by lucas villa
images by gunner stahl
styling by sita abellan
styling assistants: afan o’donovan, steven gillman ii
make-up by tatiana nader
director darius baptist
The title J Balvin is understood the world over. In lower than a decade, the Colombian famous person rose to turn into a world purveyor of reggaeton music. Alongside names like Drake and The Weeknd, he was among the many high 5 most-streamed artists on Spotify final yr. Now, as a brand new father and together with his self-titled album “Jose,” Balvin desires the world to know the person behind Latin music’s most colourful character.
“Proper now I simply wish to be the happiest man on the planet,” J Balvin says. “That’s not J Balvin. That’s Jose. I put J Balvin first for therefore lengthy, so now I’m going to give attention to myself, Jose.”
J Balvin was born Jose Álvaro Osorio Balvin in Medellín, Colombia. As an adolescent, he grew up listening to the reggaeton music blowing up on the time via pioneers like Daddy Yankee, Tego Calderón and Don Omar. “I used to be like, ‘Wow, I want I could possibly be like [Daddy Yankee] sometime,’” Balvin says. The style was rooted within the Caribbean, in locations like Panama and Puerto Rico, which was a far cry from Balvin’s nation in South America. In case you have been seeking to turn into the subsequent reggaeton star, Colombia wasn’t precisely the place to be. Balvin resolved to vary that, a selection he marked by getting the initials J.B. tattooed on his arm, thus turning into J Balvin.
“Individuals simply thought I used to be loopy,” he remembers. “They have been like, ‘You’re not going to make it. In case you have been from Puerto Rico, you may need an opportunity.’ The extra they mentioned I couldn’t make it, the extra power I began to get.”
images by gunner stahl
By means of freestyle battles, J Balvin established his title as one in every of Medellín’s high rappers. In 2009, he launched his “Actual” mixtape, which unfold Balvin fever throughout Colombia. As a substitute of making an attempt to recreate the reggaeton he grew up on, J Balvin put a recent digital gloss on the style together with his 2013 debut album, “La Familia.” His music began getting performed all through Latin America and made its strategy to the U.S. He perfected that sound with 2016’s “Energia” album, which led the best way for the second wave of reggaeton stars that have been breaking via from Colombia.
“Now all these individuals who mentioned I wasn’t going to make it, they know I used to be proper,” J Balvin provides. “It’s superb. Now it’s a motion. It’s not simply me. We now have loads of artists doing nice issues from Colombia. There’s Maluma, Karol G and a brand new era that’s killing it. We’re blessed that our motion retains going up.”
images by gunner stahl
In 2017, J Balvin tailored “Voodoo Track” by French DJ Willy William into the reggaeton anthem “Mi Gente.” Like in hip-hop, reggaeton music has an unlucky historical past of placing down girls and folks within the LGBTQ+ group. In Latino tradition, that poisonous mindset known as machismo. Initially of “Mi Gente,” J Balvin spits in Spanish, “My music doesn’t discriminate in opposition to anybody.” That line and the tune’s hypnotic beat resonated with folks all over the world.
“It’s all about inclusion,” J Balvin says. “I feel everyone seems to be being extra aware of no violence, no sexism, no racism and no homophobia. I simply had a son and I can’t wait to speak to him when he grows up. If he [Río] tells me, ‘Yo, dad, I really like guys,’ I’ll be like, ‘Let’s go! I assist you 100%. I would like you to be who you’re. Be you and I’m going that will help you discover the correct man.’ It’s all about love, peace and tolerance.”
As “Mi Gente” was heading up the charts, pop icon Beyoncé jumped on the remix and the tune went into the Prime 5 on the U.S. and U.Okay. singles charts. J Balvin grew to become a world famous person and added nations in Europe and Asia to his tour schedule. He was particularly pleased to carry his music to locations that aren’t recognized for talking Spanish.
“I had loads of songs earlier than that have been having a world attain, however [“Mi Gente”] particularly made an enormous assertion,” he says. “That’s what it’s all about. That proved that Latinos are world residents. After that, they saved enjoying our music all all over the world. That’s my mission: to maintain spreading mainstream reggaeton all over the world.”
images by gunner stahl
J Balvin upped the ante by that includes on Cardi B’s “I Like It” alongside then-rising Puerto Rican rapper Unhealthy Bunny. Their reggaeton model of the boogaloo basic “I Like It Like That” shot to No. 1 on Billboard’s all-genre Scorching 100 chart. Within the tune, the trio of artists created and triumphed because the “Latino Gang,” which has turn into one in every of J Balvin’s signature phrases.
“[Latino Gang means] being pleased with the place I come from, but additionally inviting and together with everyone,” J Balvin says. “Whoever vibes with Latino music, let’s make them a part of the household. Whoever respects our tradition is a part of the household. It’s all about love. That is everyone’s gang.”
Very similar to his Latino Gang mantra, J Balvin is understood for lending a hand to new expertise to take them up the charts with him. He collaborated with and helped domesticate the careers of Unhealthy Bunny and Spanish singer Rosalía, each of whom have blossomed into stars. When Unhealthy Bunny grew to become a power of his personal, J Balvin teamed up with him for the 2019 joint album “Oasis.” This game-changing LP was just like the Latino model of Jay-Z and Kanye West’s “Watch the Throne.”
“We’re nonetheless, like, very completely different guys within the hood,” J Balvin says with fun. “We wish to be daring and do various things, like categorical ourselves via style, the best way we communicate, hair colours or painted nails. All of the machismo stuff within the style, we don’t vibe with that. I can put on a skirt if I wish to. It goes past music, that’s why we have now a lot energy. We now have an enormous duty with it. Me and Unhealthy Bunny have an amazing connection and chemistry. I feel we’ll make one other [album] ahead of later.”
images by gunner stahl
Earlier than the COVID-19 pandemic touched down, Jennifer Lopez and Shakira led a really Latina halftime present on the Tremendous Bowl. They invited J Balvin and Unhealthy Bunny to carry out throughout their set as particular friends. J Balvin carried out an abbreviated model of “Mi Gente” with Lopez, marking one other main milestone for the Latino Gang.
“The Tremendous Bowl was actually dope as a result of they mentioned it was unattainable to see Latinos there,” J Balvin says. “As soon as once more, we proved them flawed. It was J.Lo, Shakira, Unhealthy Bunny and myself, so there you go, one other assertion by Latinos.”
When the world was quarantined at dwelling final yr, J Balvin began writing and recording his fifth album. The ensuing LP that dropped this month is titled “Jose” after his precise first title.
“The idea of the album is me,” he says. “It’s displaying my versatility and what I like and what I would like folks to listen to from me. I had loads of enjoyable doing it.”
With a whopping 24 songs, “Jose” feels extra like a playlist than an album. “Una Nota,” that includes Panamanian singer Sech, and the sensual “Vestido’” present the romantic reggaeton moments that J Balvin is understood for. The album’s opener “F40” (just like the Ferrari sports activities automobile) harks again to the old-school reggaeton he grew up on. J Balvin dabbles in drill music alongside Puerto Rican rapper Myke Towers in “Billetes de 100” and Dominican dembow in “Perra” with Tokischa. He continues to push the bounds of reggaeton, mixing in components of home music with Skrillex for “In Da Getto.”
“It’s slightly little bit of every part on it,” J Balvin says. “You could have reggaeton. You could have R&B. You could have dancehall. You could have smooth reggaeton. You could have ‘In Da Getto’ vibes. There’s loads of completely different sounds. It’s unattainable that somebody’s not going to love one thing on there. There needs to be at the very least a couple of songs that they’re going to like.”
images by gunner stahl
The tune on “Jose” meaning probably the most to J Balvin is “Querido Río,” an ode to his new child son. His girlfriend Valentina Ferrer gave delivery to Río in June. Within the delicate lullaby, he sings in Spanish, “I named you Río (which implies “River” in English) since you movement / My issues, you dissolve them.” As a particular contact, he included part of Río within the tune.
“I recorded his heartbeat once we went to the physician,” J Balvin reveals. “All of the bass, the principle sound of the tune, is my son’s heartbeat.”
With Río being only some weeks previous, J Balvin remains to be adjusting to life as a brand new dad. The reggaetonero is beaming as he talks about his new child child.“I’m catching up,” he says. “I’m studying. You begin loving them an increasing number of day-after-day. It’s solely been a month and two weeks, so it’s nonetheless actually new. All I would like for him is to be pleased and to be a very good particular person. He needs to be free and pleased. The remaining, we’ll deal with it.”
images by gunner stahl
One thing else that’s pricey to J Balvin’s coronary heart is the difficulty of psychological well being. In entrance of his 48 million followers on Instagram, J Balvin usually opens up about his struggles with anxiousness and despair. With the poisonous masculinity of machismo ingrained in Latino tradition, the subject of psychological well being could be dismissed and even seen as taboo in these communities. J Balvin desires to destigmatize the dialog.
“The most important pandemic is psychological well being,” J Balvin says. “Lots of people undergo from it. I’m utilizing my voice to talk out for all of them, myself included. We now have so many ways in which we are able to battle with anxiousness, despair and several types of psychological sickness. There are psychiatrists that may medicate you and aid you steadiness the chemical imbalance in your mind. It’s an sickness that doesn’t disappear, however you possibly can management it. It’s OK to not be OK.”
J Balvin finds pleasure in getting tattoos. His physique is roofed in tattoos upon tattoos. There’s a “1985” on his abdomen to mark his delivery yr. As a lot as there’s significant tattoos just like the “J.B.” from when he created J Balvin, there’s a lot extra ink that he’s gotten only for enjoyable.
“To me, tattoos are a strategy to categorical your self,” J Balvin says. “They don’t should have a which means. Generally folks make excuses to get a tattoo. Simply get it since you prefer it. That’s it. It doesn’t should have a narrative behind it. Simply get no matter you need. I’ve the Mario Bros. and Mickey Mouse tattooed on me simply because I like them. Cease making excuses to get that tattoo and simply do it if you’d like.”
Exterior of music, J Balvin can be leaving his mark as a businessman. The self-proclaimed “negocio socio,” or enterprise companion, grew to become the primary Latin artist to launch his personal model of Nike’s Air Jordan 1 sneakers. His current partnerships embody a star meal with McDonald’s, a brand new tune for the twenty fifth anniversary of “Pokémon” and the “¡Es Jose Time!” marketing campaign with Miller Lite.
“In our [reggaeton] style, we don’t have a Jay-Z,” he says. “We don’t have these guys which might be large entrepreneurs. I wish to be an amazing entrepreneur. It’s not simply the music. We’re a model, however we wish to take it to a different stage. I wish to be a Latino on Forbes’ billionaire listing. Not due to the cash, however to say that as Latinos, we’re the identical. We’re not beneath. It’s not for my ego. It’s extra for the tradition. This mission is private as a result of I actually wish to make the assertion that as Latinos, we are able to make it too.”
images by gunner stahl
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