Hailing from Medellin, Colombia, José Alvaro Osorio Balvin - better known to a legion of global fans as multiple Latin Grammy winner J Balvin - has been praised by Billboard as "the biggest breakout act Latin music has seen in many years" and is the only Latin artist included in Rolling Stone's recent spotlight of the "New Classics." With a distinctive style that pays homage to the first wave of reggaeton stars from Puerto Rico combined with more traditional Colombian rhythms and hip-hop, more seductive than presumptuous lyrics and a great passion for fashion, J Balvin has become the undisputed leader of the revolution of the second generation reggaeton, which has returned urban sound to the forefront of international Latin music.
Between his game-changing major-label debut album La Familía, multi-platinum successor Energía (The #1 Latin album of 2016) and recent landmark singles such as "Mi Gente," and "Machika," J Balvin has quickly notched nine #1 Latin singles, over 50 million social media followers, and ten billion YouTube views. Last summer, J Balvin's "Mi Gente" became the first all-Spanish track to reach #1 on Spotify's Global 50 chart, and now Balvin has just surpassed Drake to become the #1 Spotify artist in the world. With his trailblazing style and chart success, J Balvin has also become one of Latin music's most in-demand collaborators, having now worked with artists, such as Beyonce, Justin Bieber, Cardi B, Liam Payne, Nicky Jam, Pharrell Williams, Ariana Grande, Major Lazer, Poo Bear, Juanes, Daddy Yankee, Camila Cabello, and others.
With the recent chart-topping release of "Vibras," J Balvin adds to his already celebrated catalog with a new collection that combines throwback tracks paying tribute to old school reggaeton, balanced with adventurous new fusions that moves the genre far forward in style, tolerance and rhythms that will continue to expand the global embrace of Latin urban music. With the previously mentioned impressive list of superstar collaborations already to his credit, Balvin chose to demonstrate the strength of this musical chapter with focused pairings shining a spotlight on respected reggaeton contemporaries (Wisin y Yandel, Zion & Lennox), critically praised cross genre Latin artists (Carla Morrison, Rosalio) and innovative/rising international artists such as Willy William, Anitta, and Jeon.
The majority of the album sees the producer chairs held down by Balvin's longtime Colombian artistic partner/producer Sky, as well as Puerto Rico's reggaeton pioneer Tainy – while Willy William, and Chuckie & Childsplay helmed the #1 advance singles "Mi Gente" and "Machika" respectively. But whether it is the propulsive rhythm of those already established hits, or the laid-back summer groove of the title track and current single "Ambiente," the one universal thread Balvin made sure to instill throughout the album is music that all audiences can quickly 'vibe'/connect with - extending the understanding of Latin culture and moving Spanish forward to an equal footing in the global pop landscape.
"All I can say is thank you, thank you; I'm so grateful and proud to be the most heard artist in the world on Spotify. It's bigger than J Balvin, it's the movement and it's in Spanish. We are proving that Latinos have the power to connect with an audience on a global level without having to leave our identity behind. This is an achievement for the entire Latino community. I'm so grateful to Spotify for the enormous support to the reggaeton movement." – J Balvin
Make plans now to join J Balvin this fall on his North American Vibras tour. The 27-date tour produced by Live Nation kicks off September 19 in Fresno, and will make stops in Los Angeles, New York, Tampa, Chicago, Las Vegas, Houston, and other cities. Tickets are available for purchase on Ticketmaster.com here.
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Source: Universal Music Latin Entertainment
