J Balvin Colombian Rapper Born 1985 in Medellín

Early life

J Balvin, whose birth name is José Álvaro Osorio Balvín, was born on 7 May 1985 in Medellín, Colombia. He grew up in a family of Spanish and Syrian descent, and his father worked as an economist and ran a business. When the business failed, the family lost its home and car and moved to a more modest neighbourhood, an experience he later described as leaving him comfortable in very different social settings.

Rock bands such as Metallica and Nirvana were among his first musical influences, and he later turned to reggaeton after hearing Daddy Yankee. As a teenager he took part in an English-language exchange programme in Oklahoma and then moved to New York City to keep studying English and music. He held a number of jobs there and in Miami before going back to Colombia. In Medellín he began performing at urban clubs and building an audience online, and he spent several semesters studying international business at EAFIT University. He settled on a stage name at around nineteen and committed to music full time.

Career

Balvin recorded his first song, "Panas", in 2004, and he and his DJ and business partner David Rivera Mazo produced and promoted early material without a label. He signed with EMI Colombia in 2009 and released the reissued mixtape Real that year. A few years later he joined Capitol Latin, a Universal subsidiary, and his first album for the label, La Familia, appeared in 2013.

His wider breakthrough came in 2014 with "6 AM", recorded with Farruko, which reached number one on the Billboard Latin Airplay chart. "Ay Vamos" followed and became one of the most viewed Latin music videos. His third studio album, Energia, came out in 2016 and debuted at the top of the Billboard Top Latin Albums chart; it produced the singles "Bobo", "Safari" and "Sigo Extrañándote". In 2017 he released "Mi Gente" with Willy William, which reached the top of Spotify's global chart and, in a remix with Beyoncé, gave him his first top-ten single in the United States. The following year he appeared with Cardi B and Bad Bunny on "I Like It", a number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100, and released his album Vibras.

In 2019 he issued the joint album Oasis with Bad Bunny and performed as a guest in the Super Bowl halftime show. Colores, released in March 2020, named nearly every track after a colour and used artwork by the Japanese artist Takashi Murakami. His sixth studio album, Jose, arrived in 2021, and singles in the following years included "Sigue" and "Forever My Love" with Ed Sheeran (2022), and "+57" (2024). His seventh studio album, Rayo, was released in August 2024. His discography lists about ten albums and more than forty singles between 2007 and 2024, spanning reggaeton and Latin pop, with Universal Music Latino as his label of record.

Although he works with English-language artists, Balvin has said he intends to keep singing almost entirely in Spanish. He has also worked in fashion, collaborating with Guess and Nike.

His screen work began with the Canadian crime drama Little Lorraine, his first acting role, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2025. In 2025 it was also announced that he would voice the character Kargalgan in the anime series Solo Leveling, and his filmography lists a part in Trolls World Tour (2020).

Recognition

Balvin has won Latin Grammy Awards for Best Urban Song ("Ay Vamos", 2015) and for Best Urban Music Album, for Energia (2016) and Vibras (2018). In 2024 he received the Billboard Spirit of Hope Award. His records also include a Guinness World Record for the most Latin Grammy nominations in a single year, with thirteen in 2020, and a place on Time magazine's 2020 list of the 100 most influential people. He was the first Latino artist to headline festivals such as Coachella, Tomorrowland and Lollapalooza.

Public roles

Balvin has used his platform for several public statements. In 2015 he withdrew from a scheduled Miss USA performance in protest at comments made by Donald Trump about immigrants, and he later started the social media campaign #LatinosSomosFamilia to draw attention to Venezuelans displaced at the Colombian border. He has also faced public criticism over some of his statements and music videos, and responded to it with public apologies and by removing material.

Personal life

Balvin has lived mostly in his hometown of Medellín and has said that staying there keeps him connected to his roots, though he also keeps a home in New York. He has one child, born in New York City in June 2021.