J Balvin: What are you afraid of? Do you have a hard time dealing with your ego? What did you do with the jacket that a Peruvian designer gave you?

In addition to inspiring and motivating with his music, J Balvin seeks to inspire with his life. After becoming an undeniable reggaeton megastar, she dreams of being a living legend and that her story of overcoming herself contributes to changing and improving lives. The Colombian artist who used to sing on the corners of Medellín today soulds out in New York’s Madison Square, has sold more than 35 million records, is one of the 10 most listened to artists in the world and in 2020 was included in the list of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people that year.

After four years of his last presentation in Lima, at the Barrio Latino Festival, the winner of Billboard Music Awards, American Music Awards, Latin Grammy and many others; he returns to the Peruvian capital to offer a concert this October 27 at the Arena Peru.

“It’s been a long time and a lot of new music, so you’re going to see an evolution on stage, the idea is to leave a message of dream, improvement and good vibes, so that you go home with that. Obviously, the technical part will be spectacular, we have raised the audiovisual issue and the staging”, details the ‘Prince of reggaeton’.

─From your last visit to Arequipa, in September of this year, you shared a photograph with the designer from Arequipa, Brawans Zamalloa. How did that meeting take place?

I was leaving the hotel, when he appeared very friendly, with that attitude that all of us who pursue dreams have: of trying and persisting, and he was able to reach me, although reaching me is not difficult because I have no problems with contact with people . He was nice, he gave me a garment (a personalized jacket) that I have at home. My mother, seeing it, immediately stole it from me to put it in the museum that my father is putting together with all my gifts and achievements.

─Is the museum open to the public?

It’s an idea of ​​my father’s that makes me quite funny because I’m not used to flattering myself or saying: “Come see my trophies”. In fact, where I live there is nothing related to music, there is Jose and it doesn’t make me worship myself in an egocentric way. But I understand my father, especially now that I have Rio, I think that when my son grows up and gets his own merits and achievements from him, I will want everyone to know them.

─Your one-year-old son, to whom you dedicated “Rio”, a song you recorded with his heartbeat, is also your best friend.

That’s right, my son and I are the best of friends. I’m very mature for some things and immature for others. When I’m with him I transform into someone one year and four months old (laughs).

─Would you like me to be an artist, to follow in your footsteps?

No not at all. First of all I want her to be happy, I don’t agree with putting pressure on her son or choosing what her dream or path will be. If you ask me if it is a good idea, I will tell you to think about it many times because it is a very beautiful race, but with a lot of pressure. I’m still going to support him, the same with his sexual choice.

─There are those who claim that you are a living legend. How do you receive those words?

I always dream of that because it’s like marking a milestone in Latin music worldwide and being able to serve as hope and motivation for those who seek to achieve their goals. I don’t want to inspire you to live in hotels or travel the world in private planes because each dream is individually valid. Whoever wants to have a store, be the best shoemaker, soccer player or singer, who wants to fight to achieve it and enjoy it, I don’t want them to do what I do, but to say that if he could do it, I can too.

─“Voodoo”, one of your most recent collaborations with the Indian singer Badshah, in addition to having been used by Apple, will be part of the official soundtrack of the video game saga, FIFA 23. How do you get your songs to have such an impact? And success?

When you release music you don’t know if it’s going to work or not because there’s no way to test it, it’s not in our hands. Many times you have faith that it will work and nothing happens, other times you say: “Let’s see what happens”, and it explodes. There is no formula.

─To make a collaboration do you let yourself be carried away by intuition, friendship or recommendations?

By intuition and vibe. When I meet someone who is great for the world and has a level of humility that parallels his success, it blows my mind, like Ed Sheeran did. We are great friends, when we shared time in Paris and New York I realized that the smaller you show yourself, the bigger you look. That is something that I am looking for, that I want, although I am not going to deny that I have had battles with my ego.

─Is it difficult to fight with the ego?

It is very difficult, it also depends on whether the ego passes to pride, which is like the next level of the ego. Obviously, one has his internal battles, I felt better known when I was 20 years old and made music in clubs, Now it’s different, I have a very real family and friends who drop me from the cloud at any time, who see me as Jose and they don’t care about J Balvin.

─Jose and J Balvin are different?

In the end no, because it is a character that Jose created. Balvin is the race, with ideas oriented to that topic, many times we give greater importance to the race and we forget about ourselves, and that happens to the world in general.

─How was it recording “Sigue” and “Forever My Love” with Ed Sheeran, songs that allowed both of them to demonstrate their ability to diversify the type of music they offer?

It was very nice because Ed Sheeran sang both songs in Spanish. It was an important cultural exchange, but the best thing was creating a friendship with someone who has similar principles and a way of seeing life that is very similar to mine.

─Are you afraid of something in life?

From childhood to failure and since Covid 19 gave me and I almost died, also to diseases.

─How do you define the personal and professional moment in which you find yourself?

I find myself in a renaissance where I have to analyze myself, accept myself, have the necessary humility to recognize changes, see how to reinvent myself and become stronger.