After navigating the spaces between funk, disco and rock in his first two albums, Colombian singer-songwriter Manuel Medrano reveals that his third studio album, Perfecto, is mostly pop. The set, which will be released on June 1 under Warner Music México, includes the previously released singles “Verano en NY” and “Este Cuento” among its 14 songs.
“I think it’s a tribute to pop,” Medrano tells Billboard‘s Leila Cobo in an interview for Billboard News. “It’s also a way to show a little bit of everything I’ve learned in my processes.”
Since he debuted in 2015 with a self-titled album that earned him the 2016 Latin Grammy Award for best new artist and best singer-songwriter album, Medrano has taken several years between one project and another. His second LP, Eterno, came out in 2021.
“I feel it’s normal for an artist to take four or five, sometimes seven years to release an album,” he said. “The processes of modern music involve many people working for an artist, many songwriters, many producers, with a huge infrastructure for an artist to release songs every weekend. I come from another school.”
Continuing, Medrano added that he was “not criticizing the processes of other artists either, they seem fabulous and I’m connecting more and more with them.” But, when it comes to his own personal release strategy, the singer said that he leans “a little more traditional — me with my guitar, in special moments of my life, in my happy place. More intimate, getting everything out, putting everything on the table.”
Dressed in a cream suit over a black silky shirt, Medrano also spoke about his tattoos — he revealed what the next one he plans to get is — and even sang a snippet of one of the new unreleased songs from the album, “Mojado”. Watch the full interview in the video above.
