Exclusive: Nicky Jam Talks ‘Tom & Jerry’ and Teaming Up With Romeo Santos
Nicky Jam is stepping in 2021 with something for everyone. The Boricua OG will be reaching out to his younger fans as Butch the Cat in Tom & Jerry. The movie was released to HBO Max and theaters on Feb. 26. For his longtime fans, there’s his new single “Fan de Tus Fotos” with Romeo Santos.
Nicky Jam is growing his Hollywood résumé.
“I’m a big fan of Tom & Jerry,” Jam tells Latido Music. “You know you made it when you do something that’s got to do with the kids. Children are everything. That’s the future of our world. That’s going to be iconic and all the kids are going to watch that forever.”
Tom & Jerry is Jam’s latest foray into Hollywood. The movie also stars Chloë Grace Moretz, Michael Peña, Ken Jeong, and fellow reggaetonero Ozuna. Last year, Jam appeared in the blockbuster Bad Boys for Life and in 2019, he was able to tell his life story in the Netflix series Nicky Jam: El Ganador.
Don’t worry. Music is still in the mix.
This year Jam expanded his brand with The Rockstar Show, his YouTube talk show where he chats with other Latin music superstars. Recent guests include Maluma, Karol G, and Luis Fonsi. Music is still a part of the picture. His recent tease of his next album is the sexy “Fan de Tus Fotos” with the King of Bachata. In an exclusive interview with Latido Music, Jam talked to us about taking on Hollywood and reteaming with Santos.
What can you tell us about your character in Tom & Jerry?
I’m an alley cat. I’m playing Butch. You know I can relate because I’m an alley cat myself. I’m from the streets. You know what I’m saying? I got that New York accent, so I think it’s a good combination. My favorite color is black, so for some reason, it’s a good combination.
What was the experience like to team up with Romeo Santos again for “Fan de Tus Fotos”?
It was really good because I was really, really looking forward to doing something with Romeo Santos alone because [last time we] did a song with Daddy Yankee [“Bella y Sensual“]. I said, “You know, we need to something alone because it’s part of my bucket list.” I sent him a song first and he was like, [Nicky imitating Romeo’s voice] “Yo, Nicky, I don’t know. I don’t like this song. I think it’s not my style.” And then I sent him another one and he was like, “The song’s a hit, but I don’t see me there.” And then I sent him the third one and he loved the song. We did the video. You know. The rest is history.
What was the experience like to regroup with Daddy Yankee as Los Cangris last year for “Muévelo”?
It’s always good to work with Daddy Yankee. The respect that we have for each other. I reminisce so much when I’m with him. He gives me so many memories of what we did in the past. And to see that we’re still doing it today after 25 years is just amazing.
Are you going to release another album soon?
Yeah! The new album is called Infinity and it’s going to be out at the end of March.
We know you for your music but you expanded your brand more into Hollywood with El Ganador, Bad Boys for Life, and Tom & Jerry. Can you tell us more about taking that direction?
It’s something that I want. My dream is to have a star on Hollywood on the floor on the Walk of Fame, so that’s going to take me there. I’ve already done so much with the music. There are no challenges in the music anymore for me. Acting is where the challenges are at and I’m just focusing on that.
As one of the OG reggaetoneros, what do you think of the reggaeton music scene now?
I’m like a proud father to see where it’s at. To see that I’m one of the architects of this and I knocked on doors for it to be where it’s at today. Every time I see Bad Bunny on Saturday Night Live or I see somebody doing the Super Bowl or anything like that, I’m like, “It was worth it.” We busted our a*ses and today we got the respect that we wanted.
What more can we expect from Nicky Jam in 2021?
I’m still working hard on my show The Rockstar Show. Growing so much on that show. Apart from that, I got a movie called American Sole. Kevin Hart is the executive producer of that movie. It’s about the sneaker game and it’s going to be huge as well.
