Sebastián Yatra

In September 2013, Yatra had his first minor hit single, "El psicólogo", which charted in his home country Colombia, as well as Venezuela, Ecuador, Mexico and the United States.[6] "El Psicólogo", a pop ballad with reggae influences was recorded in the United States, and produced by well-known Latin producers Yhonny Atella and Ender Thomas, mastered by Tom Coynequien and music video shot by Colombian director Simón Brand.[7] Yatra toured with Paty Cantú in her Drama Queen Tour and with Sandoval Sandoval in her Deja Que La Vida Te Sorprenda Tour gaining more fame. His follow-up single "Todo Lo Que Siento" was mildly successful, but the ensuing "Para olvidar" became a big hit in Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, and yet again in the States.[8] 2015 saw launching of two successful singles, "No me llames" featuring Alkilados and "Cómo Mirarte", a repeat hit first as solo and again in a collaboration featuring Kenai and remixed by producers like Kevin ADG, Chan El Genio and Dandee.

Yatra first received international success with the single "Traicionera"[9] a Reggaeton, trap and EDM-influenced hit that solidified his status as a favorite international artist in Latin America, in the Latin market in the States also charting in Spain and finding success all over Europe. The single was classified double platinum in Colombia and platinum in Ecuador. It peaked at number twelve on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.[10] Yatra's collaboration with Colombian vallenato singer Carlos Vives entitled "Robarte Un Beso" won an ASCAP award.[11] The single's accompanying music video, directed by Venezuelan filmmaker Daniel Duran and released on July 28, 2017, features four love stories that all center around partners serenading each other.[12]

Yatra released the album Mantra on May 18, 2018. On the album's title, he explained, “My mantra are my songs. It takes you to that good energy with whatever you’re listening to. All these songs have these positive vibes, especially in the lyrics. They’re just sharing love."[1] In 2018, Yatra voiced the character Migo in the Spanish language version of the computer-animated film Smallfoot.[13] He released the single "Sutra" featuring Puerto Rican reggaeton artist Dalmata in March 2018, which also peaked at number 26 on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs.[10]

In December 2018, Yatra's single "Ya No Tiene Novio" featuring Mau y Ricky reached number one on the Billboard Latin Airplay chart.[14] To promote the song, Yatra and Mau y Ricky publicized a "feud" between them to create attention around the track, with Yatra explaining, “It’s pretty crazy because the song blew up before it even came out. Instead of telling people it was awesome, we told everyone that the collaboration sucked and having everyone say, ‘Dude you guys messed up the song so bad.’”[1] Artists Maluma, Zion Y Lennox, and J Balvin publicly commented on the "rivalry".[1] The music video features a playful nod at the artificial feud, with the artists competing over love interests.[1]

In January 2019, Sebastián Yatra and Reik launched a collaborative work titled “Un Año” (one year). The single was well-received by many Venezuelan migrants who identify the song lyrics with separations from families.[15] The single was released alongside his new album Fantasia which was released in April 2019. Despite releasing several reggaeton-influenced songs prior to releasing the album, the majority of the twelve tracks on Fantasia have been classified as ballads. Yatra commented, "I started my career as a balladeer. I listened to Luis Fonsi, Reik, Alex Ubago and Michael Bublé. I'm very grateful for all the urban things I've done but I did not want to lose my essence."[16] Fantasia has been nominated for Best Latin Pop Album at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards.[17]

In June 2019, Yatra released the track "Runaway" with Daddy Yankee and Natti Natasha, featuring the Jonas Brothers.[18] "Runaway" is the first bilingual song Yatra has released. After writing the chorus in English, Yatra realized that he wanted a mainstream English-language musician to feature on the track, putting the recording of the song on hold for two years while he searched for the right collaborators.[18] Commenting on the song, Yatra stated, "you feel the happiness in the track."[18] Yatra performed the song alongside Natti Natasha, Daddy Yankee, and the Jonas Brothers on the opening night of the Jonas Brothers' Happiness Begins Tour in Miami.[19]

His single "Oye", featuring Argentine singer Tini, reached number one on the Billboard Argentina Hot 100 for the week of October 26, 2019.[20] The music video received more than 40 million views in the two weeks after it was released on YouTube.[20] In October 2019 he was involved in political controversies after expressing his support for the politicians and candidates of the Colombian far-right, including controversial former president Álvaro Uribe.[21] Yatra collaborated with Mexican rock group Maná in November 2019 to release a new version of the group's 1995 single “No Ha Parado De Llover”.[22] The song's music video, which partially centers around a fatal car accident, serves as a public service announcement against texting and driving. Maná initiated the collaboration after seeing Yatra cover the song at the 2018 Grammys gala.[22]

Yatra has publicly advocated for fans to practice social distancing to stop the spread of COVID-19. In March 2020, he began reading children's books on Instagram Live every night at 8pm EST.[23] Also in March 2020, he released a remix of his Fantasia song "Falta Amor" featuring Ricky Martin. On the collaboration, Yatra reflected, "Singing with Ricky Martin is just insane. I would have never thought it possible in [this] lifetime. It’s huge not only as a Latino, but for any person that loves music.”[23] He announced that he will be the opening act for Martin and Enrique Iglesias's US tour, which is planned to take place from September 5 to October 30th, 2021.[23]