What Is J Balvin's Net Worth?
J Balvin is a Colombian reggaeton singer who has a net worth of $30 million. J Balvin is one of the best-selling Latin artists, with more than 35 million sales worldwide. J Balvin has more than 51 million followers on Instagram, 34 million+ subscribers on YouTube, and 23 billion+ views on YouTube to date.
Early Life
J Balvin was born José Álvaro Osorio Balvín on May 7, 1985, in Medellin, Colombia. He grew up listening to American rock groups like Metallica and Nirvana and developed an interest in reggaeton after listening to Daddy Yankee. Although he was born into a middle-class family and grew up in a large home in the hills outside the city of Medellin, his father's business went bankrupt when Balvin was 15, and the family lost their home and car and had to relocate to a poorer neighborhood.
When Balvin was 16, he participated in a foreign exchange program that found him in Oklahoma, but he was disappointed in the experience and noted, "I was expecting the U.S. that everyone knows from Hollywood." After the program, he moved to New York City to study English and music, living with an aunt and working as a dog walker. He worked various jobs illegally before ultimately deciding to return to Colombia and begin performing at various urban clubs in Medellin. He increased his social media following as he enrolled at the prestigious EAFIT University in Medellin.
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Career
At age 19, he began to pursue a career in music when he met DJ and business partner David Rivera Mazo in a freestyle rap battle on the streets of Medellin. They became fast friends and started promoting and producing their own music. J Balvin signed to EMI Columbia in 2009 and soon released his first single, "Ella Me Cautivo," which charted at #35 on the "Billboard" Tropical Songs chart. His first album, "Real," was released in 2009. His first international hit was "Yo Te Lo Dije." J Balvin had some success with his album "La Familia," which was released in 2013 and reached #10 on the US Latin chart. Shortly after, he released his second track in the U.S., "Ay Vamos," which solidified his post in the Latin urban market, winning a Latin Grammy Award for Best Urban Song. The music video is one of the most-watched Latin music videos of all time, sitting at over one billion views.
At the 2015 Premios Lo Nuestro awards, J Balvin swept the urban category, winning four major awards. That same year, he was nominated for 13 "Billboard" Latin Music Awards and won three honors. In June 2015, J Balvin canceled his performance on Miss USA 2015 in protest over Donald Trump's insulting comments regarding illegal immigrants. His live performance would have been his first national mainstream television appearance.
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Balvin released the album "Energia" in 2016, which reached #1 in Mexico and on the US Latin chart. His premiere single from the album "Ginza" reached #1 in Mexico, Italy, Mexico, Spain, and on the US Latin charts. The video for "Ginza" broke the record for the most views for a Latin music video in the first 24 hours at over two million views. J Balvin became the first artist to receive a diamond certification in the Latin field, denoting digital sales of 600,000 units. Three other tracks from "Energia" reached the top 10 on the Latin charts: "Bobo," "Safari," and "Sigo Extranandote." "Bobo" spent a week at the top of the "Billboard" Hot Latin Songs chart. In promotion of "Energia," J Balvin embarked on a tour that featured several special guests, including Zion & Lennox, Bad Bunny, and French Montana.
In 2017, Balvin released his new single and music video for "Mi Gente." On August 1, 2017, "Mi Gente" became the #1 song in the world according to Global Top 50 on Spotify. It quickly garnered one billion views on YouTube. Despite the song's success, it did not win any awards at the 2017 Latin Grammy Awards, as it had competed with Luis Fonsi's "Despacito," which swept many awards that year. In 2018, J Balvin teamed up with Cardi B and Bad Bunny for the song "I Like It," which reached #1 on many charts, including the "Billboard" Hot 100, marking his first single to make it to the U.S. Hot 100.
J Balvin released his fourth album, "Vibras," on May 25, 2018. The two lead singles were "Machika" and "Ahora." "Vibras" claimed the record for the most-streamed Latin album in 24 hours and debuted at #1 in the U.S. Top Latin Albums chart. In addition, "Vibras" claimed the largest streaming week ever for a Latin album, with its songs streamed 16.1 million times. Subsequently, it became Balvin's highest-charting album, debuting at #15 on the U.S. "Billboard" 200.
In June 2019, J Balvin released a new album in collaboration with Bad Bunny, "Oasis." It was released overnight and deemed a surprise drop. It peaked at #9 on the "Billboard" 200 and topped the "Billboard" U.S. Latin Albums chart. It was named one of "Rolling Stone's" Best Latin Albums of 2019 and nominated for Best Latin Rock, Urban, or Alternative Album at the 2020 Grammy Awards. That summer, Balvin and Bad Bunny headlined the Uforia Latino Mix Live concert series to raise money for victims of the shootings in Dayton, Ohio, and El Paso, Texas. In January 2020, J Balvin was a guest performer at the Super Bowl halftime show headlined by Shakira and Jennifer Lopez. In March 2020, he released his fifth studio album, "Colores." He set a new record, with all his songs on the album occupying Spotify's Top 10.
In 2021, Balvin released his sixth studio album, "José." And later in the year, he released a new song in collaboration with Pokémon for their 25th anniversary and contributed to the Metallica charity tribute album, "The Metallica Blacklist," with a remix of their song, "Wherever I May Roam." In December 2021, he earned his 33rd #1 on the "Billboard" Latin Airplay Chart with the single "Una Nota," breaking the record for #1 hits on the chart.
In addition to releasing his own music, J Balvin has been featured on several other singles, including "Blurred Lines" by Robin Thicke featuring Pharrell Williams. His collaboration with Rosalia Con Altura won Best Urban Song at the 2019 Latin Grammy Awards. He also collaborated with Major Lazer and El Alfa on the single "Que Calor." Balvin has won two Latin Grammy Awards and an MTV Europe Music Award.
Personal Life
In August 2016, Balvin was involved in a plane crash while departing from a vacation with his family in the Bahamas. The plane failed to take off properly and crash-landed shortly after leaving the runway. Nobody was injured in the accident.
J Balvin continues to live in his hometown of Medellin, unlike many pop stars of his genre who move to the United States upon gaining fame. It was revealed in 2020 that he had contracted COVID-19 but fully recovered.
Since 2018, Balvin has been in a relationship with Argentine model and former Miss Argentina Valentina Ferrer. In June 2021, the couple had their first child, a boy.
J Balvin has been involved in fashion over his career in a variety of ways, including a partnership with Nike, and his Air Jordan 2 collaboration sneaker is expected to drop in September 2023.
