Don Omar Talks Growth of Reggaetón, 'Back to Reggaetón' Tour & More: Watch the Interview

The first time Don Omar toured Spain, almost 25 years ago, he had to sing his hits two and three times every time he went on stage.

“I had no repertoire!” he admits to Billboard News with a laugh. Back then, Don Omar, real name William Omar Landron, was a 22-year-old running. “I came from that kind of Puerto Rican, that kind of street, and then, those songs started being played everywhere.”

What a difference a quarter of a century makes. On March 7, Don Omar kicks off his Back to Reggaetón tour at the Santander Arena in Reading, Pennsylvania, and will play 25 major US cities, ending April 21 at the Kaseya Center in Miami, before heading to Europe and Central America. .

This time there will be no need for repeat performances.

“I've never had the chance to sing my entire repertoire because I never have enough time on stage. But this tour requires two full hours of music,” said Don Omar Advertising signLeila Cobo during an exclusive interview before his tour. Back to Reggaetón, incredibly, is Don Omar's first major tour in a decade and his first since the Kingdom tour with Daddy Yankee in 2015.

This time, there are also friends knocking on the door.

“Many are demanding, 'Don't leave me out of it!' says. “And I treat it as a privilege. If, after a 25-year career, your colleagues still feel love, happiness and the desire to share with you, you've done something right.”

While details are still to be ironed out, expect to see Tito El Bambino, Zion y Lennox and Wisin and Yandel somewhere on the tour.

For Don Omar, it's not a comeback. has been releasing a steady stream of music for the past couple of years. But, he says, it's gratifying to see so many artists he literally saw grow up with his music as established and still close.

The first person who fully believed in him, he recalls, was Ñengo Flow, who at the beginning of his career asked him to “feature” him on his debut album. “That was the first time I realized, 'I'm being looked up to.' Ñengo was just getting started. But I was just getting started.”

All these years later, “I have songs that Jhay Cortez wrote for me 10 years ago. And these things make me see, I have a responsibility. Seeing people like Jhay and Farruko, and everyone I have a lot of respect and admiration for, saying they wanted to be like me back then […] it's one of the things I love the most.”

Don Omar is also testing new ground. His new EP, Back to Reggaetónis released on his own label and plans to print CD copies to sell as tour merchandise as part of a larger effort to bring his music and himself even closer to fans.

“Independence allows you to bring your own ideas to life,” he says. “I'm the product of a bunch of bad experiences that made me take action and learn the business. Today, I can be independent. Today I have the financial and mental capacity to do it.”

Watch the full interview above.