A few 12 months in the past, J Balvin, whose full title is José Álvaro Osorio Balvín, instructed PS why he took a 12 months to prioritize his wellness and deal with his household. The Colombian reggaetónero — who has turn into one of many largest stars in musica urbano and the second most streamed Latin artist on Spotify — wanted a while to recharge after the discharge of his 2021 album “JOSE.” And it appears to be like like taking time to decelerate and be current together with his companion of six years, mannequin Valentina Ferrer, and their 3-year-old son, Río, has paid off. His newest album, “Rayo,” reveals a newly energized Balvin. On this album, we see Balvin fall again in love with reggaetón, and reconnect together with his youthful self — the boy from Medellín who spearheaded the urbano sound in Colombia.
When it comes to taking time to shift gears, Balvin says, “I positively assume I wanted it.” The artist has at all times been open about prioritizing his wellness and psychological well being and believes it is precisely what he wanted to really feel able to get again within the studio. “I wanted to relaxation and deal with my household and my son,” he says. Whereas Balvin might need paused when it comes to engaged on a brand new album, he by no means stopped working altogether. “I used to be touring and doing festivals world wide. Not my very own tour however I used to be touring in festivals, and it was nice. It was lovely,” he provides. “However now that we’re formally again with an album, it is a completely totally different vibe as a result of I did this album with none strain. I simply went to the studio and had enjoyable.”
“I wanted to relaxation and deal with my household and my son.”
Balvin says that spending time together with his household and simply residing life with out the strain of recording an album gave him a serious artistic increase. In simply 4 months after returning to the studio, he recorded dozens of songs. “I used to be simply going into the studio to do music. Sooner or later we had been like, ‘Oh, we acquired like 40 songs — we’d have an album,'” he says. “That was the gorgeous factor about this album. I did not plan to make an album.”
And it is true, “Rayo” is a mirrored image of how far Balvin has come. The phrase rayo interprets to lightning, the title of his first automobile again when he lived in his hometown of Medellín as an rising artist. Very like its title, the album could be very a lot about Balvin returning to his essence. The artist says he went into it much less involved about streams and the way it might carry out and extra devoted to having enjoyable within the studio, making music that excited him like within the early days of his profession.
As he explains it, the album’s title “jogs my memory of once I had my first automobile that my dad gave me with a lot love and lots of effort as a result of we had been going via a foul financial state of affairs. However that automobile paved the way in which for me. We each paved the way in which in Colombia opening a brand new market of reggaetón. I used to promote my CDs within the truck and within the golf equipment and totally different concert events.”
The album consists of songs like “Lobo” with Zion, which radiates 2010s reggaetón vibes. Tracks like “Swat, “Gangster, “Gaga” that includes Saiko, “Origami” with Ryan Castro and Blessd, and the hit single “Polvo de tu Vida” with Puerto Rican reggaetónero OG Chencho Corleone are certain to turn into membership bangers this season. Balvin additionally included a number of of his signature melodic tracks the place he reveals off his vocal abilities, like “Cosa de Locos” and “3 Noches.”
“It is trendy, however I did not lose my DNA,” Balvin says.
One factor that is additionally been a throughline of Balvin’s life is spearheading neighborhood initiatives. In 2022, he was honored on the United Nations Latino Impression Summit for his dedication to serving to break the stigma round psychological well being points that exists within the Latine neighborhood. He has additionally continued to dedicate himself to his Vibra en Alta basis, which offers training and help for the Colombian youth. So it solely is smart that he not too long ago partnered with Cheetos as their latest ambassador for his or her ongoing “Deja tu Huella” marketing campaign, which helps younger Latines in pursuing their profession goals.
“We wish to assist the brand new generations to be higher and information them the proper method, as a result of there’s lots of wasted expertise that they simply do not know the place to go,” he says. “And we might wish to super-serve them and inform them we’re going that will help you together with your dream, and that is what we’re right here for.”
This October, Balvin will headline Billboard’s Latin Music Week whereas additionally introducing Cheetos’s newest Deja tu Huella ambassador. The ambassador may have the chance to hit the highway on a three-stop neighborhood faculty tour and be supplied with sources to help them all through their research and profession.
Whereas Balvin may be returning to his personal roots with this new album, empowering youthful artists is at all times a key aim. “I am joyful to be there and share my viewpoint of music proper now and what I believe may be the longer term sound and, in fact, hold introducing the brand new technology in music,” he says. “It has been a part of my DNA to work with new expertise and if I can assist them to have extra publicity. I simply do it with love and never serious about somebody [having] to present me again.”
Balvin has clearly poured into himself, his household, and his neighborhood — an act that has revitalized him. Now, together with his newest album, Balvin appears extra alive and able to reinvent himself than ever earlier than. As one of many pioneers who paved the way in which for the reggaetón wave in Colombia, he has not solely cemented his personal legacy as a leyenda inside the style but additionally made room for the subsequent technology.
“I really feel, in fact, extra mature and extra related with myself and actually embracing and grateful for what we have completed for the tradition,” he says. “I do know that I haven’t got to show myself anymore. It is extra about having enjoyable.”
Johanna Ferreira is the content material director for PS Juntos. With greater than 10 years of expertise, Johanna focuses on how intersectional identities are a central a part of Latine tradition. Beforehand, she spent shut to 3 years because the deputy editor at HipLatina, and he or she has freelanced for quite a few shops together with Refinery29, Oprah journal, Attract, InStyle, and Nicely+Good. She has additionally moderated and spoken on quite a few panels on Latine id.
