Latin star Maluma to perform at Dubai's Coca-Cola Arena in March

The singer last performed in Dubai as part of his 11:11 world tour in 2020

Maluma will return to Dubai with his hits 'Felices Los 4', 'Mama Tetema' and 'Borro Cassette'. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Colombian superstar Maluma is returning to Dubai with a concert at the Coca-Cola Arena on March 24.

The Latin hitmaker, known for songs Felices Los 4, Mama Tetema and Borro Cassette, last performed in the emirate just before the pandemic in 2020 as part of his 11:11 world tour.

In 2018, Maluma won the Latin Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Pop Vocal Album. He was also the youngest artist to simultaneously obtain the No 1 and No 2 spots on Billboard’s Latin Airplay list. The superstar has 15 billion views and more than 28 million subscribers on his YouTube channel.

Born Juan Luis Londono Arias in Medellin, Maluma's stage name is made up of the first two letters of his parents' and sister's first names.

He found fame thanks to social media, particularly YouTube, which has played a role in propelling new acts from Latin America to global recognition.

Maluma released his debut single, Farandulera, in 2011 at the age of 16. The song's popularity in Colombia earned him a major record deal and a year later he released his debut album, Magia, featuring Latin hits Obsesion and Loco. That album, full of sweet Spanish balladry and pop-friendly reggaeton, established Maluma as "Latin America's Justin Bieber", an image the singer began to shed as he released more racy tunes and dabbled in hip-hop and dance music.

Since being discovered, the star has launched a foundation called The Art of Dreams, which supports performing arts in his home country, and said he hopes images of his success encourage young Colombians to dream big.

"When I was very young, I was watching all these American movies, and everybody in the Latin culture wanted the 'American Dream', they wanted to go the United States," he told The National in a previous interview.

"Of course, we find a lot of opportunities in America, but I think we feel more proud to be Latin than we used to, because we have the opportunities here in Latin America right now. We live in a very big moment, we have to take advantage of it."

Tickets start from Dh225 and are available from coca-cola-arena.com. The show will start at 9pm.