José Álvaro Osorio Balvín is a Colombian reggaeton singer and record producer better 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 genre's leading figures, having achieved significant international success with many of his songs reaching the top spots on major music charts.
His first album was released in Colombia, and with the second one, La Familia, launched in 2013, he gained significant international recognition by achieving gold and platinum records in several countries thanks to his award-winning track 6 AM in collaboration with Puerto Rican Farruko, which reached the top positions on the Billboard charts and became the first Spanish-language single to earn diamond status in the United States. The song won two Premios Lo Nuestro for Best Song and Urban Collaboration.
In 2015, he embarked on a musical tour, 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 song became Balvin's first entry on the main Billboard Hot 100 chart, where it remained at the top for twenty-one consecutive weeks, in addition to reaching 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 of his country to do so.
He has won the Latin Grammy Awards four times, to which he has been nominated many times.
In 2017, he recorded with French singer and producer Willy William the song Mi gente, another of his most popular tracks, which he performed at the halftime show of Super Bowl LIV, held on February 2, 2020, where Jennifer Lopez and Shakira also participated. 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 Cuban-American Pitbull and 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 an illness he admits was difficult for him to recognize, and he frequently references the topic, particularly around 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 music hits.
In August 2020, former president Obama 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 mentioned 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, Argentine model Valentina Ferrer.
