As he releases his electric new full-length album, Dueño del Cielo, Mexican superstar Humbe talks famous faces and being an independent artist.

The sky isn’t even the limit for Humbe. The Mexican singer-songwriter, who has blossomed into a Latino IT boy, spent the past year creating his most ambitious album yet, Dueño del Cielo. While spreading his wings as a newly independent artist, Humbe also crossed paths with artists like Miley Cyrus and Pharrell Williams at events such as the Met Gala and Paris Fashion Week. On November 30, he descended upon the Palacio de los Deportes in Mexico City for a special concert that introduced his celestial LP.

“This chapter in my career feels so free,” Humbe says. “It feels like I’m growing in some ways that I haven’t even noticed. I know that everything that’s going right now is leading to a better outcome and a satisfying end of the road.”

Humbe is the shortened version of his real name Humberto Rodríguez Terrazas. At 25 years old, the Monterrey native has spent much of his youth becoming Mexico’s leading pop star. Humbe has released a string of hit albums like 2020’s Entropía and 2021’s Aurora where he introduced his R&B-infused vision of Latin pop. With 2023’s Esencia, he mastered the art of channelling his emotions into sentimental anthems.

With last year’s Armagedón album, Humbe revealed that he left his longtime label, Sony Music Latin, to go independent. He then relocated to Iceland to work on his follow-up, the dreamy Dueño del Cielo. The LP includes his viral hit “Fantasmas” and his recent singles “Vetiver y Amaretto” and “Morfina.” He is also taking inspiration from Bruce Willis’ character in the 1998 blockbuster Armageddon with the playful “Harry Stamper.” To bring the album to life, Humbe turned the Palacio de los Deportes into a heaven on earth with clouds as he levitated over his fans. While backstage, he spoke with Wonderland about Dueño del Cielo, his Miley encounter, and what’s next. 

Listen to the album…

Read the interview…

Now that you’re eight years into your career, what have you learned about yourself during that time?

I’ve learned everything. I keep learning everyday. I’m a strong believer that whenever you consider yourself a finished product, that’s a flop product. I’m always in search of making myself better, even with the things I know I could never be better with, but I still try. [Laughs.] These past eight years have shown me resilience in whatever I do. 

How would you describe your life since becoming an independent artist last year?

It’s much more chill. I can actually relax. First of all, I don’t have to send anything to anyone. Me and my family are the only ones who screen my music. Second of all, I can actually defend what I believe in, which is not to go with whatever is flowing outside of you. Go with whatever flows inside of you. If you put out music that comes from within, you’re going to be able to represent it forever, love it, and cherish it. 

What does it mean for you that your song “Fantasmas” goes viral every Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead) season?

“Fantasmas” is one of the most emotional songs I’ve made. It’s a song that’s crafted purely for celebrating love. It’s never going to stop surprising me how much it connects with people. It connects so much with me, but I never ever would have what it’s done for people, so it means a lot. It’s like the Mariah Carey song “All I Want for Christmas is You,” but for Día de Muertos. [Laughs.]  I feel very honoured to be a part of something so symbolic of my country. It’s beautiful.

What do you want people to take away from your new album Dueño del Cielo?

Change is fun if you see it that way. I grew a lot this past year making that album. The most valuable lesson I learned this year was that change is inevitable and change is literally the reason we still keep going. Whenever I felt happy with where I was, I wanted to stick with that and never change. When something changed in my life or changed in my schedule, that kind of chaos made me go nuts, so I hated change. Now I’ve learned that change is necessary.

What was the inspiration for the song “Harry Stamper”?

That’s my favourite song on the album. The inspiration for that song is Bruce Willis’ character in Armageddon, and in this movie, spoiler alert, he ends up sacrificing himself for the planet. Well, not only for the planet, but also for his daughter who lived on that planet, so he sacrificed himself for love. In this song, you find yourself questioning the person you’re singing it to. Would you die for me as Harry Stamper did? You’re making sure that it’s not a facade. 

How would you describe the experience of meeting Miley Cyrus at a Met Gala afterparty?

It was surreal, honestly. I could have never imagined being side by side with Hannah Montana. It’s crazy! [Laughs.] After that moment, I was like, “Okay, we can leave now.” It was so much fun. It’s even crazier that I got invited there in the first place. The fact that I have that moment to always remember is so valuable to me. 

Maybe that encounter could lead to a Humbe and Miley collaboration in the future. Would you be open to that?

Of course! I love her music, and I have loved her craft ever since her Hannah Montana days. I’m even in love with the songs that she’s releasing now and her Something Beautiful album. Honestly, I’ve been a fan of hers since I was a kid.

I also love your collaboration “Templo de Piceas” with Sebastián Yatra. How did that song come together with him?

Ever since I met Yatra, he’s been like a brother to me. It’s so much fun hanging out with him. He’s also a funny person. He once came to a club in Monterrey and I was, “Shit! That’s cool!” I didn’t meet him until afterwards. My vocal coach used to be his vocal coach as well, so she introduced us. He’s been so good to me. He’s an ally. It’s hard to find allies in this industry. It’s hard to find actual people who care about you. He does care about me, and I’ve always felt that since I met him. I feel so honoured to have this collaboration with him which sounds heavenly. I love that song.

A big part of your fan base are people who belong to the LGBTQ+ community. I was wondering if you had a message for them?

I love them all. It’s beautiful to know that I have a lot of love and support from them. It’s bullshit that this kind of prejudice exists. In my head, I’ve always believed that we’re all here to live the human experience. We’re all here to live, to breathe, to exhale, to experiment, to get to know each other, and everything else. 

With Dueño del Cielo closing the trilogy of albums that started with Esencia, where does Humbe go from here?

I honestly don’t know. I don’t know what I’m going to do next. I’m excited for it. I don’t know what the fuck it’s going to be. I don’t know when it’s going to come out. I don’t know when I’m going to start working on it, but I’m not going to rush it. I’m going to let it come to me. It’s going to be a whole different thing because, first of all, it has to be. I don’t want to do anything similar to anything I’ve done. That’s kind of the challenge. I have to start deconstructing myself again. 

Words – Lucas Villa

Photography – Krista Garza