HE has duetted with Shakira, Jennifer Lopez and Selena Gomez to name but a few – but if you haven’t heard of Rauw Alejandro already, you should expect to see a lot more of him. The Puerto Rican singer is rocketing in popularity and is coming to the UK this summer for his first gig here — a decade after jacking in a flourishing football career to make it in music. Rauw sat down with Bizarre’s Howell to talk about his journey to stardom, which includes amassing more than 20million followers online and selling millions of records around the globe.

He has released five albums in five years and worked with Pharrell Williams on his most recent, Cosa Nuestra — but he originally dreamed of becoming a footballer. And now his idols on the pitch are fans of his. Rauw, who will kick off his European tour with a show in London on June 17, explained: “Puerto Rico is more focused on other types of sports. “Football was my sport since I was a kid, but I have to pay the bills.

“I have to live and it’s not enough for me. “When I was 21, I moved to the States. I was like, man, I love this sport, but maybe it’s not for me. “I was doing music because it was my hobby and it was my escape from my problems. “One day, a friend of mine said, ‘Bro, all these songs that you have in your archive, put it out for the world. You have nothing to lose. Check your bank account’. So that was the moment when I switched.”.

And since then, there has been no looking back. He added: “Ten years now after that decision, it’s been the right one. It’s crazy because I know all the players around the world. “A lot of players write to me like, ‘Bro, I love your music. I put your music on before the game, after the game, if I lose a game . . . ’. “I feel that I’ve made it and I’ve been able to play in celebrity games with footballers — idols for me growing up, like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.”.

I challenge you not to move your hips to the reggaeton beat of his latest single Que Pasaría which he created with Bad Bunny, who has spent two weeks at No1 in the US with his own album. And it’s clear that Spanish language music is having a moment here like never before. There’s something about Latin music that is special. We’ve got some secret sauce in it. Rauw explained: “There’s something about Latin music that is special. We’ve got some secret sauce in it.

“It’s a lot of passion and romantic and energetic in a way, and puts you in a good mood.". He has been working out every day in the lead-up to his tour and says he does so for his female fans. Rauw — who said he’s inundated with flirty messages online “every hour” — admitted: “I’m a ladies man. I sing about sex and romance. So I have to be in good shape.”. And away from his love life, he has his work cut out for him on stage.

Describing his upcoming tour he said: “People have to dress up because we’re going to a 1970s party in New York. “It’s like a Broadway show, West Side Story.”. Rauw will release his next album Cosa Nuesta Part II in the coming months and might just have some superstar pals join him on it. He said: “The top of my list is still Bruno Mars. I’m a big fan of him.”. And he may well work with Madonna after she revealed she likes his songs.