J Balvin has a billion reason to smile…
The 31-year-old Colombian singer’s music video “Ay vamos” surpassed the billion-views mark on YouTube earlier this week, making him the first Latin urban artist to reach ten digits with a video on the platform.
Balvin’s milestone on YouTube also makes him the third Latin act to reach a billion views. In 2014, Enrique Iglesias became the first Latin artist ever to hit 1 billion with “Bailando” ft. Gente de Zona and Descemer Bueno. In July, Romeo Santos‘ “Propuesta indecente” surpassed the mark as well.
On the Billboard charts, “Ay vamos” was Balvin’s first No. 1 on the Hot Latin Songs (dated March 7, 2015) chart. The reggaeton anthem spent 10 weeks at No. 1 on the Latin Rhythm Airplay chart and has sold 212,000 downloads, according to Nielsen Music.
The YouTube achievement comes days after Balvin notched his fifth No. 1 on Latin Airplay chart, with his track “Safari,” featuring Pharrell and BIA.
Up next, the “Bobo” singer is set to perform at the 17th edition of the Latin Grammys on Nov. 17. Balvin’s Safari is nominated for Best Urban Music Album.