Despite His Age, Beéle Has Been Making Waves for Years

Beéle can't seem to stop smiling. His collaboration with reggaeton megastar Farruko, "Santorini," is hours away from being released online, and Beéle, sporting bleached pink hair and a septum piercing, has a wide grin on his face. The 20-year-old Colombian singer says he woke up that way.

"I've been excited all day," Beéle tells New Times in Spanish over Zoom from his home in Bogotá. "It's always exciting when you release a song — especially one that is a massive collaboration."

Does Beéle pay close attention to social media comments and statistics when he releases a new track?

"Everything, everything, everything," says Beéle (pronounced like the letters B and L in Spanish, referencing his name Brandon De Jesús López Orozco). He adds that he also likes responding to as many comments as possible.

Massive collaborations are nothing new for Beéle, who will perform Saturday at La Scala de Miami. The baritone-voiced singer has worked with several big names since he came on the scene at age 16 with his 2019 hit song "Loco." There was "Aloja" with Maluma and Rauw Alejandro in 2021, "Fantasi" with Tini in 2022, and "Vagabundo" with Sebastian Yatra and Manuel Turizo in May, to name a few.

In fact, "Santorini" isn't even Beéle's first collaboration with Farruko. They previously teamed up on the "Loco" remix with Turizo and Natti Natasha in 2020. But Beéle likes to live in the moment and treat every song release as a special milestone. He says he always tries to stay positive, which is apparent in his tropical music.
"My music comes from the Caribbean coast of Colombia," says the native of Barranquilla, Colombia, also known as the birthplace of Shakira and Sofia Vergara. "It's inspired by champeta, African music, and salsa. It's meant to make you feel good and at peace. I like to make music that spreads happiness and makes you feel like you're not only in a club but also at the beach."

Beéle, not surprisingly, loves the beach. It's one of the things he enjoys most about visiting Miami — a city he could one day see himself calling home. Just don't expect him to become a regular on Miami's club scene if he does make the move. Beéle says he only occasionally parties and would rather spend time writing and recording music.

Some might be surprised that a 20-year-old artist with such a loud appearance would prefer a quieter lifestyle, but Beéle has grown up more quickly than most people his age. Having a hit song at 16 years old will often do that.

In 2020, Beéle saw his fame rise when he followed up "Loco" with the Ovy on the Drums-produced ballad "Inolvidable," which he wrote when he was 14. The music video is his most popular to date, with 323 million views on YouTube. In 2021, he told Colombia's Caracol Televisión that he had gastric sleeve surgery after approaching class III obesity. And then, that same year, he became a father when his son Ethan Kai was born. In May of this year, Beéle and wife Camila Rodriguez announced via Instagram that they have a second son on the way.

All this before the age of 21.

Because he's one of the younger stars in Latin music, Beéle often finds himself receiving advice from his music industry peers. They'll warn him about the pitfalls of fame and encourage him. Beéle says he welcomes the recommendations. He knows it comes from a good place and that he still has a lot to learn.

Beéle also says he has learned about the music industry simply by observing. Fans have probably noticed in his music videos and social media posts that he has a passion — and talent — for dancing. He incorporates it into much of what he does. Beéle says he picked that up from other artists, including the "King of Pop."

"I've been dancing since I was little," Beéle says. "Michael Jackson was one of my inspirations — I liked how he danced. Since then, I've seen a lot of other artists express themselves with dancing. I think it adds visuals to the music and complements it. I've implemented that approach myself. I like to be versatile."

That versatility has yet to include a collaboration with an English language artist — something of a trend for Latin artists these days. But Beéle lights up when discussing the possibility of working with an English-language singer one day. He would love the opportunity and names Drake and Rihanna as the artists he'd most like to work with. And really, who wouldn't?

For now, though, he's focused on another related task.

"One of my goals for next year is to learn English," says Beéle, staying positive as usual. "I know the basics. Hopefully, next year we can do this interview in English."

Beéle. 7 p.m. Saturday, June 15, at La Scala de Miami, 905 Brickell Bay Dr., Miami; 786-803-8194; lascalademiami.com. Tickets cost $40 to $75 via tickeri.com.