The Night Ryan Castro Became a Stadium Singer

The night began with the image of Ryan Castro on screen singing “SENDÉ” [the intro to the album of the same name, inspired by the classic “You Don’t Love Me (No, No, No)” by Dawn Penn] from inside a National Police helicopter, before “REBECCA” started playing and a double appeared, simulating[the artist walking on the roof of the Atanasio Girardot Stadium. Seconds later, fans understood the entire sequence: the real “Ghetto Singer” was already on the main stage, kicking off his show with the remix of “Parte & Choke,” the hit song by his Ecuadorian colleagues Jombriel and Alex Krack.

Dressed in a yellow suit and sunglasses, and holding a microphone colored like the Curaçao sunset, the artist appeared on stage in front of a crowd of 47,000 people. He followed with “SQ” (also known as “W Sound 04”), one of the most successful tracks from his sessions produced by Ovy On The Drums, and “Fiesta,” a hit by Castro and Fariana that many may not know — but it has been a massive success in Colombian clubs across Antioquia and the Coffee Region.

Staying true to his Caribbean flow, Castro delivered hit after hit with dancehall and island-inspired sounds. First came “SANKA” (which also incorporates elements of kizomba) and “BOOMBASTIKrespective guest artists, Curaçao’s Dongo on the former and Italian artist Kybba on the latter. Then came “BA BA BAD REMIX,” which featured none other than Sean Paul, the Jamaican artist who once proclaimed himself the “Global Ambassador of Dancehall.” Paul, with a career spanning 25 years and dozens of hits, also performed classics “Like Glue” and “Temperature” at the Atanasio.

Rayo and Toby brought the mode-up vibe of San Andrés Island with “Movimiento De Caderas” and “Calor.” More dancehall hits and guests followed: Kapo joined to perform “DÓNDE” and “LA VILLA.”

Then came Maluma to perform “Pa’ la Seca,” the song he recently released with Castro, as well as other hits from his own discography, including “Hawái” and “Borro Cassette.” Maisak also joined to perform “FDSR.” 

Mounted on a jet ski, Castro glided over the crowd to a second stage, where a new phase of the concert began, and reminisced about songs from his earliest years, such as “Cositas al Oído.” The first guest on this stage was Mora, who performed “La Inocente,” his track with Feid from years ago, and “MIL VIDAS.” Hamilton also joined the stage, proudly waving the Cartagena flag and singing “A Poca Luz” and “4 LIFE,” his two collaborations with the night’s star.

Other artists followed on the second stage, including Aria Vega, Altafulla (an influencer and winner of the reality show La Casa De Los Famosos, who has released songs with artists like Juan Duque in recent months), Jorge Celedón and Zion — one of the first Puerto Rican artists to collaborate with Castro. Together, they performed “ENVIGADO” from Castro’s self-titled album.

Back on the main stage, Castro invited another artist from his early career, Andy Rivera, to reminisce about the golden days of “Monumento – Remix.” Sech also joined him to perform their hit collaboration “Novio No.”

As the show neared its end, SOG, Ryan Castro’s go-to producer, appeared to accompany him on his merengue hit “Mujeriego,” a staple of Colombian December celebrations. Castro’s alter ego “Richy” — used for songs more aligned with Colombian party music — took the stage to perform tracks like “La Garrafa” and “Mi Fortuna,” the latter a hit from late last year that reached the top 10 on the Billboard Colombia Hot 100.

“El Ritmo Que Nos Une,” the soccer anthem that supported Colombia during the last Copa América and is expected to become an unofficial anthem for the upcoming World Cup, also made its way into the setlist.

Feid was another guest who couldn’t be left out. Together, he and Castro performed their massive hit “Monastery,” a crucial track in both of their careers. But the night couldn’t end without the arrival of J Balvin, who shares what seems to be a genuine friendship with Castro.

Balvin had a special stage — a bus — from which both artists descended to the beat of Kris Kross’ hip-hop classic “Jump,” the melody that inspired their track “Tonto.” Together, they performed that song as well as “Niveles de Perreo” and “Pal Agua,” the three collaborations they’ve released so far, just days ahead of their joint album OMERTÁ. The “Boy from Medellin” (Balvin) also delivered hits from his own repertoire, such as “Ay Vamos” and “Azul.”

Finally, the night reached its climax with Baby Rasta and Gringo, who performed their classic hit “Ella Se Contradice.” It was no coincidence that Castro gave them the most prominent moment of the evening; the duo is making a comeback after more than a decade and promoting an acoustic album of their greatest hits. The final song of the night was “Malory,” accompanied by fireworks befitting the occasion.

“This show was one of my dreams,” Castro said about what has been, without a doubt, the most important concert of his career so far.

April 25, 2026, will go down as a historic date for Ryan Castro: the day he proved that a young man raised between Medellín and a Caribbean island, who once sang dancehall on urban buses with fellow paisa Crickmanjam, who not only created reggaetón hits but also showed Colombian youth that there are other ways to make urban music, is now ready to start filling stadiums around the world.

This article was originally published in Spanish by Billboard Colombia.