an interview.

The Puerto Rican artist discussed many topics, including revealing that the project contains a Spanish-language track with Akon. He also confirmed that his Cardi B-assisted hit single “La Modelo” will appear on Aura.

Other topics covered include why he likes to collaborate often, his relationship with J Balvin, and the pressure of topping his record-breaking debut album, Odisea. Released in August 2017, Odisea is currently in its 45th week at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums chart.

Working with Akon:

“Working with someone who shares your vision, your work ethic, and who likes to create as you do makes it easy. When we got together, we made four songs in one day. There’s one song for his album and two for a future release. Yes, he sang in Spanish, and I even sang in English. He doesn’t speak perfect Spanish, and I don’t speak perfect English, but we understand each other.”

His relationship with J Balvin:

“He’s an extremely important person to me. I value his opinion and his presence in my projects. He has an impressive aura about him, he’s brilliant and intelligent, and he puts his heart into his work. He’s someone who always gives it his all. I can ask him for advice even when it’s not his song, and he’ll tell me what to fix.”

Why he likes to collaborate often:

“I like it because it’s like being in a group. Working with people like Reik, Anuel AA, Wisin & Yandel, and J Balvin, you get to do things like film videos. So we enjoy it because that’s where we can be free to be ourselves, talk, and create. I can’t walk down the streets of Miami without getting mobbed, for example. But I can be on set with Balvin and Arcangel and feel comfortable.”

Topping his debut album:

“It wasn’t about doing something bigger or better. I don’t like to proclaim things like saying it will be better because it might or it might not. It’s just that nowadays, people demand a lot more music. It’s not how it used to be when you didn’t need to put out so much music. But I’ve learned that each week, there are new sounds, new rhythms, new technology, new artists, and you have to evolve. Odisea made an impact, but the people want more music.”

Watch the interview, which was conducted in Spanish, below.

Related: Watch Anuel AA’s ‘Brindemos’ Video Feat. Ozuna

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