Omar Courtz finds sonic inspiration wherever he goes. “A muse could be anything,” the Puerto Rican artist says from New York City, where he's visiting the Rolling Stone offices for the first time. “I'm seeing all these different interviews and articles, and that right now is inspiring something in me.”
With his debut album, First Musethe newcomer — who has gotten co-signs from stars like Daddy Yankee and Bad Bunny — shows everything that's been popping up in his mind lately: sex, girls, love, drugs, and street life. All of these ideas swirl into 17 musical vignettes, each with a different flavor of R&B, trap, dancehall and old-school reggaeton, shaping the long-awaited LP.
There's “MUSAELEVA,” a salacious short tale about a steamy sexual partner –and a song that comes with a special ode to Rihanna as Courtz sings “Work, work, work, work, work, work/Ella quiere sexo, no quiere un polvo .” On “HEAVY,” meanwhile, he basks in nihilism and conspicuous consumption, filling each verse with lines about expensive clothes and illicit drug deals. In addition to churning out stellar solo tracks, he's also skilled at enlisting the right collaborators for all of his songs. Anuel AA is heard on “SERIE CON ESE Q,” while Rauw Alejandro's syrupy voice melts over a pulsating hypnotic beat on “SEXPLAYLIST1.”
Ultimately, what matters most to Omar is making versatile music for different moods. “I want my fans to know that I can make any type of music,” he says. “They're always going to have any type of song for how they are feeling. If you're sad, there's going to be a song for you. If you feel happy, there is a song for you. If you want to go to the club, there is going to be music for that night.”
Below, Courtz shared a behind-the-scenes look at the creative process that went into creating some of the tracks featured on the album. He dove into his inspirations, reggaeton legends, like Zion y Lennox.
“Intro“
The theme of this track is simply about gratitude. I'm so thankful to God and I will always put him first in everything I do in life. I also mention Farruko on the song because I've seen him turn into the leader he is today and be great in everything he does; our relationship goes further than just music. I met him in Miami through Mr. 305 (Pitbull's record label) and he always gives me good advice. He is like the uncle of our group.
“2K16,” featuring Bryant Myers
I know Bryant Myers from Carolina. He has a studio there. I'm on one of his singles called “Garchin,” which comes out on his new album. I gave him the idea for 2K16 because when I do a collaboration with an artist, I like to gauge what they are good at. Bryant is great at doing trap music; he did his thing back in 2016.
“SERIOUS WITH ESE Q,” featuring Anuel AA
Anuel AA called us and invited us over to his house. He is a real stand-up dude; he and his family opened their home to us. We are from the same neighborhood, and when I worked at a clothing store, I would help him as he shopped. It's incredible to be able to have a song out with a star like him. His story could be made into a movie. To me, it's really cool to see all he represents. I already had a couple of songs I wanted to show him, which I did and one of those ended up being “SERIO CON ESE Q.”
“INTERLUDE“
The female voice that's heard at the beginning and end of the album is actually a voice note I had saved on my phone. I wanted to make a song that resonated with people; something relatable—that's why I made this personal track so that people can identify with it and make it into a movie in their heads.
“AlOCA-T“
This song is an ode to Zion and Lennox. I know them personally and have worked with them in the past. For this track, I spoke to the producers of their original song, Luny Tunes. For me making this song was truly a blessing because they are legends. I've gotten to really get to know them; I've gone to Zion's house in Miami and have hung out with them in Carolina.
