Melendi recalls 2007 flight incident that forced him to confront addictions

Melendi has opened up about the 2007 altercation on a commercial flight to Mexico that resulted in his arrest and forced him to confront his addictions, calling it a "bendito error" (blessed mistake) in retrospect. In an interview on the podcast El Rincón de los Errores, the Spanish singer described how the incident became a critical turning point after years of "inconsciencia e inmadurez."

The incident

According to Melendi, the situation escalated with the pilot and cabin crew, forcing the plane carrying 300 passengers to return to Madrid. "Me detienen, paso unos días en los juzgados de Plaza Castilla y ahí mi mundo se frena en seco" Source: La Vanguardia. The public fallout and seeing his mother suffer prompted him to seek help, though he was not internally convinced of his problems.

Forced rehabilitation

Melendi admits he entered therapy under external pressure rather than personal conviction. "Tengo que ser totalmente honesto: no estaba preparado para recibir ayuda todavía en ese momento. Me vi obligado a pedir ayuda porque las circunstancias, la voz pública, las compañías discográficas... o sea, yo directamente puse mi carrera en peligro" Source: ABC. He initially pretended to engage in treatment to protect his career. However, over time, the experience led to genuine self-reflection. "Una vez que has visto la verdad es muy complicado seguir creyéndote tus propias mentiras" Source: El Español.

• The incident occurred in 2007 when Melendi was at the height of early fame after hits like "Con la luna llena."
• He describes building a "personaje de macarra" to hide vulnerability before the crisis shattered that facade.
• Now he views the episode positively: "bendito error" because it started a path of personal growth.