The man behind the hit Latin track, “Mi Gente”, J Balvin arrived onto the music scene with a huge bang. His mission: make reggaeton a global phenomenon.
Today, with 11 million Instagram followers and more than three billion YouTube plays, the Colombian star is well on his way to conquer America’s musical scene. His polished urban singles and high selling albums have already made him a top-notch star in the country. If you want to catch this Latin sensation live in action, you ought to get your hands on these J Balvin tickets at the earliest. He is currently playing shows in multiple cities in the US, including San Antonio and Houston, Texas. Don’t miss out!
Early Life and Musical Beginnings
Jose Alvaro Osorio Balvin, better known as J Balvin, was born in May, 1985, in Medellin, Colombia. The reggaeton singer became interested in music from a very young age, listening to champeta, rap, bachata and reggae on the local radio channels. Balvin was also a huge fan of music videos; they are what helped develop his dance moves and create a unique style of his own.
Balvin was only 14 when he became seriously interested in music. By the time he was 17, he had moved to Oklahoma along with a friend, to learn the English language. Soon after this, the Latin icon moved to New York to further study English and music. For the next ten years, J Balvin travelled between Colombia and the US to find a musical style that fit perfectly to his style and would be a defining factor in his career. Around the same time, he began performing at different urban cafes and clubs in Medellin, Colombia.
Early Music of J Balvin
The budding Latin star signed on to EMI Colombia in 2009 and released his first single, “Elle Me Cautivo”. The single charted at number 35 on the US tropical chart and was followed by the release of a complete studio album, called Real, in 2010. Around the same time, Balvin also contributed four tunes to the soundtrack of the film, El Negocio by Tim Bulot. All four of these songs charted well, including the chart topper, “En Lo Oscuro”, that hit the top spot in Colombian music charts.
In 2012, the rising Latin star released a mixtape featuring some of his early hits in Colombia. This compilation included his songs “En Lo Oscuro” and “Como un Animal”. A while after this, Balvin released the single “Y Te Lo Dije” – this single managed to generate quite a buzz in the United States. By the time he performed at the 2013 Premios Juventud, it became clear that there was a lot more in store for his fans.
Exploding onto the US Music Scene
In 2014, the reggaetón singer released his new track, “6 AM”, featuring singer Farruko. The song became a mega hit on radio stations across the US, Latin America and even parts of Europe. This song was truly J Balvin’s breakthrough work that got him listed as a forerunner of a new wave of reggae, among other artists such as Nicky Jam, Daddy Yankee and Don Omar. The song reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart, blocked only by “Bailando”.
Further solidifying his position in the US was his second track, “Ay Vamos”. Its video had over a billion views. This song also topped the Latin Music Songs chart in 2015 and its remix was used as the soundtrack for the movie, Furious 7.
More success followed in January 2016, when J Balvin released the new single, “Ginza” from his upcoming album. Its video was an instant hit. Since its release, the video has now gone up to more than 600 million views. The song also topped the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart. Thanks to the high volume of sales for this song, along with “6 AM” and “Ay Vamos”, Balvin became the first artist to get a diamond certification in the Latin music field.
Energia and “Mi Gente”
In June 2016, J Balvin released his fourth studio album called Energia. The album debuted at number 38 on the Billboard 200. It was Balvin’s first album that opened at number one on the Billboard Top Latin Albums.
The album received a lot of critical acclaim as well, and got listed at number four on Rolling Stone’s list for the 10 Best Latin albums of 2016. The Rolling Stone reviewer even called it Balvin’s “breakthrough” work, with lots of praise for the lead single “Ginza”, adding that "with its deliciously liquid beat, is among the finest three minutes in reggaetón history."
With such a strong foundation set for the Latin star, it was only a matter of time before he truly exploded onto the American Latin pop industry. On 30th June, 2017, J Balvin released his music video for “Mi Gente” featuring Willy William. The next day, “Mi Gente” became the top song in the world according to Spotify’s Global Top 50. Within a matter of weeks, the video got more than a billion views on YouTube.
Soon after, the song was noticed by the American R&B queen, Beyonce, and a remix was released in September 2017. The remix got into the top ten in the US, giving J Balvin his first top ten single in the country. Six more remixes of the catchy Mi Gente were released in the subsequent months, with artists such as Alesso, Cedric Gervais, Sunnery James & Ryan Marciano, Dillon Francis and Steve Aoki and Henry Fong.
Awards and Honors for J Balvin
J Balvin managed to conquer the Latin music charts in a very small amount of time. For his contributions to Latin music and American pop music, he has received many awards and nominations. These include nominations for the American Music Awards, Billboard Music Awards, Billboard Latin Music Awards, Heat Latin Music Awards, iHeart Radio Music Awards, Latin Grammy Awards, MTV Europe Music Awards and many others. He has also won quite a few awards, including two Latin Grammy Awards and multiple Heat Latin Music Awards.
J Balvin Tour Tickets
J Balvin has quickly managed to make a substantial name for himself in the American markets. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that J Balvin tour tickets sell faster than you would think. If you happen to be a fan of this rising star, you need to get your hands on these tickets for his upcoming performances. He will be seen performing in Texas in February and March 2018. Keep yourself updated and don’t miss out!
