That he painted houses in the United States to finance his first records, which he heard as a child rock and metal, That in the fridge of his Japanese-style mansion there is a lot of alcohol, but he only takes water: from J Balvin everything is known. Its impact on popular culture is such that it is already difficult to count a curious fact that surprises its audience.
For some, the introduction to this interview may be a formality. It may be a character who needs no introduction, but in this same conversation, precisely, José Álvaro Osorio Balvin (Medellín, 1985) says: “Not everyone has to know who J Balvin is.”
(You can also read: This is the song that J Balvin dedicated to his son Rio on his new album).
Well, for now, J Balvin is one of the most important Spanish-language singers in the world. In addition, it carries much of the responsibility that the reggaeton be a global movement.
There are other ways to say it: he is the first Colombian and Latin to collaborate with Nike to launch a Jordan Air sneakers, the first to collaborate with McDonald’s, the first to have a show own a Lollapalooza and another at Coachella, the first to have its own documentary on Amazon Prime Video; has broken several records on YouTube, Spotify and Deezer, and Barack Obama has it on his personal playlists. This paragraph could be longer.
On the night of September 9, J Balvin threw Jose, His sixth studio album (if you count what he has with Bad Bunny). He has 24 songs and 15 of them he sings with other artists, ranging from “the most famous to the beginning,” he explains. Skrillex, Feid, Karol G, María Becerra i Dua Lipa are on the list.
(You may be interested: Karol G announced second date for his concert in Medellin).
The project has only been on the air for a few hours and has already been a success. On the day of the release, while Balvin was presenting it in New York, at show of Jimmy Fallon (and announced his new gira), The advertising of Jose it illuminated the Colpatria Tower, in Bogota. On September 12, at 5, he will give a virtual concert for Tik Tok to present his new project.
In the midst of the agitation, this told us the star about his album and what it feels like to be J Balvin.
Does being a global icon condition your creative processes?
I wouldn’t call myself a global icon, but if people consider it that way, I appreciate it. Obviously there is a lot of pressure. And they are pressures that I put on myself. I do not allow the society he imposed them on me. Sometimes I feel like I have to give more because people are expecting more from me. Then I say, ‘What should expect more from me is me.’ I think about how to rise to every level. Not only professionally, but personally, spiritually or as we like to call it.
Who continues to inspire you?
Jay Z, Pharrell Williams. Also Chris Martin, from Coldplay, who is a great friend of mine.
What does Medellín have for artists like you and so many others to come out?
I think it’s a cultural aspect: what we call berraquera. Although there are berraquera all over the world, we could not say that only in Medellín. In Colombia, in general, there is a lot of talent. But let’s say Medellin you can already live what it means to have living examples of dreams come true. For example, I was inspired by Joans. It was from my city. She saw him and said, ‘Okay, you can’. The fact that we have created various cultural movements makes various artists in the city of Medellín feel that they can achieve this. If we are diverse, why not them?
Feid, one of those country artists that you inspired and is now doing very well, explains that you at first didn’t like the song ‘Ginza’, which became an anthem of reggaeton … like was that?
It’s real! We were composing a lot of music (with Feid, Sky and Bull Nene), I was very tired and I went to sleep. The other day, when I got up, they showed me the song. I told them, ‘What is this! Is this a joke or what? Then I told them ‘put it back on’ … No, I don’t like it. And again: put it back on. No, I don’t see her. I recorded it, here, as if to see.
(Read also: Thus was born ‘Imagine’, John Lennon’s love song and album).
And I remember that at that time I uploaded a piece to my Instagram, and I put a filter of the app that I do not know if it still exists: it was called Ginza. And they all reacted: we want it now, we want it now. Wow! OK. But the song is going to be called Ginza, By the filter I put on him. I thought nothing was going to happen and I put her here like a fuck: we were there dancing, and if you need reggaeton, give it a go. And look what happened!
At a ‘Billboard’ conference, you recount that the song ‘Safari’ was created with Pharrell Williams from sounds from the Colombian Pacific. Are you interested in re-mixing your music with regional sounds?
Yes, of course I am interested in continuing to do this. But you need to know how to do it so they don’t sound weird. You have to find the balance. It must be considered whether a sample of a traditional song of ours or a particular style can merge with other music so that it sounds nice. I find it not so easy.
Let’s talk about his album. Why in the previous one, ‘Colors’, I only had two collaborations and in this one I have so many? What is behind this decision?
My albums are always a concept, right? I don’t make music to make music. With Colors it occurred to me that if everyone was collaborating, I wouldn’t. Ha, ha, ha. The idea was to get an audiovisual concept. Then there weren’t many people in this project: I just sang with Sky, in Green, And with Mr. Eazy, en Rainbow. This, in an urban album, is very few collaborations. Ara, Jose is a record in which the concept is me. And I love collaborating. I love mixing different ones sounds and experimenting with the different aspects of the genre.
In an interview, you explained that for ‘Colors’ he recorded many songs and selected the best ones. Did you retrieve any of the previous album to include in this one?
There is one, nothing more.
On her album ‘Vibrations’ there were experimental sounds, as in the introduction or in ‘Brightness’, with Rosalia. In this one too?
Yes, of course. The introduction of this album, F40, Is a reinvention of the classic reggaeton of the 90s. A Disposable, With Skrillex, is also very experimental. Another is I want you.
Why did he decide to insist on his identity as Jose, not as J Balvin?
The more I grow as a person and as an artist, the more I realize that the important thing is that Jose is okay. Where I get to, I introduce myself as Jose, Not like J Balvin. I’m sorry, then. I think that’s embarrassing, right? Well they don’t have to know me. And it seems more legendary to me that people know him by name. I find it more powerful. Let them see the human being, let them talk to the human being, not to the figure.
This is precisely what the song ‘7 de mayo’ talks about. Is it almost an autobiography?
Life is the other way around: when no one knew me, I wanted everyone to know me. And when they know me, I no longer want them to know me
Yes, it is an autobiography. One hundred percent. A professional and personal autobiography. I always wanted to tell my story, but I wanted to do it when I got to a point where it was interesting to tell it. I wasn’t going to count it when I was starting out, because what I had to count. Hey, hey. But at this point I have fulfilled so many dreams and I have managed to impact so much through the latin culture, That now I can tell part of my story and how difficult it was.
(Other readings: Pink and Wiz Khalifa: What do they have in common?).
I feel good showing this to youth or anyone who wants to hear this song. Many people see glory, but not history. It must be remembered that there is hard work behind this. There is a lot of discipline, a lot of sweat, a lot of tears, a lot of frustrations.
Finally, now that he mentions what’s behind the glory, what’s it that he doesn’t like about being J Balvin?
Many times I would like to have more privacy. Master Facundo Cabral said it well, may he rest in peace, one of my favorite artists. He felt that in an interview he was asking “how free is Luis Miguel?”. With all due respect, of course. Obviously I am not Luis Miguel, but I do represent a new generation of Latin artists with some recognition. I miss the anonymity. Life is the other way around: when no one knew me, I wanted everyone to know me. And when they know me, I no longer want them to know me. This is part of life. It’s always like that. You look for this spectacular woman you loved so much, then you have a relationship with her and you say, ‘Oh, I prefer the done one’. This always happens! It is very natural. What I’m saying here are facts, I’m not talking nonsense.
-Mateu ARIAS ORTIZ
writing Sunday
THE WEATHER
On the networks: @mateoariasortiz