Colombian hitmaker J Balvin has captivated the world with his music for more than a decade. Fans from Latin America to Europe can't get enough of The Boy From Medell n and his high-energy, infectious beats. In fact, every second, 140 J Balvin songs are streamed on Spotify, and his songs have been added to more than 240 million user-created playlists.
The star is not just one of the biggest names in urban music; he's the second-most-streamed Latin artist on Spotify-ever. His top hits include LA CANCI N with Bad Bunny, I Like It with Bad Bunny and Cardi B, and Mi Gente with Willy William, each having racked up well over 1 billion streams.
Now the reggaet n pioneer is back with a new album, Rayo, that drops today. J Balvin is well-known for his collaborations, and the album's first single, Polvo de tu vida, features Puerto Rican singer Chencho Corleone. Since its release in June, the track has garnered more than 16 million streams. And just to give a taste of where those listeners are, Bogot takes the spot as the city with the most streams, followed by Madrid, Barcelona, Santiago de Chile, and Mexico City.
A follow-up single, Gaga, finds him collaborating with Spanish artist SAIKO. It, too, is rapidly finding listeners, with more than 7 million streams since its July release, and has surged in listens in Spain, Mexico, and the United States.
For the Record caught up with J Balvin to learn more about the inspiration for his latest project, whom he wants to collaborate with in the future, and what other Colombian genres he enjoys listening to.
Tell us about Rayo. Rayo is about returning to my essence. Rayo is the name of my first car, a car that my father went through a lot of effort to buy me. I used to drive my school friends around and charge them a monthly fee as the driver.
That car allowed me to take my music to different neighborhoods, clubs, and schools. I sold CDs on the street and at events like Sonido sobre Ruedas [Sound on Wheels], where everyone shows up with their sound systems and cars. I even sold clothes from the trunk of Rayo.
Rayo played a big role in the reggaet n history of Medell n because it took me to so many places that, nowadays, have been hugely impacted by the reggaet n scene. So, Rayo, the album, brings a lot of nostalgia, because it's about returning to my essence, to who I was when I made music with no pretensions, without thinking about numbers or streams, but just enjoying it like a little kid.
Which artists inspire you? Daddy Yankee is the reason I decided to enter the world of reggaet n. But I have many inspirations: Craig David, Kurt Cobain, James Hetfield from Metallica, and Ed Sheeran, who is a great friend of mine.
Every era has artists who make a huge impact with different moments. These are some of them, but there are hundreds more.
What other genres of Colombian music do you listen to? I really love Colombian salsa, especially the salsa from Cali and Medell n. I'm also fascinated by vallenato music, like that from Silvestre Dangond. I love what Andr s Cepeda does-same with Fonseca. And I really enjoy the rock music from Juanes, who is from my hometown. El Rock De Mi Pueblo from Carlos Vives is also an album I like a lot. I think Colombia has a lot of incredible music. Of course, there's also native music like cumbia and joropo. While that music may be less commercial, their flavor and groove is carried in the rhythm of the music from the country.
You're known for your collaborations. Which artists, songwriters, or producers would you like to collaborate with from the new urban music scene in Colombia? So many have emerged. Right now, there's Kapo with his Afrobeat song Ohnana, Esteban Rojas from Cali, who I really like, and Philip Ariaz from Medell n, who is amazing. Nath from Medallo is also very good. Pirlo from Cali is also fantastic, and El H from the coast is great, too. There are so many artists. But with all of them, I know that if the opportunity arises, we can work together and enjoy the connection we have.
How has Spotify supported you and your music? Spotify has contributed a lot to my career. The platform helped me reach a truly global audience. Since becoming the most-streamed artist worldwide a couple of years ago, it has really shown me how great Spotify is for helping artists get discovered, and how listeners can explore different cultures from other countries through their Top 50 lists.
How do you like to discover new music on Spotify? Thousands of songs are released every day. I like to focus on the Top 50 lists-not just in Latin countries, which is typically the core or base where our music plays, but I'm also very interested in what's being listened to in places like Nigeria, Japan, Sweden, Netherlands, Lithuania, and Poland. It helps broaden my perspective and makes me think about other genres and languages that I didn't know before.
Go back to the beginning with J Balvin and his new album, Rayo, available now.
Europe Stories
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
01/05/2026
January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...
01/04/2026
January 4 2026, 18:00 (PST) DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION
Douyin Users Can Now Create And Share Videos With Stun...
28/01/2026
As demand for more complex live sports coverage grows, Balkan broadcast specialist MVP has upgraded its flagship HD1 progressive OB truck with the installation ...
28/01/2026
Luxembourg, January 26, 2026 - SES S.A. ( SES or the Company ), a leading space solutions company, acknowledges the credit rating action announced by Fitch to...
28/01/2026
Rohde & Schwarz to host 2026 edition of its online event Demystifying EMC Rohde & Schwarz invites the global EMC community to join a crucial discussion on pre...
28/01/2026
Stadtwerke Wolfhagen Modernize Customer Management with AEP.energysuite from Arv...
27/01/2026
Click for Japanese version
Tokyo, Japan - January 27, 2026 - Akamai Technolo...
27/01/2026
Today, Spotify is proud to support our partner Backline, an industry-leading men...
27/01/2026
With nearly 29 million monthly listeners and clear momentum on Spotify, Net n Ve...
27/01/2026
eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({ content_source:......
27/01/2026
New agreement for uninterrupted UHF connectivity for Australian Defence Force through 2033, With Options Extending to 2041
Luxembourg, January 13, 2026 - Satel...
27/01/2026
Tuesday 27 January 2026
SNL UK creative team expands as Pauli Lovejoy, Annie Ha...
27/01/2026
RT Supporting the Arts is delighted to support a dynamic programme of cultural events taking place across Ireland this February. From visual art, film, music, ...
26/01/2026
Music videos play a huge part in how fans connect with their favorite songs, but...
26/01/2026
Wuppertal January 26, 2026
Riedel and Media Tailor Deliver Unified Broadcast a...
26/01/2026
26 Jan 2026
VEON Unveils the New Beeline Uzbekistan Network Operations Center, ...
26/01/2026
Bookish is created by and stars Mark Gatiss
Images available HERE
Following th...
26/01/2026
Monday 26 January 2026
New Sky Original Series explores Entertainment Juggernaut, The X Factor
Sky today confirmed it has greenlit a premium, definitive docum...
26/01/2026
Monday 26 January 2026
Sky confirms major investment to transform Livingston ca...
26/01/2026
Software for Stable Data Management and Lasting Business Success in Uncertain Ti...
26/01/2026
RT is today publishing a statistical summary of the Register of External Activities for the third quarter of 2025.
The RT Register of External Activities com...
24/01/2026
RT and Virgin Media Television kick off comprehensive free-to-air coverage of t...
23/01/2026
Staines-upon-Thames, UK, 29 July, 2025 - Yospace, the global leader in Dynamic A...
23/01/2026
Spotify's annual Best New Artist celebration honors the rising stars whose talent, creativity, and dedication have propelled them to the music industry'...
23/01/2026
Paramount is transforming its operations by unifying the media supply chains of their top brands into a scalable global pipeline.
This transformation enhances ...
23/01/2026
Every delay costs. When a subtitle fails QC, even the smallest issue can mean missed deadlines, extra vendor costs, or frustrated teams. The new Accurate.Video ...
23/01/2026
Find out where Sare and Suze are now on RT One and RT Player Thursday 29 January at 10.15pm
Hit drama SisterS, created by, written by and starring real-life ...
23/01/2026
Friday 23 January 2026
Sky appoints Lisa Clark as Commissioning Executive for SNL UK
Lisa Clark headshot
PNG (468KB)
Lisa Clark joins Sky as Commissioning E...
23/01/2026
RT is delighted to announce that the RT and F s ireann / Screen Ireland supported short film Retirement Plan has been nominated for Best Animated Short at th...
22/01/2026
Last November, Ed Sheeran returned to his musical roots for an intimate, one-nig...
22/01/2026
Every delay costs. When a subtitle fails QC, even the smallest issue can mean missed deadlines, extra vendor costs, or frustrated teams. The new Accurate.Video ...
22/01/2026
Thursday 29 January 9:35pm on RT 2 and RT Player
The dating show returns with something old, something new and a dater you may already know
Thursday evenings...
22/01/2026
Rohde & Schwarz, Qualcomm, and Motorola demonstrate successful 5G Broadcast comp...
22/01/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
21/01/2026
Wednesday 21 January 2026
Backing Britain on the global stage: Sky becomes an o...
21/01/2026
Fox Corporation Executives to Discuss Second Quarter Fiscal 2026 Financial Resul...
21/01/2026
Baselight v7 brings colourists and post-houses smarter mattes, faster workflows and deeper control
FilmLight, known for its detailed colour toolset and longsta...
21/01/2026
RT News is pleased to announce the appointment of Jackie Fox as its new Washington Correspondent. Jackie is a multimedia journalist with RT News and has repor...
19/01/2026
Monday 19 January 2026
Sky News reinvents News at Ten for the modern audience with The Wrap
Sky News today announces The Wrap, a bold evolution of its 10pm ou...
19/01/2026
DPA Microphones is striking a new chord in piano miking with the debut of its DPK2015 Piano Stereo Kit, an out-of-the-box, plug-and-play miking solution that ta...
19/01/2026
DPA Microphones will present its 4099 CORE Instrument Microphone and redesigned...
19/01/2026
Trianel relies on Arvato Systems for future-proof data center operations
Moving to the cloud: Arvato Systems implements extensive IT migration project
Migrat...
19/01/2026
Celebrating 21 Years of the RT Choice Music Prize
RT Choice Music Prize
In association with IMRO and IRMA
Irish Album of the Year 2025 - Shortlist Announce...
18/01/2026
January 18 2026, 21:30 (PST) Dolby Cinema Arrives in Bengaluru: Dolby Laborator...
16/01/2026
The start of a new year brings fresh possibilities. Whether you're diving in with big goals or simply setting new intentions, audiobooks can bring inspirati...
16/01/2026
In 2025 we launched the Spotify Partner Program to give creators more ways to tu...
15/01/2026
The SGL Carbon site in Bonn has a long tradition of training. For many years, young talent has been successfully trained here, regularly achieving excellent exa...
Colombian hitmaker J Balvin has captivated the world with his music for more than a decade. Fans from Latin America to Europe can't get enough of The Boy From Medell n and his high-energy, infectious beats. In fact, every second, 140 J Balvin songs are streamed on Spotify, and his songs have been added to more than 240 million user-created playlists.
