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 highly established music career, Balvin is one of the most successful representatives of the genre internationally, managing to place many of his songs at the top of major charts.
His first album was recognized in Colombia, and with the second, La familia, released in 2013, he received significant international acclaim by achieving gold and platinum status in several countries thanks to his multi-award-winning song 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 achieve diamond status in the United States. The song won two Premios Lo Nuestro for best song and urban collaboration.
In 2015, he went 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 song became Balvin's first track to enter the main Billboard Hot 100 chart, where it remained at the top for twenty-one consecutive weeks, in addition to reaching the number one spot in Spain (platinum record), Mexico (gold record), Italy, and the USA (platinum record). With this song, the Colombian performed at the Sanremo Music Festival in Italy in 2016, becoming the first representative from his country to do so.
He has won the Latin Grammy four times, for which he has been nominated many times.
In 2017, he recorded "Mi Gente" with the French singer and producer Willy William, another of his most popular tracks, which he performed during 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 English song Hey Ma together with the Cuban-American Pitbull and the Cuban Camila Cabello. The latter has praised the singer on several occasions, stating that he has been an inspiration for her.
Balvin has publicly acknowledged that he suffers from depression and is medicated. The musician aims to raise awareness about an illness that he says was difficult for him to recognize, and his references to the topic are frequent, as seen 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 that included "One Day" by J Balvin, Bad Bunny, and Dua Lipa. In 2018, Obama had mentioned the Colombian artist during a speech where he asked the audience, "Who doesn't like J Balvin and reggaeton?" thus validating the presence of Latin music within the United States.
In February 2021, he announced his fatherhood alongside his girlfriend, the Argentine model Valentina Ferrer.
