About J Balvin
Jose Alvaro Osorio Balvin, better known as J Balvin, is a Colombian reggaetón singer. Although his primary style of music is reggaetón, J Balvin has experimented with other genres such as electronica, house music, trap, and R&B. His original music inspirations were rock groups such as Metallica and Nirvana. Despite working with many English-speaking artists, J Balvin continues to sing almost exclusively in Spanish, and hopes to introduce Spanish-language music to a global audience. He is also highly noted for his electric and colorful fashion sense.
Early Life
J Balvin was born May 7, 1985 in Medellin, Colombia. At age 17, he moved to the United States: first to Oklahoma and then New York to learn English. He often describes that he was influenced by the music he heard there.
Career Beginnings
J Balvin’s breakthrough came in 2014 with the single “6AM” featuring Puerto Rican singer Farruko, which peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart.
J Balvin Discography
Real (2009) - J Balvin released his first album in 2009 after the success of his single “Ella Me Cautivo”, which was the most popular song listed on the album. Real received Gold certification by ASINCOL.
El Negocio (2011) - Overall, the album was less commercially successful than his previous album, Real, but produced two hit singles that gave him vast recognition: “Sin Compromiso” and “En Lo Oscuro”.
La Familia (2013) - His third studio album was released on October 29, 2013 by Capitol Latin. At its peak, the album reached number 1 on both the Columbian Albums (ASINCOL) chart and Billboard’s Top US Latin Rhythm Albums. Additonally, the album went certified gold and platinum across several countries such as Colombia, Argentina, and Mexico. The most popular song is the hit single “6AM”, which led J Balvin to be nominated for Best Urban Performance and Best Urban Song at the 15th annual Latin Grammy Awards.
Energia (2016) - The Latin album featured Pharrell Williams, BIA and Sky, Daddy Yankee, Yandel, and Fuego. The album achieved critical acclaim, reaching number one on Billboard’s Top Latin Album, number 24 on Billboard’s Best 50 Albums of 2016, number four on Rolling Stones 10 Best Latin Albums of 2016. Additionally, the album went certified Platinum by the RIAA, and J Balvin was nominated for the Lo Nuestro Award for Urban Album of the Year.
Vibras (2018) - The lead single and most popular song on the album, “Mi Gente” has already received international recognition. Th album consists of features from Carla Morrison, Willy William, Zion & Lennox, Rosalia, Wisin & Yandel, and Jeon & Anitta. Already, Vibras has hit the number 15 spot on the Billboard Top 200 and number one on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums.
Personal Highlights
J Balvin is just as passionate about fashion as he is about his music, and even appeared as an ambassador during the 2017 New York Fashion Week. His style blends streetwear traditionally associated with reggaetón artists and classic luxury brands. Outside of fashion, J Balvin has also been raising awareness about the Venezuelan economic crisis and the forced deportation of thousands of Colombians by starting the social media campaign #LatinosSomosFamilia (We Latinos are Family). For now, J Balvin continues to live in his hometown of Medelin to remain connected to his roots.
J Balvin Tickets
J Balvin is set to begin his Vibras Tour on August 30th to promote his recently released album Vibras. The first stop on the tour is in Merida, Mexico, and will make appearances in cities such as Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Chicago, Brooklyn, and Miami before concluding on November 24 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.