Maluma has a number of singles that have charted within the top ten on Billboard Hot Latin Songs, including "Felices los 4", "Borró Cassette", and "Corazón".

He took an early interest in football which he started playing as a toddler through middle school, competing in the lower divisions in the teams Atletico Nacional and Equidad Sports Club.

Additionally, he developed a keen interest in music during his early teenage years and was famed as a good singer in his high school.

[3] Maluma got his first musical break when he was fifteen after he composed, together with a close friend, a song titled "No quiero"; a year later Juan Parra, his uncle, offered him the opportunity to record it in a studio as his birthday present.

[3] After impressing a group of music producers, he was asked to choose a name that would be easy to remember and be accepted by followers of the urban genre.

[1][8] The final two singles from his debut album, "Primer Amor" and "Miss Independent"; the latter was accompanied with a music video, recorded in Medellín, gathering 48 million views on YouTube.

[12][13][14] He also collaborated with singer Elvis Crespo, on the theme song "Olé Brazil" recorded for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

That same month, the singer was confirmed as a judge/coach on Caracol Television's The Voice Kids, alongside Fanny Lu and Andrés Cepeda.

[16] The singles "Borró Cassette", "El Perdedor" and "Sin Contrato" entered the top 10 on Billboard Hot Latin Songs.

[17] In April of that year he performed at the newly named Riccardo Silva Stadium for the inaugural match of the new NASL soccer team The Miami FC.

[22] Maluma recorded the Spanish version of "Colors", one of the theme songs of the 2018 FIFA World Cup, and performed in English by Jason Derulo.

He worked with producers Jay Cash, Vinylz and collaborators Daddy Yankee, Prince Royce and Jason Derulo on the album.

[29] In 2019, Maluma collaborated with American singer-songwriter Madonna, appearing on the songs "Medellín" and "Bitch I'm Loca" from her album Madame X.

On 17 May 2019, Maluma released his fourth studio album 11:11, supported by the singles "HP", "11 PM", "Instinto Natural" with Sech and "No Se Me Quita" with Ricky Martin.

On 29 January 2021, Maluma released an EP titled #7DJ (7 Días en Jamaica) featuring seven songs along with their music videos on his YouTube channel.

[40][41] A Billboard editor wrote, "Maluma's brand of reggaetón syncs nicely with his image, managing to be both romantic and raw.

[52] In October 2016, the song "Cuatro Babys" featuring Noriel, Bryant Myers, and Juhn received controversy over its lyrics, as some considered them to objectify women.

[54] At the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Maluma left a live TV interview broadcast on Israeli public television after the reporter suggested he could be accused of whitewashing Qatari human rights abuses.

[55] Maluma has done a number of venture capital investments, including TREBEL Music[56] and Colombian proptech company La Haus.

[59] In October 2023, Maluma revealed that he and his girlfriend Susana Gómez were expecting their first child, a girl[60] whom they were planning to name Paris.