Rest recharged and realized J Balvin for his album “Rayo”

About a year ago, J Balvin, whose full name is José Álvaro Osorio Balvín, explained to PS why he had taken a year to prioritize his well-being and focus on his family. The Colombian Reggaetónero – who has become one of the biggest stars of Musica Urbano and the second most broadcast Latin artist in Spotify – needed time to recharge after the release of his 2021 “Jose” album. And it seems that taking the time to slow down and be present with her six -year -old partner, the model Valentina Ferrer, and their 3 -year -old son, Río, has paid off. His latest album, “Rayo”, reveals a newly energetic Balvin. In this album, we see Balvin falling back in love with reggaetón, and reconnecting with his young me – the boy of Medellín who led the urban sound in Colombia.

To take the time to change speed, Balvin says: “I really think I needed it.” The artist has always been open to the prioritization of his well-being and mental health and thinks that this is exactly what he needed to feel ready to return to the studio. “I needed to rest and focus on my family and son,” he said. Although Balvin was able to take a break in terms of work on a new album, he never stopped working completely. “I was doing tours and did festivals around the world. Not my own tour but I was doing tours at festivals, and it was great. It was beautiful,” he adds. “But now that we are officially back with an album, it’s a totally different atmosphere because I made this album without any pressure. I just went to the studio and I had fun.”

“I needed to rest and focus on my family and son.”

Balvin says that spending time with his family and living life without the pressure of the recording of an album gave him a major creative boost. In just four months after his return to the studio, he recorded dozens of songs. “I was just going to the studio to make music. One day, we said to ourselves:” Oh, we had 40 songs – we could have an album “”, he says. “It was the beautiful thing about this album. I didn’t plan to make an album.”

And it’s true, “Rayo” is a reflection of the measure in which Balvin has arrived. The word Rayo translates into Lightning, the name of his first return car when he lived in his hometown of Medellín as an emerging artist. Like its title, the album concerns a lot of Balvin which returns to its essence. The artist says he went less concerned about the flows and how he would perform and more dedicated to having fun in the studio, making music that excited him as at the start of his career.

As he explains, the name of the album “Reminds me when I had my first car that my father gave me with so much love and a lot of effort because we were going through a bad economic situation. But this car opened the way for me. We both opened my CDs in the truck and in clubs and various concerts.”

The album consists of songs like “Lobo” with Zion, which radiates the vibrations of Reggaetón 2010. Songs like “Swat” “Gangster” “featuring Saiko,” Origami “with Ryan Castro and Wound, and the successful single” Polvo de Tu Vida “with the Porto Rican Reggaetónero Club Bangers this season. Balvin also included some of his signature melodic songs where he shows his vocal skills, such as “Cosa de Locos” and “3 Noches”.

“It’s modern, but I haven’t lost my DNA,” said Balvin.

One thing that was also a line of Balvin’s life is the spearhead of community initiatives. In 2022, he was honored at the summit of the United Nations Latin Impact for his commitment to help break the stigma of mental health problems that exist in the Latin community. He also continued to devote himself to his Vibra in Alta Foundation, which offers education and support to young Colombians. It is therefore logical that he recently established a partnership with Cheetos as a new ambassador for their campaign “already Huella” in progress, which supports young Latin people in the pursuit of their career dreams.

“We want to help the new generations to be better and guide them in the right way, because there are a lot of wasted talents that they just don’t know where to go,” he said. “And we would like to use them and tell them that we are going to help you with your dream, and that’s why we are here.”

In October, Balvin is the head of the Latin Music Week of Billboard while presenting the last ambassador already you Huella de Cheetos. The ambassador will have the opportunity to take the road during a three college stop tour and receive resources to support them throughout their studies and their careers.

While Balvin could return to his own roots with this new album, the empowerment of younger artists is always a key goal. “I am happy to be there and to share my point of view of music right now and what I think could be the future sound and, of course, continue to present the new generation in music,” he said. “It’s part of my DNA to work with new talents and if I can help them have more exposure. I do it just with love and don’t think of someone [having] To get me. “”

Balvin has clearly flocked over himself, his family and his community – an act that revitalized him. Now, with his latest album, Balvin seems more alive and ready to reinvent himself than ever. As one of the pioneers who paved the way for the wave of reggaetón in Colombia, he not only cemented his own heritage as leyenda in the genre but also gave way to the next generation.

“I think, of course, more mature and more linked to myself and really embracing and grateful for what we have done for culture,” he said. “I know that I no longer have to prove me. It’s more about having fun.”

Johanna Ferreira is the director of PS Juntos content. With more than 10 years of experience, Johanna focuses on how intersectional identities are a central element of Latin culture. Previously, she spent almost three years as a deputy editor of Hiplatina, and she has independent for many points of sale, notably Refinery29, Oprah Magazine, Tower, Instyle and Well + Good. She has also moderated and talked about many panels on Latin identity.