Do we like them?

Do we like Juanes?

Our score: 8 out of 10. Decent record, no harmful words or company found, and real work for landmine survivors and migrants, though the record on LGBTQ+ issues is thin.

Juan Esteban Aristizábal Vásquez grew up in Medellín during the violence of Colombia's 1980s drug cartels. He has said music helped him cope, putting it as “art, in my case, was like a salvation”. That start explains why peace has run through his whole career.

On the scandal front, it's a quiet file. Nothing in the reporting I read shows a court case against him, and no serious allegation was reported by a major outlet. That's the honest answer, and it's rare for a three-decade career.

Now the harm check. In February 2026 he told EFE it is “muy duro” to see how migrants are being treated under the Trump administration, and he praised the contribution of Latino immigrants to the United States. At the Hollywood Bowl in July 2025 he addressed the immigration raids and said “Now more than ever we must stay united.” I found nothing from him on climate or vaccines. I also found no statement from him on LGBTQ+ rights, good or bad, so that part of the picture is thin.

The recent news is a good one. He has two new Latin Grammy nominations from the JuanesTeban cycle, which takes his career total to 51. He is also confirmed to perform at the ceremony in Las Vegas on 12 November, his 11th time on that stage.

The good stuff is real. He founded the Mi Sangre Foundation to help Colombian victims of anti-personnel landmines. He organised two Peace Without Borders benefit concerts, one in Colombia and one in Cuba, and played for the European Parliament in 2006 to raise awareness of landmines. Time put him on its 2005 list of the world's 100 most influential people.

So where does that leave us? He is on the right side of the things we care about, and he has said so in public at a time when it isn't free to do so. The one gap is that he hasn't said much on LGBTQ+ rights, so he's a clear yes without a rainbow flag on it.