Reggaeton star J Balvin is living the dream
Reggaeton star J Balvin has a record out with Pharrell Williams climbing the charts and, possibly, another Latin Grammy on the way.
New York – J Balvin is just days away from potentially adding a second Latin Grammy Award to his collection of prizes.
The Colombian reggaeton star, who took home his first trophy for best urban song last year – beating out heavy-hitters Daddy Yankee, Tego Calderón, Pitbull and Prince Royce – is nominated this year for best urban music album for his record, "Energia."
"I am really grateful that the (Latin Recording) Academy feels that we deserve to be again in this place, and let's see what happens," Balvin said on Fox News Latino's VIP Room recently.
Balvin, who began his career nearly two decades ago, has developed a sound that has inspired fans and broken records including becoming the first urban music star to reach 1 billion views on YouTube two weeks ago.
- Justin Bieber crashes J Balvin concert and performs ‘Sorry’ remix with him for first time
- In a first, Fader magazine features Colombian rapper J Balvin in two languages
- Scary! J Balvin survives plane crash in Bahamas, calls it ‘a miracle’
- J Balvin reflects on groundbreaking year: ‘The sacrifices are worth it’
- Justin Bieber teams up with reggaeton artist J Balvin for a bilingual ‘Sorry’ remix
- Latin Grammys 2015: Celebrities shine at the red carpet
- The stars came out for the 2014 Latin Grammys
- Latin Grammy Awards 2013: The Best In Latino Music Take The Stage
"It's a dream," he said. "I'm really grateful. The sacrifices that we did all these years to make everything happen [were worth it]. I think it's nuestro momento, our moment and we have to be grateful for that. The whole world is listening to us – even if they don't understand Spanish – they are feeling our music."
The rapper, who full name is José Osorio Balvin, is an anomaly in the Latin urban scene which is dominated by Puerto Ricans and Dominicans. He said because he was born in Medellín, Colombia, it was refreshing for fans to listen to his story and the influence of his culture in his music.
"I've got Colombia in my blood. I'm Colombian, and everything that I do represents my country," he said. "As a Colombian, people thought that I was crazy, and they're right – it was crazy – but I had a dream."
Despite his growing accolades, Balvin said he is still very much a student of the greats that came before him. But he is on his way to the top.
"I think we just started," he said.
Balvin will be performing at the 17th Annual Latin Grammy Awards on Nov. 17 in Las Vegas.
Trending
Who's making headlines in television, music, movies and more from Hollywood to the Heartland.