J Balvin
Columbian star J Balvin, a rising force in the Latin music scene, has a new album due at the end of May, Vibras, which he’ll promote with a tour arriving at Viejas Arena on September 21. Even if you haven’t heard any of his solo tracks, you likely know his songs from hit collaborations with Beyonce, Ariana Grande, Cardi B, Pharrell Williams, Justin Bieber, and more. Balvin cites as inspiration the first wave of Puerto Rican Reggaeton acts, which he melds with Columbian sounds and hip-hop lyrics and rhythms. Having learned English during his teens while living in Oklahoma and then New York before returning to Columbia, his major label debut, La Famila, spawned several hit singles, including the number two Billboard Hot Latin Songs hit “6 AM,” featuring Puerto Rican singer Farruko.
A followup album, Energia, yielded four top-ten singles, and his 2017 song “Mi Gente” (with Willy William) helped him attain a reported 80 million social media followers, with a video for the track recently passing one billion views. The first two releases from Vibras, “Machika” (featuring Jeon and Anitta) and “Ahora,” indicate little change from his previous M.O., though modern technology makes it possible for anyone to create their own personal remixes of the songs by accessing previously unreleased a capella vocals and instrumental tracks from the album.