J. Balvin - Rayo (CD) (UK Import)

José Álvaro Osorio Balvin (born May 7, 1985), known artistically as J. Balvin, is a Colombian reggaeton singer. Balvin was born in Medellín, the largest city of Antioquia and Colombia's second largest populated city, where he became interested in hip hop, dancehall, champeta and bachata at a young age. He is known for his songs "Yo te lo dije", "Tranquila", "Ay vamos", "6 AM" - featuring Farruko - and "Ginza".

J. Balvin began seeking his career at the young age of 14. When Balvin was 17, he moved to Oklahoma to learn English. After some difficulties, he quickly moved to New York City to further his studies in English and in music. Over the next 10 years, J. Balvin worked very hard between the US and Colombia to develop his style and career. He quickly began to move around the urban scene in Medellin, Colombia, performing at many night clubs. In 2012, J. Balvin released his mixtape, which featured many of his early hits in Colombia, including "En Lo Oscuro" and "Como un Animal." Soon after, J. Balvin released his next single "Yo Te Lo Dije". In 2013, the track had created a considerable buzz in the USA, and put J. Balvin on many DJ and industry radars. His performance at the 2013 Premios Juventud was just the beginning to what was about to come.

In the spring of 2014, J. Balvin released a new track entitled "6 AM" featuring Puerto Rican reggaeton artist Farruko. The song exploded onto radio in the US, Latin America, and even Europe. "6 AM" had truly put J. Balvin at the forefront of reggaeton, and to many is thought as the song that re-ignited the current reggaeton revolution led by artists such as himself, Nicky Jam, Maluma, Farruko, and legends Daddy Yankee, Wisin y Yandel, and Don Omar. The song peaked at #2 on the Billboard Latin Songs Chart, blocked by "Bailando" from hitting the top of the chart. This track gained him the worldwide attention of everyone. His album "La Familia" had also skyrocketed to the top of the Billboard Latin Albums chart.

Shortly after, J. Balvin released his second track in the US, "Ay Vamos", which solidified his mark in the Latin Urban market. This was a bonus track on the deluxe edition of J. Balvin's album "La Familia B Sides". The music video is one of the most watched Latin videos of all time at over 600 Million views. The song went to #1 on the Billboard Latin Songs chart in 2015. The remix featuring Nicky Jam and French Montana was used in the soundtrack to the hit #1 film Furious 7. J. Balvin performed the track at the 2015 Premios Lo Nuestro and the Billboard Latin Music Awards. J. Balvin has been featured on remixes of "The Way" and "Problem" by Ariana Grande, "Blurred Lines" by Robin Thicke, "Maps" by Maroon 5, and "Stuck on a Feeling" by Prince Royce. J Balvin was the first Colombian artist to record with "The Prince of Bachata" and establishing itself as an international artist.

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Source: Discogs