J Balvin

J Balvin was born José Álvaro Osorio Balvín in Medellín. At seventeen he moved to the United States to learn English, spending time in Oklahoma and New York, before returning to Medellín and building a following performing in the city's clubs.

His records lean bright and melodic, built on reggaeton's dembow rhythm but pulling in electronica, house, Latin trap and R&B, an eclecticism he traces partly to early listening habits that included Metallica and Nirvana alongside Daddy Yankee. Onstage and in videos he pairs that sound with a loud, colour-driven fashion sense.

His run of hits began with 2014's "6 AM" alongside Farruko, followed by "Ay Vamos" and "Ginza," then the 2016 album Energia and its singles "Bobo," "Safari" and "Sigo Extrañándote." "Mi Gente," with Willy William, topped Spotify's global chart in 2017 and passed a billion YouTube views, and he later joined Cardi B and Bad Bunny on "I Like It," a US number one.

Balvin has released albums including José in 2021 and Rayo in 2024, and became the first Latino artist to headline events including Coachella, Tomorrowland and Lollapalooza. He has sold an estimated 35 million records and continues to record almost entirely in Spanish.