{"id":2111111,"date":"2026-08-25T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-08-24T21:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2111111"},"modified":"2026-08-25T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-08-24T21:00:00","slug":"wonderland-352","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2111111","title":{"rendered":"Wonderland"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\t\t\tWonderland<\/span>
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\n\t\t\tJUAN DUQUE IS COLOMBIA\u2019S VERRACO POP STAR<\/span>
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With Colombian swagger and hustle, singer Juan Duque is rising to the top while putting his hometown on the map and supporting his country in its time of need.<\/h3>\n
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\u2018Verraco\u2019 in Colombian slang describes a person who\u2019s determined, hard-working, gutsy, and a go-getter. An artist on the rise who\u2019s embodied the spirit of that word is Juan Duque<\/a>. Since racking up nearly five million monthly listeners on Spotify, the 30-year-old heartthrob has proudly represented his roots in his hits while putting a spotlight on his charming and quaint hometown of Marinilla. On the path to becoming Colombia\u2019s next big pop star, Duque wants to inspire his fans to embrace their inner verracos.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are all verracos in Colombia,\u201d Duque affirms proudly. \u201cI drew inspiration from that vibe. It\u2019s a spirit of resilience no matter where you come from. We all have that same grit. We\u2019re all verracos and that\u2019s what my new project is all about.\u201d<\/p>\n

Medell\u00edn has become Colombia\u2019s reggaeton capital and churned out stars like J Balvin, Maluma, Karol G, and Feid. Duque was born on the outskirts of Medell\u00edn in a small town called Marinilla. It was his humble upbringing in the countryside that instilled his hustle in him at a young age. Duque\u2019s ascent to the top was gradual. First, he won over Colombia in 2023 with the romantic reggaeton of \u201cMaria\u201d and the song\u2019s remix featuring Ryan Castro. Two years later, Duque scored his first global smash with Afrobeats-infused \u201cSolcito\u201d alongside Miguel Bueno, which racked up over 226 million streams on Spotify. With more eyes on him than ever before, now he\u2019s taking it back to where it all began with his next EP, \u201cVerraco Vibe\u201d. Duque returned to Marinilla for the music video for his latest single, the flirty reggaeton romp \u201cSongo Sorongo.\u201d<\/p>\n

Duque is also channelling that same essence of willpower into supporting his home nation following the recent earthquake that devastated a large part of the country. Along with his family and friends, he helped move donations and supplies to the affected cities. Duque has also performed at a few benefit concerts, including Colombia: Voces Por La Vida, which raised over $3.6 million for earthquake relief. In an exclusive interview with Wonderland<\/em>, he opens up about giving back to Colombia, putting Marinilla on the map, and entering his Verraco era.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\"Juan<\/figure>\n
\"Juan<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n

What does it mean for you to represent your hometown of Marinilla?<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s wonderful because people are getting to know Colombia better, but they\u2019re also discovering other cultures and different ways of life. People might think it\u2019s all about Medell\u00edn and how they look, speak, and dress a certain way there, but then they see that the culture of Marinilla is completely different. It\u2019s a small town, a different lifestyle, and a different pace of life too. People in that town live very peacefully and they truly understand the value of life. It\u2019s great to represent my hometown. When people talk about me and they learn there\u2019s this place close to Medell\u00edn called Marinilla that offers something unique, I love that. I want people to visit my hometown and experience it for themselves.\u00a0<\/p>\n

How would you describe this era of your career that you\u2019re in now?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019m deeply connected to my roots. It feels great to return to my roots in Marinilla and show who we are. Now that I\u2019m so reconnected with my roots, I love showing that and I\u2019m feeling very proud of where I come from. I\u2019m showing everything: the differences between the city and the countryside, my hometown, and my upbringing. Honestly, I\u2019m having a lot of fun showing that side of myself.<\/p>\n

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How does that return to your roots tie into your upcoming EP \u201cVerraco Vibe\u201d?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I told myself before starting a new project that I needed to reconnect with where I come from. I had to go back to Marinilla and the rural areas where my family lives. I listened to them, partied with them, and stayed up all night with them. I wanted to remember what music they play when they\u2019re partying, working, chilling at home, or out and about. I realised that people living in Marinilla, especially my family, listen to a lot of reggaeton, and I thought, \u201cI want to do that.\u201d I have a really beautiful reggaeton project coming together. It\u2019s got a bit of everything: the reggaeton music you can play in the club, the car, or at home. It\u2019s music with a great vibe that makes you want to do something, whether it\u2019s partying, being at home, or hanging out with friends.\u00a0<\/p>\n

What was the inspiration for your latest single \u201cSongo Sorongo\u201d?<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s about doing things quietly, calmly, and on the low. The phrase songo sorongo<\/em> is about being low-key but focused. It also implies a casual and unassuming approach to relationships. I thought that expression was beautiful and perfect for this song because it captures a lot of our local culture, especially the vibe when I\u2019m with my family. It\u2019s got a playful and laid-back feel. We started writing it with a guitar out on a farm while I was goofing around with my cousins and cracking jokes.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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You\u2019ve also recently gone viral on Emyl Rusev\u2019s \u201cAs\u00ed de Rico (Va Uno a Ver y Ve Remizzz)\u201d that\u2019s become an anthem for Colombia. How did you come up with your guest verse?<\/strong><\/p>\n

That verse turned out beautifully because the song isn\u2019t about me, Emyl, or Juliana. It was made for Colombia as a whole. I essentially wrote my verse describing a Colombian verraco<\/em>. My verse was meant to capture that spirit. My part of the song alludes to any criticism or obstacles that have been stacked against us Colombians. Despite that, we\u2019ve never been afraid. Going against the odds, dealing with criticism, or having limited resources, we always know how to handle and navigate those situations. It\u2019s a beautiful expression of the Colombian verraco<\/em>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

What does it mean for you to use your hands, your platform, and your music to support Colombia as the country recovers from the earthquake?<\/strong><\/p>\n

More than an act of solidarity, for me, it\u2019s an act of responsibility. If we artists have achieved some level of recognition, it\u2019s because the people of Colombia have supported us. This is our way of giving back to our country and returning all the love that we\u2019ve gotten from our people. It\u2019s a beautiful thing to be able to join in. It\u2019s wonderful that we have this voice and visibility to make a massive impact. We\u2019re spreading the message far and wide and encouraging more aid collection and donations. It\u2019s great that the country can use us to reach more people and we\u2019re inspiring them to donate, attend benefit concerts and events, visit collection centers, and give whatever they can.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Who are some artists that you would love to collaborate with in the future?<\/strong><\/p>\n

If we\u2019re talking about the near future, I would love to collaborate with Carlos Vives. I feel like it\u2019s getting close to happening. I\u2019ve seen him a lot lately at different events. If we\u2019re talking about a future that\u2019s further down the line, I would love to collaborate with my fellow Colombians like J Balvin, Ryan Castro, Karol G, Ferxxo [Feid], and Maluma. I will always be down to collaborate with any of them.\u00a0<\/p>\n

You have songs that are romantic, sensual, and sexy. How do you feel about some of your fans seeing you as a Colombian sex symbol?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019m fine about it. Let people enjoy what they see. It\u2019s no big deal. Use your eyes however you like to, but always with respect of course. Eyes were made for looking, so go ahead and use them because that\u2019s what they\u2019re for.\u00a0<\/p>\n

What more can we expect from you this year that you can tell us?<\/strong><\/p>\n

With the \u201cVerraco Vibe\u201d EP, there\u2019s still a lot to be done, but it\u2019s going to be really great. I know that people are going to really enjoy the music. It\u2019s a new sound from me that they likely haven\u2019t heard before. I have a concert with Piso 21 coming up at the Movistar Arena in Bogot\u00e1 on 26th November. That\u2019s another dream of mine that became a reality. I\u2019m going to be in the United States at the end of the year. I had to postpone my world tour because of the earthquake in Colombia. I actually think it\u2019s for the best because we\u2019ll have more time to book larger venues and really polish the show. Between now and then, if more of my songs take off, then people will have even more songs to sing along to. I\u2019m excited, and I can\u2019t wait to be in the US to kick off the tour.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Words<\/strong> \u2013 Lucas Villa<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t25 August 2026\t\t\t<\/div>\n
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Music<\/a><\/div>\n
New Noise<\/a><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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\n\t\t\t\tOlivia Rodrigo on Love, Flower Crowns, and Hackney<\/span> <\/span><\/a>\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Wonderland JUAN DUQUE IS COLOMBIA\u2019S VERRACO POP STAR With Colombian swagger and hustle, singer Juan Duque is rising to the top while putting his hometown on the map and supporting his country in its time of need. \u2018Verraco\u2019 in Colombian slang describes a person who\u2019s determined, hard-working, gutsy, and a go-getter. An artist on the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,257],"class_list":["post-2111111","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-wonderlandmagazine-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2111111","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2111111"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2111111\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2111111"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2111111"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2111111"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}