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The Colombian singer considers the participation an important moment for Latin music and the role of the Latino community in the US...
Surrounded by rows of costumes in his dressing room, reggaeton superstar J Balvin prepares as thousands of people wait outside in the Colombian coastal city of Barranquilla for the start of his five-hour concert.
The calm of the moment contrasts with what is turning out to be an unstoppable year for the Colombian artist, as FIFA announced on Friday that he will be one of the main stars of the World Cup opening ceremony in Mexico City on June 11.
Speaking exclusively to CNN ahead of FIFA's announcement, Balvin called his participation in the opening ceremony "a huge statement," not just for him, but for the entire Latin music scene.
"Every artist is contributing to making our movement unstoppable," the 41-year-old told CNN last Friday, while on the final stop of his "Ciudad Primavera" tour, which has taken him to many cities in Colombia.
Alejandro Fernández, Belinda, Danny Ocean, Lila Downs, Los Ángeles Azules, Maná and Tyla are among the other artists who will open the "greatest spectacle on earth", while Mexican culture will be in the spotlight for 90 minutes before the start of the first match.
It's been a record-breaking year for Balvin and Latin music as a whole. In February, Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny became the first Latin artist to headline the Super Bowl halftime show. In April, another Colombian star, Karol G, headlined the closing night of the Coachella festival, also for the first time.
Balvin's participation in the FIFA World Cup, where matches will be held in 16 North American cities, marks another important moment in the global dominance of Latin music.
Balvin is known for his reservations about politics, but as someone who immigrated to Oklahoma at the age of 17 and has lived in New York for two decades, he speaks with conviction that the place of the Latino community in the US is now secure.
"People thought reggaeton would disappear 30 years ago... but we're not going anywhere. Our numbers don't lie and we know what we represent. We know what we can give to the world: our skills, our talent. Today we embrace our culture more than ever," he told CNN.
His path to success, which began with selling mixtapes in Times Square in the early 2000s, long before becoming the most streamed artist on Spotify in 2018, represents a classic story of rising from hardship to fame.
"Of course I consider myself an immigrant, because of how I arrived in the US, but even those born there from other backgrounds are still immigrants: the US is a country of immigrants," said Balvin, who before his success in music worked illegally as a roofer and painter.
Although he lives a completely different reality today as an international star with homes in Manhattan and Medellín, Balvin believes that very little has changed since the time he spoke to his parents via Skype using free internet.
“My home is here inside me,” he said, touching his chest, “because I’m always on the move… I think that today being Latino means being a citizen of the world: we come from a great culture, rich in music and food, we have people at NASA, scientists, athletes, people who are changing the world.”
Back to the roots
The “Ciudad Primavera” tour is Balvin's way of reconnecting with his roots and expressing gratitude to Colombia. It's rare for international artists to perform outside of the two largest cities, Bogotá and Medellín. Even rarer is the choice of local artists to put them on stage and promote local talent.
Balvin has done just that, becoming a mentor and pioneer for dozens of young singers, whom he invites to the stage during each concert. In Barranquilla, local artist Vaech wore a sleeveless T-shirt with a message of gratitude: “José opened the door; it wasn’t luck, it was Balvin.”
This week sees the release of his newest album, "Omertá," in collaboration with Ryan Castro, another reggaeton artist from Medellín who sees Balvin as an older brother.
But returning to his roots also means remembering those who paved the way for him. Last year, he invited Puerto Rican salsa legend Gilberto Santa Rosa to “The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon” for a duet that was interpreted as a symbolic passing of the baton from one generation to the next.
"I think when Gilberto and Celia Cruz, these great artists who paved the way for us, did this, they weren't thinking they were paving the way: they were just doing it with a lot of love and passion. They did us a great favor," he said.
“What I'm doing could pave the way for someone else, and that's why we collaborate so much with each other: we love making music together and we know that together we are stronger and more powerful.”
His magnetism has also brought international stars to Colombia. Last year, it was Ed Sheeran who traveled to Bogotá to perform as a guest at Balvin's concert.
Before leaving to prepare for the concert in Barranquilla, Balvin also commented on expectations for the Colombian national team at the World Cup.
“If we understand that we are a team, put aside egos and think as a family, I believe we can go very far,” he said, advice that sounded similar to the way he encourages young artists: on and off the field, unity is strength.
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