“I know that they can play at Tomorrowland, and that they can play it at any festival on the planet.”īalvin may be a pop juggernaut, but in person, he does little to embody the rock-star ethos. “We are missing a lot more countries to continue to make grow, to fill out stadiums,” Balvin, 38, says. Breaking big in the United States, however, was never the only endgame. He’s collaborated with Beyoncé, Cardi B, and Skrillex attended the Met Gala wearing a custom Moschino balaclava and designed not one but three different Jordans for Nike. That there is more work to be done on that front may seem surprising: He already is the first reggaeton artist to play at the main stage at Coachella, the first Latino headliner at Lollapalooza, and the first reggaetonero to reach 1 billion views on YouTube. Expected later this year, it represents the next phase of his lifelong mission to take reggaeton worldwide, this time with new heart-pumping EDM flourishes and an unexpected early 2000s throwback (more on that later). Loewe clothing, Fendi sunglasses, talent’s own jewelryīut even dads like to let loose sometimes, and Balvin is getting ready to unveil his seventh studio album. The singer may have once been reggaeton’s most suave playboy, but today, his breezy, placid demeanor and sherbet ’fit make him seem more like a cool yet earnest dad. The toddler babbles an adorable “Bebé!” into the phone upon seeing his father, and a tiny grin crawls across Balvin’s face before he lets out a paternal chuckle and says goodbye. Just a few minutes into our conversation, another, rarer side of the reggaeton titan emerges: His partner, the Argentine model Valentina Ferrer, FaceTimes him to check in and say hi to their 2-year-old son, Rio. We’re in Chelsea, walking toward Marcus Samuelsson’s elegant seafood restaurant Hav & Mar, where we find a quiet table. A few members of his team are talking about the creative potential of microdosing mushrooms, but Balvin, despite his fondness for psychedelic outfits and album art, is skeptical. A hazard-yellow G-Shock watch clings around his wrist, and every so often, he takes pulls from a lavender vape. But in broad Manhattan daylight, the artist born José Álvaro Osorio Balvin is dressed like a tangerine, sporting a bright orange T-shirt and shorts with a matching creamsicle buzz cut. The Colombian superstar is at the tail end of a nine-month-long social media hibernation when we meet in late May.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |