With the release of Antes que el tiempo se vaya, Fonseca is inviting listeners to embrace life’s most precious resource: time. His latest album, arguably his most personal to date, pairs infectious tropical rhythms with deeply reflective songwriting, exploring gratitude, family, nostalgia, migration, and the importance of creating lasting memories. As he prepares to headline a special FIFA World Cup celebration in Miami tonight, June 26, bringing together music, culture, and fútbol fans from around the world, the Colombian singer-songwriter continues to prove that his music can be both celebratory and profoundly meaningful.
That balance has defined Fonseca’s career for more than two decades. Since emerging in 2003, the Bogotá native has become one of Latin music’s most respected voices, blending pop, vallenato, cumbia, salsa, merengue, and other Caribbean influences into a signature sound that is unmistakably his own. The nine-time Latin Grammy winner and three-time Grammy nominee has earned international acclaim through albums including Corazón, Gratitud, Ilusión, Agustín, Viajante, and Tropicalia, all while remaining deeply connected to the culture and traditions that have inspired his music from the very beginning.
In this conversation, Fonseca reflects on the inspiration behind Antes que el tiempo se vaya, the powerful message beneath its danceable melodies, the collaborations that shaped the album, his participation in tonight’s FIFA World Cup celebration in Miami, and why he believes there has never been a more important moment to appreciate the present before time slips away.
Listening to your album, it carries an incredibly profound message. You sing that before time slips away, we should create memories that will last forever. Why placed an emphasis on time and the value of memories in this new project?
I truly believe there is nothing more valuable than time. It is our greatest treasure, and it’s so important to honor it, be grateful for it, and remain aware of it. Today, with so much information surrounding us, so much technology, social media, and constant advances, I think we often forget something very simple: to be present and appreciate the place and the moment we’re in. This song, wrapped in celebration, rhythm, and joy, is really about that.
It also carries a deeply meaningful message about being present in life and celebrating those essential moments we share. As the song says, “Let’s live in the present and turn off our screens before time slips away.”
There’s another lyric I especially love. Every time I hear the song again or read the lyrics, different lines speak to me in new ways. One of them says, “There’s nothing more valuable than what the mind keeps.” Today we’re constantly taking photos, but in the end, nothing is more valuable than the memories we carry in our minds.
Can fans expect a new Fonseca tour where they’ll hear these new songs live?
We’re getting ready to launch the Antes que el tiempo se vaya Tour. That’s what the tour will be called, and it officially begins on October 24 at Estadio El Campín in Bogotá, my city, my home. We’ve wanted to call that first show En La Casa (“At Home”), because that’s exactly what it represents.
From there, we hope to visit even more places than we normally do on our tours and continue making music. I’ve already started writing songs for what will eventually become my next album, but my biggest musical purpose this year is to introduce these new songs to my audience.
I really want to focus on giving this album the push it deserves through social media and every tool available today, so people discover each song. I’m incredibly proud of this record. I identify completely with every lyric and every chord on it, and I’m going to do everything I can to encourage people to listen to it from beginning to end.
There’s something beautiful about experiencing an album in its entirety, and in this case, if you look at the song titles, every one of them relates to the idea of time in one way or another. That’s what I want to dedicate myself to throughout 2026.
You also celebrated Latin music’s diversity on this album through collaborations that cross genres, especially with Juanes and Rawayana.
It was a really interesting process. We got together in the studio with Beto, the lead singer of Rawayana, and Andy Clay, who produced the entire album. We started completely from scratch to see what would happen.
The first thing we did was take a reggae beat and blend it with the rhythm of a vallenato drum. From there, we began building the groove and imagining what reggae and vallenato could sound like together. As we started writing, Beto and I talked about the world we’re living in, with so many political and social challenges, and how, more than ever, the most important thing is being surrounded by the people you love, the people who make you feel strong, safe, proud, and supported.
We kept saying that we have to be ready, no matter what comes. That’s where the song was born. Looking back, I realize that because it was the first song written for the album, it also connects perfectly with the album’s larger theme of time: spending your life with the people you truly want beside you. Of course, the song approaches that idea with a bit of satire. We joked, “If the world ends, let it end with us together.” It’s an exaggerated, playful image, but ultimately the message is the same: be with the people you love.
I’d also like to talk about your song with Rubén Blades, “Nunca me fui,” where you continue exploring the themes of time and returning home. How did that collaboration and the songwriting process come together?
I’ve lived outside Colombia for almost 15 years now, and every time I return to Bogotá, the moment I land and leave the airport, I feel like I never left. That feeling became the starting point for writing this song.
We already had the song well underway when I watched a documentary about Rubén Blades. In it, he walks through the streets of Panama and talks about experiencing the exact same feeling. He said something like, “I’ve lived in New York for forty years, but when I walk these streets, it feels like yesterday.” That really struck me because we’d already begun writing Nunca me fui. It made me realize this is a shared feeling among everyone who lives away from their homeland.
Today, with millions of migrants around the world, many facing incredibly difficult circumstances, that feeling is even more meaningful. No matter where you are, if you close your eyes and remember your grandmother’s house or the street where you grew up, those memories bring comfort. They fill you with nostalgia and gratitude, giving you the strength to keep pursuing your dreams.
That’s what Nunca me fui is about. Having the privilege of sharing that message with the great Rubén Blades, whose music and social message have always represented those values, was truly special. Having him on the album is an enormous honor. We were also thrilled that the song earned a Grammy nomination last year, but above all, it was a privilege to share that experience with him.
We’ll see you on June 26, in Miami. What can fans expect from these upcoming performances as we celebrate the FIFA World Cup festivities surrounding the Colombia vs. Portugal match?
I’m incredibly excited about tonight’s concert in Miami as part of the FIFA World Cup celebration. That’s what we’ve wanted to call it, a global celebration taking place within the excitement surrounding Colombia vs. Portugal match, which has generated so much enthusiasm.
For me, it’s an honor to be part of the joy that football creates. I think football has an incredible ability to unite people. More than ever, we see countries that are supposedly rivals sharing the same stadium, all brought together by a ball, celebrating side by side. That’s one of the most beautiful things about the sport.
This performance will also be very special because it’ll be the first time I perform some of the songs from my new album live. More than anything, I want it to feel like one big celebration. I’m still finalizing the setlist, but that’s exactly what I want the audience to experience a night of joy and celebration.
How does Fonseca celebrate football matches?
I love watching football with my family. I think it’s one of the most beautiful experiences because everyone comes together with the same emotion, the same energy, and the same connection. This year I won’t have the chance to watch the World Cup from Colombia, and I’m definitely going to miss that feeling.
BEHIND THE MUSIC: FAST QUESTIONS WITH FONSECA
Ultimate Venue:
Headlining a show at Madison Square Garden would definitely be the ultimate dream. We played Radio City Music Hall a few years ago, and that iconic venue carries so much history, you can actually feel it when you’re on stage. There’s something truly special about performing in places like that.
Favorite Instrument:
My very first electric guitar. It was a brand called Terminator, and it had a built-in speaker that ran on a square battery. You could just plug in the battery and start playing anywhere. The fact that it was an electric guitar at all completely blew my mind.
First Cover You Learned to Play:
The first songs I learned on guitar were actually inspired by Cuban trova, especially Silvio Rodríguez. As for covers, I grew up during the rock en español era, so I played songs by Hombres G and Los Prisioneros. Later on, I got into Nirvana, Guns N’ Roses, and Metallica.
Dream Collaboration:
If I could rub Aladdin’s magic lamp and ask for two dream collaborations in English, I’d choose Robbie Williams and Seal.
BEFORE TIME SLIPS AWAY: FONSECA OPENS UP ABOUT HIS NEW ALBUM AND FIFA CELEBRATION
With Antes que el tiempo se vaya, Fonseca delivers more than a collection of tropical songs, he offers a reminder to slow down, cherish the people we love, and recognize that our greatest wealth isn’t measured by achievements, but by the memories we create. Through heartfelt storytelling and collaborations that span generations and genres, the Colombian singer-songwriter has crafted an album that invites listeners to experience it from beginning to end, discovering how each track adds another chapter to a larger reflection on gratitude, family, home, and the passage of time.
That message comes to life tonight as Fonseca takes the stage in Miami as part of the FIFA World Cup (last minute tickets here) celebration surrounding the Colombia vs. Portugal match, where he’ll perform several songs from the new album live for the first time. As he prepares to launch the Antes que el tiempo se vaya Tour this October in Bogotá, one thing is clear: whether through an intimate lyric, a joyful tropical rhythm, or a stadium filled with football fans united in celebration, Fonseca continues to remind audiences that life’s most meaningful moments are the ones we choose to be fully present for before time slips away.
Photos courtesy of Fonseca
