"That baby doesn’t even know what it's doing here," Maluma says to the unidentified woman in the crowd in a clip that has since gone viral, earning the new father praise -- and the mother even more criticism.
It's not uncommon for an artist to stop one of their concerts when they see something concerning, but this may be the first time -- at least with a major artist -- that it was done because of a baby. At the very least, it's the first time an artist has gone viral for it after video of Maluma shutting down his Mexico City show hit social media.
The Colombian superstar was performing in Mexico City over the weekend when he spotted something in the crowd that he clearly could not just ignore, stopping the show and directly addressing it in front of everyone.
So, of course, the whole thing was also caught on video and widely shared.
Speaking in his native Spanish, the singer can be seen on the stage as he addresses an unidentified woman in the crowd who'd apparently brought her baby to his concert.
"With all due respect…how old are they?" Maluma asks, as detailed in Variety's translation. "A year old? Less? A year. Do you think it's a good idea to bring a one-year-old baby to a concert where the decibels are this f--king high?"
"Where is the sound this loud? That baby doesn't even know what it’s doing here," he continued. "Next time, protect their ears or something. For real. It's heavy. It's your responsibility."
The singer wasn't done, either, chastising the woman by adding, "You're waving them around like they're a toy. That baby doesn't want to be there, for real. I'm telling you with all love and respect, now that I'm a father… [I] would never bring them to a concert. For the next time, be a bit more aware."
Maluma and his girlfriend Susana Gomez welcomed a baby girl named Paris Londoño Gomez on March 10, 2024.
There were some fans divided on the issue of whether or not he was right to call out this woman, with one arguing on PopCrave's share of the video, "What if she doesn't have a babysitter?" while another pushed, "Maluma can afford a babysitter, that's the difference." Others said she didn't deserve to be called out and embarrassed like that.
"Singers or artists stoping the show to humiliate or trying to teach the audience something is always wrong. Like their moral values are greater than the audience. They paid, you do your performance and shut up about the audience," wrote one commenter.
To these responses, though, the more consistent response was that if you don't have a babysitter, you just don't go to the concert -- it's that simple. "if you cannot find childcare, you just gotta miss out cause putting your child in danger is not it," wrote one, while another wondered, "What's up with all the babies at the concerts lately, if you can't find a babysitter you shouldn't be going."
It's about being responsible, fans were quick to argue, with many believing that Maluma was showing just that by calling it out. "Bro is absolutely right, hats off to him," commented one fan, while another wrote, "He's a daddy now so I know he's feeling this hard. Good job pa. kids are VERY sensitive to EVERYTHING , sound, touch, light... PROTECT THEM."
"Yikes, that's a tough call but good on Maluma for looking out!" added another, while one fan hoped that this could be a learning opportunity for other young parents: "she could be his biggest fan but that doesn't warrant this level of irresponsibility it's absolutely not safe for the child i'm glad he called her out hopefully others learn too."
"Totally agree with Maluma here—loud concerts can seriously damage a baby’s hearing. Bringing a little one without proper protection isn’t just risky, it’s unfair to the child’s well-being. Parents gotta think beyond just having fun," argued another.
And then there were those who decided to hate on both sides with comments like, "Totally inappropriate to have a baby without protection but totally inappropriate to single her out like that too. I hate preachy performers." Another agreed, adding, "ok this is extremely real and responsible of him to do but crazy because he embarrassed that parent on another level."
