Maluma’s YouTube documentary sends the Latin music star back to his roots

Before there were private jets and sold-out stadiums, Maluma sang at dozens of birthday parties and schools for free.

“Lots of people think I had my career handed to me, that everything happened overnight, but there’s a story behind all of it,” the Colombian singer and songwriter said.

A YouTube Originals documentary about Maluma premiered this week, giving fans an intimate look into the journey of Juan Luis Londoño from a boy who listened to reggaeton on the radio to performing his pop and urban Latin music hits around the world.

Directed by Dominican filmmaker Jessy Terrero, “MALUMA: Lo Que Era, Lo Que Soy, Lo Que Seré” comes as the singer looks to solidify his career after a collaboration with Madonna and the release of his fourth studio album “11:11.” He’s currently touring in Mexico and Europe before returning to the US in August with his latest single “HP” and hits like “Mala Mía” and “Felices los 4.”

Maluma, 25, reflected on his life during the 90-minute film and here’s what we learned about him:

His stage name is a tribute to his family

Before he even started singing professionally, Maluma got his now-famous stage name tattooed on his left leg.

When he was 14, Maluma wanted to get his first tattoo but he knew his parents would be furious. He made up the word Maluma with the initial syllable of his family’s names — his mother Marlli, his father Luis and his sister Manuela.

“The only way my family wouldn’t complain was if it was a tribute to them,” he said.

He adopted the name a few years later when he started singing.

He sold lollipops and sandwiches to support his family

After his parents got divorced, Maluma said his family struggled for a while to make ends meet. At 10 years old, he wanted to help his mother so much that he started making sandwiches at home and bought bags of lollipops to sell them at school.

“He gave me the money he earned and said, ‘Mami, this is for milk or whatever you need for tomorrow,'” said his mom, Marlli Arias.

Maluma said those were moments were extremely painful but that eventually that made his family stronger.

He wanted to be a professional soccer player

Maluma grew up playing football and trained for more than eight years to become a professional player.

“To be honest, I was very difficult,” he told CNN en Español. “I didn’t know what was going to happen but we bet absolutely everything.

“My dad almost stopped talking to me,” he added.

For Maluma, all those years focusing on the sport led him to be disciplined and determined — something that has been key to his music career.

“I always told him he was going to fill stadiums, whether it was with soccer or with music and there he is,” his sister, Manuela Londoño Arias, said in the film.

While he gave up his dream of playing with Colombia’s national football team around the world, he’s still a huge supporter. He’s publicly worn the team’s jersey numerous times and joined the team in Russia last year during their World Cup run.

His first paid gig was at a quinceañera party

Maluma was 16 years old when he recorded his first song and he started promoting his music with the help of his aunt Yudy Arias and her husband, who were his managers at the time.

They didn’t know much about the music industry but they knew they had to get creative. In 2010, Maluma was struggling to get radio stations to play his music and ended up performing between 250-300 shows at school events in Medellin for free just to promote his music.

“They would pick me up at school at 2 p.m. and I’d go to other schools to sing,” he said in the documentary.

His first paycheck came shortly after when he was invited to sing at a quinceañera in Neiva, Colombia.

He’s giving back to those who helped him

As Maluma travels around the world with his music, his family is running a nonprofit organization focused on helping children and teenager at risk through urban art.

In 2016, they founded El Arte de los sueños (The Art of Dreams) in Colombia. The organization exposes teenagers to music composition, dance and visual arts.

“I want to send a positive message that dreams do come true with discipline and when you are focused on what you want,” Maluma said about the nonprofit.