José Álvaro Osorio Balvín is a Colombian reggaeton singer and record producer best known as J Balvin. He was born in Medellín, Colombia on May 7, 1985. With a well-established musical career, Balvin is one of the most successful representatives of the genre internationally, having achieved many of his songs reaching the top positions on major music charts.
His first album was introduced in Colombia, and with the second one, La familia, released in 2013, he received significant international recognition by achieving gold and platinum status in several countries, thanks to his award-winning track 6 AM in collaboration with the Puerto Rican Farruko. This song reached the top positions on the Billboard charts and became the first Spanish-language single to go diamond in the United States. The track won two Premios Lo Nuestro for Best Song and Urban Collaboration.
In 2015, he embarked on the Sex and Love Tour with Enrique Iglesias and Pitbull.
That same year, he released "Ginza," which corresponds to his third studio album, "Energía." The track became Balvin's first song to enter the main Billboard Hot 100 chart, where it remained at the top for twenty-one consecutive weeks. It also achieved number one in Spain (platinum record), Mexico (gold record), Italy, and the USA (platinum record). With this song, the Colombian artist performed in 2016 at the Sanremo Music Festival in Italy, becoming the first representative from his country to do so.
He has won the Latin Grammy Awards four times, to which he has received numerous nominations.
In 2017, he recorded with French singer and producer Willy William the song Mi gente, one of his most popular tracks, which he performed during the halftime show of Super Bowl LIV, held on February 2, 2020, alongside Jennifer Lopez and Shakira. On that occasion, he also performed Que Calor.
In 2017, for the soundtrack of the movie Fast and Furious 8, he recorded his first song in English, Hey Ma, together with the Cuban-American Pitbull and the Cuban Camila Cabello. The latter has praised the singer several times, stating that he has been an inspiration for her.
Balvin has publicly acknowledged that he suffers from depression and is on medication. The musician aims to raise awareness about a condition that he says was difficult for him to admit, and his references to the topic are frequent. This was especially evident during World Suicide Prevention Day (September 10), when he shared his personal experience with journalist Enrique Santos.
In September 2020, Time magazine selected him as one of the most influential people in the world.
In July 2020, the Colombian sent a message to the Cuban violinist Zamir Muñoz Hernández, known for his violin renditions of urban genre themes.
In August 2020, former president Obama shared a list of his favorite summer music, which included "One Day" by J Balvin, Bad Bunny, and Dua Lipa. In 2018, Obama had referred to the Colombian artist during a speech in which he asked the audience, "Who doesn't like J Balvin and reggaeton?" thus validating the presence of Latin music in the United States.
In February 2021, he announced his fatherhood alongside his girlfriend, the Argentine model Valentina Ferrer.
