Farruko’s Spiritual Journey And Road To Massive Success

Though Farruko has recently enjoyed the greatest success of his career, with a hit single that charted across the globe and his first U.S. arena tour, the Puerto Rican singer/songwriter hasn’t forgotten his roots. The “LA 167” tour and his 2021 album take their name from one of the main highways in Puerto Rico, which passes through his hometown of Bayamón.

“The ‘LA 167’ tour was undoubtedly special for Farruko as it was themed around his beginnings in Puerto Rico,” says Nelson Albareda, founder and CEO of Loud And Live, which promoted Farruko’s trek. “Moreover, the tour’s massive success as his first full arena tour was yet another validation as a global artist sensation, which allowed him to connect across a deep and wide fanbase in the biggest market in live entertainment.”

Loud And Live started working with the 30-year-old reggaetón artist, agency WME and management team Carbon Fiber in 2019. Albareda recalls that the goal was to build Farruko into an arena act. Shortly before the pandemic began, Farruko started with a sold-out show at Miami’s FTX Arena in January 2020, which Albareda notes “elevated his career and resulted in millions of social media impressions around the world.”

He adds, “It was this show that positioned him as an arena act, and it validated the importance of a seamless working collaboration between an artist, agent, management and promoter.”

Farruko ranks No. 11 on the latest APX chart, thanks to box office data submitted to Pollstar from his latest tour earning him a “live rank” of 88 and his hit single “Pepas” boosting his “streaming rank” of 33.

“Pepas” is his highest-charting single to date, which hit No. 25 on Billboard’s The Hot 100, No. 1 on US Hot Dance/Electronic Songs and No. 1 on US Hot Latin Songs, as well as the Top 10 in countries including Switzerland, Israel and Argentina. Rolling Stone describes the party song (which translates to “Pills”) as featuring reggaetón percussion while being “infused with guaracha, a style of tribal EDM with roots across Latin America.”

Post-lockdown, Farruko got the chance to hit the road on his first-ever arena tour, starting with a Nov. 19 show at Viejas Arena in San Diego. Box office highlights include a Feb. 11 show at Miami’s FTX Arena that grossed $845,615.

The Miami show made headlines after Farruko shared his thoughts about God and asked forgiveness for the message in “Pepas.”

In response to a fan’s complaint about the concert’s religious overtones, the artist born Carlos Efrén Reyes Rosado posted a message on Instagram Feb. 12 saying that Farruko retired and Carlos was here. He also offered to provide refunds via PayPal or Crypto.

Some fans appreciated Farruko’s spiritual musings, with one fan posting on Twitter, “The whole arena was in tears. Every message came from the soul. … I support this new Farruko.”

Albareda, who was at the Miami show, said, “It was a special experience and I respect tremendously what he did. He presented his authentic self, while still offering the fans the Farruko artist-experience, which the fans also appreciated and ultimately enjoyed. … In the end, isn’t that what music is, a form of expression?”

Albareda added, “Whether it’s religion or otherwise, artists ultimately need to stay true to themselves, and there are plenty of examples of artists who had found religion and had continued success, and Farruko is no different.”

The “LA 167” tour resumed with stops including a Feb. 18 show at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., that grossed $573,580. The trek wrapped with three shows at Coliseo de Puerto Rico in San Juan March 3-5 that sold 26,300 tickets and grossed over $1.4 million.
Of course, Farruko is not the first artist to embrace religion in the middle of their careers. From Prince to Cat Stevens to Bob Dylan, many have woven religious messaging in their performances.

“It’s such a personal thing that there isn’t a road map on how to deal with keeping one’s faith in our business. Everyone has to figure it out for themselves, and their decision may impact their career or not,” says Move Concerts CEO Phil Rodriguez, who’s spent 47 years promoting shows in Latin America and Puerto Rico.

“We worked in the past with Matisyahu, for example. He kept true to his [Judaism] beliefs while performing in the reggae genre. Totally out of the norm but it worked – in both the music and in keeping his faith. … In my experience most can balance both worlds.”