Ahead of the release of ‘F9,’ Billboard sat down with the cast to talk all things music.

But the arrival of F9 also coincides with the beginnings of Diesel’s own venture into what he hopes will be a new brand of Latin music, as he collaborates with artist friends in different genres — from Lenier Mesa’s more traditional Cuban music to Nicky Jam’s melodic reggaetón. For a 53-year-old action star who had released zero songs prior to 2020, it may look like a lark. But over the past several years, Diesel has been steadily working in the background with a plethora of artists, slowly but surely building a bilingual catalog of songs that feature his own personal lyrics and reveal his vulnerable side.

His agent at CAA “suggested I speak with this guy Afo at Sony Latin,” says Diesel, referring to Sony Music Latin America Chairman/CEO Afo Verde. The two hit it off, and now Diesel is negotiating a recording deal with Sony Music Latin.

“You have to build confidence,” says Diesel, who in 2013 posted a cover of Rihanna’s “Stay” for his 100 million Facebook followers as a Valentine’s Day gift for his longtime girlfriend, Mexican model Paloma Jiménez. “People in Hollywood were saying, ‘That’s the most dangerous thing you’ve ever done,’” he recalls. “‘Don’t ever do that, that’s crazy. You’re going to ruin everyone’s livelihood.’” But when no one’s career was ruined and Diesel saw his fans embraced his Rihanna cover, “that’s how I first stepped out of my comfort zone,” he says.

Compared with “Feel Like I Do,” a dance track with highly sequenced vocals that Diesel floated out last year, the tracks he plays today are far more acoustic and rootsy; his rapping in Spanish over Cuban son is distinct, persuasive and most importantly sounds genuine.

It’s a risk for a huge star with an even huger franchise to carry. But Diesel is treating music exactly how Dom Toretto would approach a death-defying stunt: Floor it and see what happens.

“I just want to have the freedom to make music and do it without any restrictions,” says Diesel. “And sometimes do things that, quite frankly, I should not do. Sometimes I’ll think, ‘What in the f–king world were you thinking doing this song?’ But that’s part of the statement.”

Up close, it’s hard not to be taken aback by Diesel’s sheer size: Wearing white jeans and a shirt with cut-off sleeves, he’s six feet of bulging muscles. But his passion for music is even more striking — as he jumps up and down to hype himself up for each photo click, he regales the room with stories of his early days as a break dancer and, as a kid growing up in New York, a rapper. The song with Nicky Jam that he’s playing on his speaker isn’t officially part of the Fast & Furious brand, but it’s still a full-circle moment for him.

“I love this song. Why isn’t this out?” Anitta says later, as the track plays again. She’s still wearing the leotard and high heels from the photo shoot — looking like the embodiment of her sultry F9 soundtrack song, “Furiosa” (Furious), while lounging on the lone couch in the middle of the studio.

“Because he’s like that!” replies Nicky Jam, shouting out Diesel with the familiarity that comes from a close friendship. The two met on the set of 2017’s XXX: Return of Xander Cage, and since then, Nicky Jam has urged Diesel to release the numerous Latin tracks he’s got in his vault, but to no avail. Diesel didn’t feel ready. “We recorded this song four, five years ago,” adds Nicky Jam, who’s wearing a sweatshirt with a rainbow on it — a nod to Diesel’s 6-year-old daughter Pauline, whose nickname for him is Rainbow because he draws them with her. “I wrote it. It has a whole message.”

“I’m dying to release it,” says Diesel. “But it’s all timing.”

Diesel is used to talking about his status as one of the most bankable film stars in Hollywood. But today, he’s more focused on the franchise’s unique position as a vehicle for multicultural representation in film, as a showcase for Latin and urban acts both onscreen and on the movie’s soundtracks over the past two decades. “You really can’t think about it in another film franchise … Fast is the only original franchise in Hollywood that has multiculturalism in its DNA,” says Fabian Castro, senior vp multicultural marketing for Universal Pictures.

That organic intertwinement of cultures begins with Diesel’s longtime love of Latin music. “Cultural music in itself is important, regardless of where it comes from,” says Diesel. “Cultural music has a truth. Reggaetón in particular, when it first catapulted from underground movement to commercial acceptance 20 years ago, was music coming from the concrete of the barrio, which represented a movement and state of mind.”