Colombian reggaeton star J. Balvin shared his thoughts on his rising fame as a reggaeton legend and his plans to take over the world Jay-Z style, reported newspaper El Espectador on Sunday.
In an interview with El Espectador, J. Balvin described his musical career by stating “I do what I like and apparently it’s very similar to what people want to hear.” He went on to explain that what sets him apart from other reggaeton artists in Colombia is his “corporate vision. I learn from the greats like Jay-Z, who has taken their music to a level of marketing that involves not billboard hits or lots of downloads, but beyond, as a brand.”
Balvin went on to explain that Colombian reggaeton is really stepping on to the scene with the second highest number of reggaeton artists and fans, second only to Puerto Rico. The reggaeton star claimed that “Colombia is a leader of urban Latin music.”
As to why the scene has grown so much so fast, Balvin replied that “the people were asking for urban music. Radios were programmed to the tastes of their managers, but we did our own thing, because urban music is for the people of Latin American and the youth. This is an unstoppable movement.”
Balvin explained that reggaeton was born from musical fusion, and has influences even from great rock classics such as Nirvana and Guns and Roses. As for his own musical tastes “I love salsa, reggae…I like all genres and try not to listen much reggaeton” because he doesn’t want to over-saturate himself, and instead be able to come up with his own originals.
When asked what he wants to convey with his lyrics, Balvin replied “reality, I’m not a saint, I am a young man like anyone else who falls in and out of love and wants to have fun. We’re not going to discotecas to pray.” Amen.
