Sebastián Yatra is livin' on a prayer

For Sebastián Yatra, a occurrence doesn’t person to beryllium a grandiose happenstance; it tin beryllium a child’s smile, the cleanable cupful of beverage oregon rainfall connected a sunny day.

“You find [miracles] successful everything,” said Yatra successful a video telephone from his Miami home.

These tiny, often overlooked moments sparked the conception down the Colombian singer-songwriter’s 4th workplace album, “Milagro.” Released connected May 16, the task took 3 years to implicit and marks a much introspective section successful the popular romantic’s life.

“A batch of these songs are precise affectional and they’ve helped maine get done immoderate of the antithetic moments I’ve been done successful these past years,” said Yatra.

(Luis Alejandro Marquez)

The album’s rubric reflects a new, much spiritual section of Yatra’s life. He initially came into the spotlight with his 2016 breakthrough Latin-EDM deed “Traicionera” and the 2017 vallenato opus “Robarte un Beso,” which helium recorded alongside chap parcero Carlos Vives. All the names of his past albums besides took connected otherworldly elements, specified arsenic 2018’s “Mantra,” 2019’s “Fantasía” and 2022’s “Dharma.”

“Ever since I was a teen, I started having a truly large transportation with God,” said Yatra. “When I accidental God, I mean this indescribable vigor oregon idiosyncratic — immoderate it is that brought america here.”

That taxable is astir evident successful “Milagro’s” brushed gospel hymns similar “Amen,” which affirms the powerfulness of religion successful moments of uncertainty and summarizes the precise ethos of this project.

“It’s a chill mode for maine to explicate however I spot spiritually and the emotion and respect I person for radical each astir the world,” said Yatra.

Throughout the album, the crooner leans into his poetic lyricism, which shines brightest successful twinkling emotion tracks similar “Milagro” and “Segundo Amor.” Also sprinkled passim the grounds are buoyant Caribbean tracks, similar the already fashionable merengue deed “Vagabundo,” featuring Manuel Turizo and Beéle, and “2AM,” his reggaeton collaboration with Bad Gyal that revamps Dido’s 1999 opus “Thank You.”

And, similar galore of Yatra’s albums, determination is besides country for heartbreak. He unravels his desperation and jealousy successful songs similar “La Pelirroja” and “Disco Rayado.” Yet that symptom does not mean each anticipation for emotion is mislaid — “There’s sadness successful a batch of my music, [but also] a sadness with optimism,” helium said.

(Paz Vallejo)

Now 30 years old, Yatra finds himself astatine a peaceful center, profoundly taking successful the world’s quality and its unpleasantries. “The tiny ups and downs of beingness are portion of surviving life,” helium said. And however could helium not admit the unexpected travel erstwhile it’s led him to rewarding broadside quests?

In 2021, his tender vocals backed the sentimental ballad “Dos Oruguitas,” written by Lin-Manuel Miranda,for the animated philharmonic diagnostic movie “Encanto.” The opus was performed and nominated for archetypal opus astatine the 94th Academy Awards, an acquisition that cemented his bequest successful the childhoods of many. “The lone mode for maine to recognize [that experience] is erstwhile I deliberation backmost to the ‘Little Mermaid’ songs oregon ‘You‘ve Got a Friend successful Me,‘” Yatra said.

Last fall, helium made his Broadway debut arsenic Billy Flynn, the crafty lawyer successful the long-running jazz philharmonic “Chicago.” The accidental initially seemed retired of scope for the Miami-raised kid, though helium had the pb relation of Troy Bolton successful his mediate schoolhouse accumulation of “High School Musical.”

“ It was a beauteous large leap from mediate schoolhouse plays to debuting arsenic a pb connected Broadway,” Yatra said. “I privation to bash it again for sure.”

With a small spot of prayer, it seems Yatra is acceptable to instrumentality connected immoderate comes his way, “Sometimes I spot [life] arsenic a video game,” helium said. “It helps not to instrumentality myself truthful seriously.”