J Balvin Tickets

J Balvin is one of the rare artists who comes along and entirely changes the face of pop music. He’s head of the vanguard that has turned reggaetón, a Spanish-language urban genre that originated in Panama and Puerto Rico, into one of the most unstoppable forces in worldwide pop. He was the first reggaetón artist to appear on Coachella’s main stage, and to reach 1 billion views on Youtube. He’s a multi-hyphenate who’s dipped his toes in fashion and business. He has an outspoken social conscience, being frequently vocal about the importance of mental health and his own struggles with anxiety and depression. Amid worldwide hit singles and several record-breaking achievements, it’s hard not to feel like there’s only more to come from J Balvin.

J Balvin was born José Álvaro Osorio Balvín in 1985, in Medellín, Colombia. After high school, he spent some time living with an aunt in New York City, where he developed a dream of becoming a true mogul in the style of Jay-Z or 50 Cent. When he moved back to Colombia, he started focusing on his music career, releasing his first mixtape Real in 2007 and signing to EMI Colombia in 2009. He began to see some chart success in his home country, including the 2011 single ‘En Lo Oscuro’ which went to top the Colombian chart.

Balvin’s career became international in 2012, when he signed to Capitol Latin and released single ‘Yo Te Lo Dije’ which appeared in the top-20 of the US Latin chart. In 2013, Balvin released his debut studio album, La Familia. The album was nominated for a Latin Grammy for Best Urban Music Album, while single ‘6 AM’ was nominated for Best Urban Performance and Best Urban Song. That year, Balvin featured on remixes of ‘Blurred Lines’ by Robin Thicke and ‘The Way’ by Ariana Grande. In 2014, Balvin released the single ‘Ay Vamos’, which won a Latin Grammy for Best Urban Song. Its music video became the first by a reggaetón artist to receive 1 billion views on Youtube. Also in 2014, Balvin featured on remixes of ‘Problem’ by Ariana Grande and ‘Maps’ by Maroon 5, and in 2015 a remix of ‘Sorry’ by Justin Bieber.

In 2016, Balvin had further international hits with the singles ‘Ginza’, ‘Bobo’ and ‘Safari’ (featuring Pharrell Williams, BIA and Sky). The former track became the longest-reigning No.1 on the US Latin charts by a solo artist. The singles all featured on Balvin’s second studio album, Energía, which was released in June 2016; Rolling Stone named the record the 4th best Latin album of 2016, and it won a Latin Grammy for Best Urban Music Album. In support of the album, Balvin embarked on a world tour, including his first UK date at Shepherds Bush Empire in November 2016. In 2017, Balvin collaborated with Pitbull and Camila Cabello on the single ‘Hey Ma’ from the Fate of the Furious movie soundtrack, which earned Balvin another Latin Grammy for Best Urban Song.

In June 2017, Balvin had a smash hit single with ‘Mi Gente’ featuring Willy William. The track charted in over 50 countries, hitting No.1 in six of them, and peaking at No.5 in the UK. Its music video has since received over 3 billion views. Later that year, Balvin released a remix of the track featuring Beyoncé, which became another worldwide hit. In 2018, Balvin appeare on the Cardi B single ‘I Like It’ alongside Bad Bunny. The track went to No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100, and received a Grammy nomination for Record of the Year. It was named the best song of 2018 by several publications including Billboard and The New York Times, while in 2021 Rolling Stone placed it on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

In May 2018, Balvin released his third album Vibras, which Rolling Stone described as a “masterstroke”, while Time magazine named it the fifth best album of 2018. Balvin completed another world tour in support of the album. Also in 2018, he appeared on the tracks ‘Familiar’ by Liam Payne and ‘Say My Name’ by David Guetta and Bebe Rexha. In 2019, he continued his streak as a hot featured artist, appearing on tracks such as ‘I Can’t Get Enough’ with Benny Blanco, Tainy and Selena Gomez, ‘Con Altura’ with Rosalía and El Guincho (which won a Latin Grammy for Best Urban Song), and ‘Loco Contigo’ with DJ Snake and Tyga. In June 2019, J Balvin and Bad Bunny released the collaborative album Oasis. It received critical acclaim, earning a Grammy nomination for Best Latin Rock, Urban or Alternative Album and being named the 10th best album of 2019 by Billboard.

In February 2020, Balvin appeared at the Super Bowl halftime show headlined by Jennifer Lopez and Shakira. At the 2020 Latin Grammys, with 13 nominations, Balvin broke the record for most nominations in a single year. In March, he released his fifth album Colores. The album won a Latin Grammy for Best Urban Album. Balvin also released a capsule fashion collection with Guess inspired by the album. Also in 2020, Balvin released the single ‘Un Día (One Day)’ in collaboration with Dua Lipa, Bad Bunny and Tainy. The track was a worldwide hit, and received a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance. In 2021 came Balvin’s sixth album, Jose, which featured collaborations with the likes of Diplo and Skrillex, and was nominated for a Grammy for Best Música Urbana Album. The album’s single ‘Una Nota’ became Balvin’s record-breaking 33rd No.1 on the Billboard Latin Airplay Chart.

In 2022, Balvin released two collaborative singles with Ed Sheeran, ‘Sigue’ and “Forever My Love’. The duo teased a forthcoming collaborative album. In 2024, he will embark on the Que Bueno Volver A Verte headlining arena tour, including a night at the London O2 Arena.