Archangel confesses how he changed his mind after quitting marijuana

Puerto Rico.- Puerto Rican singer Austin Santos, known as Arcángel, revealed today how he felt after quitting marijuana and reducing the amounts of alcoholic beverages he was drinking. “Since I quit smoking, I think more clearly. In fact, I feel faster than everyone around me. Now I find them slow, I don’t drink as much, I no longer abuse alcohol as I used to“, confessed the artist in an interview with Billboard magazine ahead of the release of his album “La 8va Maravilla” on January 15th. Arcángel, known as “The Marvel” of the urban genre, opened up about the musical stage he is in and provided details about the open-heart surgery he underwent.

“My best moment, mentally, is now. You understand me… I grasp everything quickly. That’s when I realize how slow I was while smoking so much marijuana. I always said that my work wasn’t hindered by my marijuana use. Even if I smoked a lot of marijuana (I used to say), I can do whatever I want, which is true because it doesn’t matter for a creator, and if you need some kind of drug to create, then you’re not a very good creator,” he expressed.

The interpreter of “La Jumpa”, alongside Bad Bunny, said that his mental state of “clarity” led him to name his previous musical project “Lúcido”. Now, he delves into a new album “La 8va Maravilla”.

“This is my sober album, where I’m not going to drink, I’m not going to smoke, and either way, thanks to God for the talent and virtue, I can create as if I were always high or drunk inside the studio,” he said. 

The open-heart surgery the artist underwent in April 2025 also influenced his decision to avoid smoking or drinking large amounts of alcohol, he explained.

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“The open-heart operation made me realize that it’s true, that I don’t need anything to create, because the reality is that, humbly, I have a very great gift that God gave me,” he added.

Arcángel is 40 years old and is already the grandfather of Justin Khalim Santos Casillas, whose photos he shares on social media while enjoying his role as a grandfather. In recent years, his life has also been disrupted by important losses, such as the death of his brother Justin Santos in a tragic traffic accident – with a drunk driver – that occurred on the Teodoro Moscoso bridge in Carolina. 

The 8th Wonder, which will be released under Rimas Entertainment, will feature collaborations with artists such as Beéle, Ricky Martin, and Grupo Firme. In his promotional tour, the artist toured the seven wonders of the world and proclaimed himself as the eighth wonder. “We were looking for a different way of marketing for the album. We wanted to do something that made sense apart from a simple promotion,” explained the artist.