Colombian singer Maluma, whose real name is Juan Luis Londoño Arias, faced backlash over the weekend after he posted a photo of himself kissing his mother on the lips in an Instagram post.
“Feliz día amor de mi vida, FELIZ DÍA MADRE,” Maluma captioned the photo, which translates to “Happy day, love of my life, Happy Mother’s Day.”
Maluma and his mother, Marlli Arias, kiss in the photo with the Felices los 4 singer’s hands cupping her face.
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Maluma’s publicist said that the kiss is a “cultural thing.”
“The beautiful thing is that he has been accepted in the American music market with open arms, and I think, now, where we are in this world with music, it’s really global. Now, people are going to be able to see different sides of our culture in different ways,” the rep told People.
The rep continued: “It’s normal in Latin culture, especially if you’re the only son or the baby of the house. It’s affection and a form of respect. He’s open about who he is and his cultural values; this is just part of it.”
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Fans of Maluma began to question if the way the singer kissed his mom was “normal.”
Others agreed with Maluma’s rep and defended the singer, saying it is normal in Latin culture to kiss your mom in the way he did.
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Maluma has not addressed the criticism personally as of this writing.
He is currently promoting his upcoming album 11:11. On Monday, the Chantaje singer shared a promotional trailer for the upcoming album on Instagram.
YouTube is launching a 90-minute documentary on Maluma’s rise to fame, titled MALUMA: Lo Que Era, Lo Que Soy, Lo Que Seré, which translates to Maluma: Who I Was, Who I Am and Who I Will Become.
“I sacrificed everything — my friends, my family,” Maluma said in the trailer. “(It’s) the price I had to pay to become what I am today.”
MALUMA: Lo Que Era, Lo Que Soy, Lo Que Seré will be released on June 5.