J Balvin to Release New Album, “Rayo,” This August

Posted on July 11, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

J Balvin will be catching some rayos this summer…

The 39-year-old Colombian rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer has announced plans to release his upcoming new album, titled Rayo, on August 9.

Balvin’s 15-track LP includes collaborations with Feid, Chencho Corleone, Bad Gyal and Carín León, among others.

The set will follow the hitmaker’s Grammy-nominated Jose released three years ago, which peaked at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums chart for three weeks.

Overall, Balvin has placed four No. 1 sets on the tally since 2016, including Energía, Vibras and Oasis, his 2019 joint album with Bad Bunny.

As with all his previous albums, this one also started with a name before even recording any of the songs included. “My albums have always started with their names,” he previously told Billboard. “That way, we let ourselves be guided by the vibe.” The singer-songwriter also shared that London was a major source of inspiration for the set, specifically its nightclub scene, where he and his team would play demos sometimes. “We wanted to see fan reaction, and it was amazing,” he teased.

According to a press release, Rayo is an expression of “earnest need for human connection that drove Balvin to create an album that feels more like a house party than a collection of songs.”

On this new album, he blends elements of reggeatón with electronic pop and dembow, the statement further adds.

In April, Balvin performed a riveting sci-fi-inspired headlining set at Coachella, where he sang his biggest anthems to date, including hits recent hits such as the Tainy-produced “Colmillo” and “Dientes.”

Some of his surprise guests included Jowell & Randy, De La Ghetto and Will Smith.

The new album announcement coincides with Balvin’s new single “Gaga” in collaboration with Saiko. The Keityn and L.e.x.v.z.-produced track dropped on Thursday (July 11).

Here’s the Rayo tracklist:

“Cosa de Locos”
“Polvo de tu Vida” featuring Chencho Corleone
“Swat” featuring Luar La L
“Bajo y Batería”
“Doblexxó” featuring Feid
“3 Noches”
“Gaga” featuring Saiko
“Gato” featuring Bad Gyal
“Lobo” featuring Zion
“La Noche” featuring Dei V
“Origami” featuring Ryan Castro and Blessd
“Sólido”
“Stoker” featuring Carin León
“Ganster”
“En Alta” featuring Omar Courtz, Yovngchimi, Quevedo, Mambo Kingz, DJ Luian

J Balvin Earns Fourth No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums Chart with “Jose”

Posted on September 23, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Make that four chart-topping albums for J Balvin…

The 36-year-old Colombian singer has notched his fourth No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums chart as Jose debuts atop the September 25-dated tally.

The set, released on September 10 via Sueños Globales/Universal Music Latino/UMLE, starts with 27,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in the week September 16, according to MRC Data.

Jose marks J Balvin’s sixth visit to the all-Latin genre Top Latin Albums chart, all of which have hit the top 10.

The rhythmic singer-songwriter first earned a No. 10 high with La Familia, his first studio album. A trio of No. 1s followed: Energía in 2016, two-week ruler Vibras (2018) and Oasis, with Bad Bunny, the eight-week leader starting July 2019. Colores, his fifth studio album and immediate predecessor to Jose, reached a No. 2 high in April 2020.

As Jose starts with 27,000 overall units, it becomes the second-largest debut week in 2021 after Anuel & Ozuna’s Los Dioses (29,000 in its opening week). In terms of largest week overall this year, Bad Bunny’s El Último Tour del Mundo continues at the helm with 38,000 units.

The 27,000-unit arrival for Jose easily marks Balvin’s best week, by units earned, for a solo album. His previous best week came through Colores‘ first full tracking week on the chart, when it earned 24,000 units on the April 4, 2020-dated chart. (Among all of Balvin’s albums, Oasis, his collaborative effort with Bad Bunny, holds his best week — with its 36,000 unit start on the July 13, 2019-dated chart.)

Out of Jose’s 27,000 units, 25,000 stem from streaming activity which equates to 33.8 million U.S. streams of the set’s tracks. The remainder 2,000-unit sum derives from album sales and track equivalent album units.

As Jose arrives, five of the set’s 24 tracks debut on Hot Latin Songs, which blends airplay, digital sales and streaming data. Let’s take a look:

No. 11, “Una Nota,” with Sech
No. 33, “Te Acuerdas de Mi,” with Yandel
No. 46, “La Venganza,” with Jhay Cortez
No. 48, “Perra,” with Tokischa
No. 49, “Billetes de 100,” with Myke Towers

Eight other tracks preceded the album on the all-metric chart: “Un Día (One Day)” (No. 1 peak and five-time ruler in 2020), “Otra Noche Sin Ti” (No. 5 peak, May 2021), “7 de Mayo” (No. 48 debut and peak (May 22-dated list), “Qué Más Pues?” (No. 14 peak, July 310-dated survey), “Otro Fili” (No. 26 debut and peak (June 26-dated chart), “Poblado (remix),” (No. 11 debut and peak, July 3), “In Da Getto” (peaks at No. 5 on the current chart), “Que Locura” (No. 41 debut and peak, August 28).

Jose concurrently starts at No. 1 on Latin Rhythm Albums and at No. 12 on the overall Billboard 200 chart, his fifth entry there.

J Balvin Reveals 24-Track List for Forthcoming Album “JOSE”

Posted on September 2, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

J Balvin is giving his fans the inside track(s).

The 36-year-old Colombian singer/songwriter has unveiled the track list for his forthcoming album, JOSE, which features collaborations with Yandel, Myke Towers, Jhay Cortez and Ozuna, among others.

The 24-track set will also include previously released songs like the Bad Bunny– and Dua Lipa-assisted “Un Día” and “Qué Más Pues?” with Maria Becerra.

Balvin had previously revealed the title, release date, and the cover art of his next production via his social media accounts last week.

“‘JOSE made by J BALVIN‘ will be available on all platforms on September 10,” he captioned a photo of him all smiles, wearing flashy grills and colorful sunglasses.

Following the big news, Balvin even dropped his new single “Perra” in collaboration with Dominican newcomer Tokischa. Fusing the best of both worlds, the track fuses Balvin’s edgy reggaeton beats with Tokischa’s witty dembow. With its flirtatious and street slang lyrics, “Perra” is a raunchy track about two people who desire each other.

JOSE is Balvin’s fifth studio album following La Familia (2013), Energia (2016), Vibras (2018), and Colores (2020), which peaked No. 2 on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums chart.

Prior to Colores, Balvin joined forces with Bad Bunny on the eight-track Oasis, which debuted and peaked at No. 1 on Top Latin Albums dated July 13, 2019, where it led for eight weeks. The set also debuted and peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard 200.

JOSE Hecho por J BALVIN Disponible en todas las plataformas desde Septiembre 10 ⚡⚡ pic.twitter.com/wNstUIC45a

— J BALVIN (@JBALVIN) August 26, 2021

J Balvin Partners with Hasbro for the Brand’s First Celebrity Figure, the “J Balvintron” Transformer

Posted on July 3, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

J Balvin is experiencing a career Transformer-ation…

The 36-year-old Colombian singer, known as the “Prince of Reggaeton,” is getting his own Transformers figure.

On July 13, Hasbro will make available for pre-order the “J Balvintron,” a 7-inch tall figure with two mini cassette accessories inspired by Balvin’s Energía and Vibras albums that transform into a condor and a tiger to create a mash-up J Balvintron 3-pack. The figure also wields a blaster, and incorporates Balvin’s signature rainbow colors and smiley face icon.

While Hasbro has previously partnered with brands like Marvel and Universal to create figures from their respective universes, the J Balvintron is the first figure created with a musical artist or actual living celebrity since Hasbro launched its collaborative program in 2019.

The figure, which will be available exclusively on the NTWRK platform as a limited edition, will retail for $69.99.

“I’ve loved Transformers since I was a kid so this was a dream come true,” Balvin told Billboard.

“The J Balvintron Transformers that are coming out are a reflection of my dream toy. Ever since the proposal came to me I had this vision in mind.”

The Transformer proposal came to Balvin via livestream shopping platform NTWRK, which is known for its exclusive, celebrity-partnership product drops, and which had a strong relationship with both Balvin and Hasbro.

“NTWRK approached J Balvin and Hasbro with the idea to collaborate with Transformers because Balvin is a huge fan of Transformers and we thought it would be an amazing fan experience and cultural moment — For Balvin and Transformers fans,” says president Moksha Fitzgibbons.

Balvin, whose affinity for games in general is well known, was excited.

“I asked them to include elements from my past albums in the design. This is why they have two cassette options, one for Vibras and then one for Energia,” he says. “The colors, the names, I suggested all of these to them for inspiration. When we were in the process of making the design, Colores had just come out so we wanted to make many different color options.”

Evan Brooks, the designer in charge of the Balvintron, knew the singer was a big G1 Transformer fan, so his starting point was Soundwave, a popular Gen 1 transformer whose best-known disguise is as a cassette player. Brooks designed two small cassette players that transform into Balvin albums. Because the cassettes are usually animal-themed, “We looked at his tatoos and saw he had four or five tigers. We ran it past him and had one of them turn into a tiger that turns into Vibras, and the other one is a condor that turns into Energia.”

The first step in designing based on an actual person, says Brooks, is taking the visual elements that define the person and extrapolating them onto a robot. The biggest challenge, he says, was trying to balance Balvin’s many color associations.

“If you look at Balvin’s figure, I found his rainbow hair style very iconic. We went through ten iterations. The robot head has the five color break. We made sure the smiley face was present.”

The whole process, he says, was “very easy and very smooth,” with a bonus. Brooks, who hadn’t heard Balvin before, became a fan, and “Rojo” is now his favorite track.

The J Balvintron will only be available on the NETWRK App, which will premiere the figure along with an animated video and an interview with the Balvintron designers. Balvin will also promote the figure on social media.

Mars Earns Three Billboard Music Award Nominations, Including Top R&B Artist

Posted on April 10, 2017 by Tom Castaneda

It’s a Magic-filled year for Bruno Mars…

The 2017 Billboard Music Awards nominations have been announced, with the 31-year-old part-Puerto Rican singer leading the Latino pack of nominees with three.

Mars, who released his third album 24K Magic last November, is nominated in the Top R&B Artist category.

Mars, who picked up a Billboard Music Award in 2011 for “Just The Way You Are,” will also compete in the Top R&B Album and Top R&B Song categories.

But Mars isn’t the only multiple Latino nominee…

Robert Trujillo and his Metallica bandmates have picked up two nods.

The 52-year-old part-Mexican American guitarist and his groupmates are nominated for Top Rock Artist, as well as the Top Rock Album for Hardwired…To Self Destruct.

In the Latin categories, the late Juan Gabriel picked up three nods, including one for Top Latin Artist; J Balvin picked up two, including one for Top Latin Album for his studio effort Energia; Los Plebes Del Rancho De Ariel Camacho earned two nods, including Top Latin Artist; and Nicky Jam and Maluma both received nods in the Top Latin Artist and Top Latin Song categories.

Shakira, a 7-time Billboard Music Award winner, received two nods in the same category, Top Latin Song, for “Chantaje,” her collaboration with Maluma, and “La Bicicleta,” her collaboration with Carlos Vives.

Two-time Grammy winner and 3-time Tony Award winner Lin-Manuel Miranda also earned two nominations in the same category, Top Soundtrack/Cast Album.

The 37-year-old Puerto Rican actor, singer, composer and lyricist is a nominee for his work on the cast album to the hit Broadway musical Hamilton, as well as his Oscar-nominated work on the soundtrack to Disney’s Moana.

Other Latino nominees include CNCO, Daddy Yankee, Enrique Iglesias, Wisin and Camila Cabello.

The Billboard Music Awards will air on May 21 at 8PM on ABC.

Here’s the full list of nominees:

Top Artist:
Adele
Beyonce
Justin Bieber
The Chainsmokers
Drake
Ariana Grande
Shawn Mendes
Rihanna
Twenty One Pilots
The Weeknd

Top New Artist:
Alessia Cara
Desiigner
Lil Uzi Vert
Lukas Graham
Zayn

Billboard Chart Achievement Award Presented by Xfinity:
Luke Bryan
Nicki Minaj
The Chainsmokers
The Weeknd
Twenty One Pilots

Top Male Artist:
Justin Bieber
Drake
Future
Shawn Mendes
The Weeknd

Top Female Artist:
Adele
Beyonce
Ariana Grande
Rihanna
Sia

Top Duo/Group:
The Chainsmokers
Coldplay
Florida Georgia Line
Guns N’ Roses
Twenty One Pilots

Top Billboard 200 Artist:
Beyonce
Drake
Prince
Twenty One Pilots
The Weeknd
Top Hot 100 Artist:
The Chainsmokers
Drake
Rihanna
Twenty One Pilots
The Weeknd

Top Song Sales Artist:
The Chainsmokers
Drake
Prince
Justin Timberlake
Twenty One Pilots

Top Radio Songs Artist:
Justin Bieber
The Chainsmokers
Drake
Rihanna
Twenty One Pilots
Top Streaming Songs Artist:
The Chainsmokers
Desiigner
Drake
Rihanna
Twenty One Pilots

Top Social Artist:
Justin Bieber
BTS
Selena Gomez
Ariana Grande
Shawn Mendes

Top Touring Artist:
Justin Bieber
Beyonce
Coldplay
Guns N’ Roses
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band

Top R&B Artist:
Beyonce
Bruno Mars
Frank Ocean
Rihanna
The Weeknd

Top R&B Tour:
Beyonce
Lionel Richie
Rihanna

Top Rap Artist:
J. Cole
Desiigner
Drake
Future
Rae Sremmurd

Top Rap Tour
Drake
Future
Kanye West

Top Country Artist:
Florida Georgia Line
Blake Shelton
Keith Urban
Chris Stapleton
Jason Aldean

Top Country Tour:
Luke Bryan
Kenny Chesney
Dixie Chicks

Top Rock Artist:
Coldplay
The Lumineers
Metallica
Twenty One Pilots
X Ambassadors

Top Rock Tour:
Coldplay
Guns N’ Roses
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band

Top Latin Artist:
J Balvin
Juan Gabriel
Los Plebes Del Rancho De Ariel Camacho
Maluma
Nicky Jam

Top Dance/Electronic Artist:
The Chainsmokers
Calvin Harris
Major Lazer
DJ Snake
Lindsey Stirling

Top Christian Artist:
Lauren Daigle
Hillsong Worship
Hillary Scott & the Family
Skillet
Chris Tomlin

Top Gospel Artist:
Jekalyn Carr
Kirk Franklin
Travis Greene
Tamela Mann
Hezekiah Walker

Top Billboard 200 Album:
Beyonce, Lemonade
Drake, Views
Rihanna, Anti
Twenty One Pilots, Blurryface
The Weeknd, Starboy

Top Soundtrack/Cast Album:
Hamilton: An American Musical
Moana
Purple Rain
Suicide Squad: The Album
Trolls

Top R&B Album:
Beyonce, Lemonade
Bruno Mars, 24K Magic
Frank Ocean, Blonde
Rihanna, Anti
The Weeknd, Starboy

Top Rap Album:
J. Cole, 4 Your Eyez Only
Drake, Views
Kevin Gates, Isla
DJ Khaled, Major Key
A Tribe Called Quest, We Got It From Here…Thank You For Your Service

Top Country Album:
Jason Aldean, They Don’t Know
Florida Georgia Line, Dig Your Roots
Blake Shelton, If I’m Honest
Chris Stapleton, Traveller
Keith Urban, Ripcord

Top Rock Album:
The Lumineers, Cleopatra
Metallica, Hardwired…To Self Destruct
Radiohead, A Moon Shaped Pool
Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Getaway
Twenty One Pilots, Blurryface

Top Latin Album:
J Balvin, Energia
CNCO, Primera Cita
Juan Gabriel, Los Duo 2
Juan Gabriel, Vestido De Etiqueta: Por Eduardo Magallanes
Los Plebes del Rancho de Ariel Camacho, Recuerden Mi Estilo

Top Dance/Electronic Album:
The Chainsmokers, Bouquet
The Chainsmokers, Collage
Flume, Skin
Kygo, Cloud Nine
Lindsey Stirling, Brave Enough

Top Christian Album:
Casting Crowns, The Very Next Thing
Lauren Daigle, How Can It Be
Joey + Rory, Hymns
Hillary Scott & The Family, Love Remains
Skillet, Unleashed

Top Gospel Album:
Tamela Mann, One Way
Kirk Franklin, Losing My Religion
Travis Greene, The Hill
Tasha Cobbs, One Place: Live
Hezekiah Walker, Better: Azusa – The Next Generation 2

Top Hot 100 Song:
The Chainsmokers Featuring Halsey, “Closer”
The Chainsmokers Featuring Daya, “Don’t Let Me Down”
Drake Featuring WizKid & Kyla, “One Dance”
Justin Timberlake, “Can’t Stop The Feeling!”
Twenty One Pilots, “Heathens”

Top Selling Song:
The Chainsmokers Featuring Halsey, “Closer”
The Chainsmokers Featuring Daya, “Don’t Let Me Down”
Drake Featuring, WizKid & Kyla “One Dance”
Justin Timberlake, “Can’t Stop The Feeling!”
Twenty One Pilots, “Heathens”

Top Radio Song:
The Chainsmokers Featuring Halsey, “Closer”
The Chainsmokers Featuring Daya, “Don’t Let Me Down”
Drake Featuring WizKid & Kyla, “One Dance”
Sia Featuring Sean Paul, “Cheap Thrills”
Justin Timberlake, “Can’t Stop The Feeling!”

Top Streaming Song (Audio):
The Chainsmokers Featuring Halsey, “Closer”
Drake Featuring WizKid & Kyla, “One Dance”
D.R.A.M. Featuring Lil Yachty, “Broccoli”
Rihanna, “Needed Me”
The Weeknd Featuring Daft Punk, “Starboy”

Top Streaming Song (Video):
The Chainsmokers Featuring Halsey, “Closer”
Desiigner, “Panda”
Zay Hilfigerr & Zayion McCall, “JuJu On That Beat (TZ Anthem)
Rae Sremmurd Featuring Gucci Mane, “Black Beatles”
Twenty One Pilots, “Heathens”

Top Collaboration:
The Chainsmokers Featuring Halsey, “Closer”
The Chainsmokers Featuring Daya, “Don’t Let Me Down”
Drake Featuring WizKid & Kyla, “One Dance”
Sia Featuring Sean Paul, “Cheap Thrills”
The Weeknd Featuring Daft Punk, “Starboy”

Top R&B Song:
Drake Featuring WizKid & Kyla, “One Dance”
Bruno Mars, “24K Magic”
Rihanna, “Needed Me”
Rihanna Featuring Drake, “Work”
The Weeknd Featuring Daft Punk, “Starboy”

Top R&B Collaboration:
Drake Featuring WizKid & Kyla, “One Dance”
PARTYNEXTDOOR Featuring Drake, “Come And See Me”
Rihanna Featuring Drake, “Work”
The Weeknd Featuring Daft Punk “I Feel It Coming”
The Weeknd Featuring Daft Punk, “Starboy”

Top Rap Song:
Desiigner, “Panda”
Drake, “Fake Love”
D.R.A.M. Featuring Lil Yachty, “Broccoli”
Migos Featuring Lil Uzi Vert, “Bad And Boujee”
Rae Sremmurd Featuring Gucci Mane, “Black Beatles”

Top Rap Collaboration:
D.R.A.M. Featuring Lil Yachty, “Broccoli”
Zay Hilfigerr & Zayion McCall, “JuJu On That Beat (TZ Anthem)
Machine Gun Kelly & Camila Cabello, “Bad Things”
Migos Featuring Lil Uzi Vert, “Bad and Boujee”
Rae Sremmurd Featuring Gucci Mane, “Black Beatles”

Top Country Song:
Kenny Chesney Featuring Pink, “Setting The World On Fire”
Florida Georgia Line, “H.O.L.Y.”
Florida Georgia Line Featuring Tim McGraw, “May We All”
Little Big Town, “Better Man”
Keith Urban, “Blue Ain’t Your Color”

Top Country Collaboration:
Dierks Bentley Featuring Elle King, “Different For Girls”
Kenny Chesney Featuring Pink, “Setting The World On Fire”
Eric Church Featuring Rhiannon Giddens, “Kill A Word”
Florida Georgia Line Featuring Tim McGraw, “May We All”
Chris Young Featuring Vince Gill, “Sober Saturday Night”

Top Rock Song:
Lil Wayne, Wiz Khalifa & Imagine Dragons with Logic & Ty Dolla $ign Featuring X Ambassadors, “Sucker For Pain”
Twenty One Pilots, “Heathens”
Twenty One Pilots, “Ride”
Twenty One Pilots, “Stressed Out”
X Ambassadors, “Unsteady”

Top Latin Song:
Daddy Yankee, “Shaky Shaky”
Enrique Iglesias Featuring Wisin, “Duele El Corazon”
Nicky Jam, “Hasta El Amanecer”
Shakira Featuring Maluma, “Chantaje”
Carlos Vives & Shakira, “La Bicicleta”

Top Dance/Electronic Song:
The Chainsmokers Featuring Halsey, “Closer”
The Chainsmokers Featuring Daya, “Don’t Let Me Down”
Calvin Harris Featuring Rihanna, “This Is What You Came For”
Major Lazer Featuring Justin Bieber & MO, “Cold Water”
DJ Snake Featuring Justin Bieber, “Let Me Love You”

Top Christian Song:
Lauren Daigle, “Trust In You”
Hillary Scott & The Family, “Thy Will”
Skillet, “Feel Invincible”
Ryan Stevenson Featuring GabeReal, “Eye Of The Storm”
Zach Williams, “Chain Breaker”

Top Gospel Song:
Jekalyn Carr, “You’re Bigger”
Tasha Cobbs, Featuring Kierra Sheard “Put A Praise On It”
Kirk Franklin, “Wanna Be Happy??”
Travis Greene, “Made A Way”
Hezekiah Walker, “Better”

J Balvin Releases Music Video for New Single “Si tu novio te deja sola”

Posted on March 5, 2017 by Tom Castaneda

J Balvin is sending out a warning to careless boyfriends…

The 31-year-old Colombian singer has released his latest single, “Si tu novio te deja sola,” along with its corresponding music video.

A tropical, groovy beat starts off the trap tune, featuring rising star Bad Bunny.

The cheeky song is Balvin’s first single since he released his latest Latin Grammy-winning album Energía last summer.

“Si tu novio te deja sola” is the first collaboration between the Colombian superstar and Bad Bunny, who has previously teamed up with other reggaetoneros, including Farruko and Arcángel.

Bad Bunny will be part of the “Latin Trap Panel” at this year’s Billboard Latin Music Conference along with Farruko, Ozuna, Noriel, Bryant Myers and Messiah.

J Balvin Releases Heartbreaking Music Video for New Single “Sigo Extrañandote”

Posted on February 20, 2017 by Tom Castaneda

It looks like J Balvin is still in mourning…

The 31-year-old Colombian urban singer has released the heart-wrenching music video for his latest single “Sigo Extrañandote.”

The video, filmed in Medellín, Colombia and directed by 36 Grados, tells the story of a happy family, but during a dinner she leaves him after seeing an unexpected call. Then, each scene shows J Balvin remembering the good times, but the most shocking part happens at the end with an unexpected life event.

“These days, anyone can create a video, but creating emotion is a much harder thing,” J Balvin said in a press release..youtube.com, or enable JavaScript if it is disabled in your browser.

“Sigo Extrañandote” is the fourth single from J Balvin’s his latest album, Energía.

J Balvin Releases “Safari” Music Video on YouTube

Posted on September 3, 2016 by Tom Castaneda

It’s a wild, wild world for J Balvin…

The 31-year-old Colombian reggaeton singer has released the highly anticipated music video for his single “Safari” on YouTube.

Balvin had previously premiered the clip on on Apple Music in August.

Surrounded by female dancers in an intimate setting, Balvin, Pharrell and rapper BIA sing the reggae infused track featured on his latest album, Energía.

“Safari” is currently No. 21 on Billboard‘s Hot Latin Songs chart (dated September 10).

The steamy video was filmed during Memorial Day weekend in Los Angeles and directed by Grant Singer.

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