J Balvin (José Álvaro Osorio Balvin) is a Colombian singer. Born in a middle-class family in Medellín, Colombia on May 7, 1985, his father is a businessman and J Balvin grew up in a large house in the hills outside the city. After his father’s business went under, his family moved to a poorer neighborhood and then to the United States. He was living in his aunt’s home in Staten Island and work there as a dog walker. During his stay in the United States, he worked various jobs including working illegally as a roofer and house painter. Also, he’s fascinated by the business savvy of New York rappers 50 cents and Puff Daddy.

Balvin decided to return to Colombia and began performing in various clubs. Additionally, he enrolled at EAFIT University Medellín, where he studied international business. At the age of 19, he pursued a career in music and adopted the stage name J Balvin. He then soon developed a more relaxed and minimalistic style in his music. He signed to EMI Colombia in 2009 and released the single “Ella Me Cautivó,” which charted to number 35 on the Billboard Tropical Songs chart. Also that same year, he released his debut album Real. In 2012, he released a mixtape of his early hits in Colombia including “En Lo Oscuro” and “Como un Animal.” His first international hit was “Yo Te Lo Dije.”

Then in 2016, he premiered his new single “Ginza” at the Premios Juventud. The song reached number one on the Billboard charts and set a new Guinness record for the longest stay at number one on the chart. He became the first artist to receive a diamond certification in the Latin field for his songs “6 AM” and “Ay Vamos.” In the same year, J Balvin released his fourth album Energia. The album also debuted number one on Billboard. In addition to that, the album featured Daddy Yankee and various artists. The album housed three songs in top 10: “Bobo,” “Safari” and “Sigo Extranandote.” He appeared on Cardi B‘s album “Invasion of Privacy” in the song “I Like It” which became Balvin’s number one single on the US Billboard hot 100. On 2018, he announced his upcoming album Vibras.

Source: Wikipedia