“I’ve always considered myself a pretty universal artist,” Danny Ocean tells Apple Music. “I love the craft of making music, but I’m also fascinated by analysing all the experiences people go through. If one of your goals is to achieve massive success, you have to study, know what’s happening in the world, stay up to date and trust your intuition.” It’s a task the Caracas-born singer-songwriter has mastered thanks to his uncanny talent for pairing irresistible melodies with intimate lyrics, which shines throughout his fourth album Babylon Club. The album features high-voltage collaborations, from Arcángel’s unmistakable flow on “Arena” to Dominican dembow king El Alfa, who injects a merengue spark into “Pirata”. Mexican influencer turned singer Kenia Os adds her sensuality to “AyMami”, while Panamanian star Sech joins in on the syncopated adrenaline of “Priti”. “My main job is to go into the studio and never forget that the primary objective is to have fun,” Ocean says. “Fame is a consequence, not the original intention. But my focus is on making the best song I can and discovering things in music I haven’t yet explored.” Ocean breaks down five essential tracks from Babylon Club. “Imagínate” (feat. Kapo) “I was in Miami with Kapo; we went to the studio, and in four hours this banger was born. It was one of those stories where I liked the song but wasn’t blown away and had doubts. I wondered if I could sing it live. But if everyone else believes, I go with you, and I’m at peace. And look—it completely shut me up. Music is like life: It’s full of irony, and there are things you don’t understand. And that’s beautiful, too.” “Corazón” “It’s like a cousin of ‘Volare’. It’s a story about a one-night stand but ends with the idea that the guy actually falls for this person—falls for her heart, her ways. It has a bit of flamenco, but it’s not flamenco. It has some Mexican music flavour, but it’s not that either. It’s a very pop song. I don’t even fully understand it myself, but I love it because it feels so genuine.” “Arena” (feat. Arcángel) “I was in the Miami studio’s booth. That day we made three songs; this was the last one, and I recorded it freestyle. I didn’t see myself laying down a second verse—it felt like a straight collaboration—so we sent it to Arcángel, who has a deep love for Venezuela. He’s a legend. He sent back his version, and I reversed his verse—started it from the end and played it backward—and it worked brilliantly. I wrote him to thank him for joining the project.” “Pirata” (feat. El Alfa) “I started imagining what it’d be like to be on a boat, sailing among Caribbean islands and talking to a girl. The chorus is so baby-soft, so melodic, and it came out naturally. Later, I ran into El Alfa and told him I spend a lot of time in the Dominican Republic because my girlfriend is from there. I said, ‘I have this song that’s too clean—I need someone to spice it up.’ We texted; he said he loved it and needed a couple days to record. It’s cool because he added that merengue energy. He did an amazing job.” “Crayola” “I wanted the album’s closing track to be dedicated to Venezuela. I told producer Manuel Lara, ‘Man, I love the salsa you’ve been making, and I’ve never done a real salsa like that. I have this song that could be beautiful as a salsa.’ He was thrilled, we built it out, and I didn’t give Manu a single note. I said to myself, ‘Fuck it, I want to end my album like this.’”