LuisaViaRoma interviewed J. Balvin in Paris, where the Colombian born singer talked on everything from fashion to his newest album. The international reggaeton singer behind last year’s hit banger, Mi Gente, drops his new album May 25, just in time for summer. Entitled Vibras, meaning Vibes in English, Balvin hopes to continue to bring Spanish music to the mainstream. Good music and good vibes need no translation.
What kind of music did you listen to growing up?
When I was growing up, I listened to a lot of rock, Nirvana, Metallica. I also was really into hip-hop at the same time… Nas, Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg even Kris Kross. I listened to a little bit of everything.
What are you listening to now?
I listen to everything now. I am a big fan of reggaeton obviously. I listen to hip-hop all the time as well.
You have done a lot of collaborations. Last year with Mi Gente you collabed with Beyoncé, and performed with her at Coachella.. what can we look forward to next?
There are going to be a lot of new surprises this year! Yea, the last collaboration I did was with Beyoncé…. you are just going to have to wait to see what’s going to happen next.
What about fashion, you have done some collaborations in the past, anything we can look forward to?
I am a big fan of a lot of brands. There are many things out there that inspire me. We have many projects going on right now, but I really can’t mention anything right now, otherwise I might get in trouble.
Do you have a style icon?
Pharell Williams is my style icon…
What makes you identify with a fashion brand? What’s your favorite brand right now?
There are a lot of cool new brands, Kid Super really stands out for me. He is from Brooklyn, he has a cool story. I identify with someone with a story to tell. I also like classic labels like Saint Laurent, Chanel, and Dior. It doesn’t really matter to me if its high end or streetwear, I have to have a feel for it.
Are you into sneakers? Do you have an all-time favorite pair of sneakers?
Yea, I love Jordans!
So you almost died in a plane crash, that’s a pretty crazy experience. It must have had a big effect on you…
Yes, it taught me to be more grateful. Live life to the fullest, you never know when it’s going to be your last day… and to be a better human being… that’s the most important thing to me right now, you can have talent, do cool things but if you are not a good human being, you are going backwards.
You have already accomplished so much, what other goals do you have in the pipeline?
Ohhh! I have a lot of dreams I still want to achieve.. Music wise, I am going to keep conquering the world in Spanish, I am not in a hurry to make a crossover into English. It used to be you had to make music in English to have a global presence. Recently, Spanish music has taken big steps. This year we got a lot of collabs, we heard big superstars start to sing in English and in Spanish, so something is definitely going on with this movement.
The good thing about dreams is that they are limitless. You can keep dreaming and dreaming.
Do you play any instruments?
Yes, I play guitar. When I was kid I got into rock music and started listening to Kurt Cobain and from there I started to play…. It’s my thing.
Do you have a secret talent?
A secret talent… I can’ tell you because it’s a secret!
What’s the best advice you have ever been given?
Well I have a few pieces of good advice that I have been given. The first is from Pharell, and he told me, “You gotta be forever a student.. You always have to be open to learning new things.” The second my mom told me when I started to get some success. She said, “the day you think you are a star, you are gonna stop shining for me, so keep it on the ground.”
Photographer: Mat Abad @badboi
Interviewer: @sneakersteve
Special thanks to J Balvin
