J Balvin is back with “Ray“his new album in which he looks back in the rearview mirror to his origins in the music and in which he seeks to pass the baton to a new generation of artists such as Saiko and Quevedo.
The title of the album, which will be released on Friday, is due to the name of his first car, a Volkswagen Golf 97 that his father gave him when he was about 17 years old and with which he would sing at universities and discos, in addition to doing other odd jobs.
“It’s a car that my father bought with a lot of sacrifice, he went into debt to be able to give me that car,” he said in an interview via Zoom from his hometown MedellinColombia. “I worked with him as the transporter for my three friends from school, I took them to school and dropped them off at their house and they paid me, and I also sold clothes in the back, in the trunk of the car, and there I carried my CDs and the posters that I gave away on the street to promote my music“.
“Ray” is his first album since 2021’s “Jose”, the year his son was also born RiverThe changes in the life of Balvin, now 39 years old, can be seen in the Afrobeat from “3 Noches”, which finds him at a slower pace and in a song in which his voice is heard without so many sound effects.
“I’ve always been a big fan of Afrobeat“, she said. “The song ‘3 noches’ is one of the favorites of women, when they hear it they seem to love the lyrics so much. It’s a different mood. It’s very refreshing, really.”
From the first single
The single chosen for the album launch is “Doblexxó” with his fellow countryman Feid.
“It’s a song that I really enjoy because about three years ago I didn’t hang out with Feid to work and be able to have the opportunity to be alone with no one in the studio and sharing, and remembering moments,” Balvin said. “So it’s a song that represents a lot of reggaeton Medellin“We are two paisas, with paisa slang in this song.”
He video from “Doblexxó” presents them in a car with the flag of Colombian.
“It’s very easy to relate to him video“You’re not seeing these realities that few of us can experience, but rather a reality that everyone can easily identify with,” he said.
Previously, Balvin presented the video of “Gaga” with the Spanish artist Saiko.
“We filmed that one in London, taking advantage of the fact that we were on tour and he was nearby,” he said.
In “Cat” has as a guest the Catalan artist Bad Gyal.
“Bad Gyal She is an artist that I admire a lot, I love her narrative, I love her style, the way she records, the sound,” he said. “I have always been a lover of new talents, of women in the musicespecially in the music urban, because it takes a lot of courage and a lot of attitude to be in this business.”
Lovers of the music regional Mexican will hear a familiar voice in “Stoker“, a song that Balvin performs with Carín León. The invitation came about thanks to Coachella, since both performed at the Californian festival this year.
“We had that very real, very human approach,” Balvin said.I like He has always been very daring, at least with me, and he likes to get out of his comfort zone and step outside his traditional sound and take a risk with me on this song, which is a very interesting fusion.”
Ryan Castro, BlessdOmar Courtz, YOVNGCHIMI and Quevedo are other guests of Balvin. On the other hand, “Solid” is one of the songs he performs solo. That song talks about the people who can reach judge to others without really knowing anything about their lives.
“InSolid“I think about my wife and my son, and about the pressures that we public figures have to go through,” he said. “And you don’t have to be famous to do that, people will always have an opinion about your life and the important thing is the trust that you have and that is built up over time so that nothing from the outside affects you.”
Recently, Balvin regained his crown as the Latin artist with the most songs with 1 billion views or more on Youtube adding his 15th song to the list with “Water“, a song made for the movie “The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run” (“sponge Bob: A hero to the rescue”) of 2020. About this milestone, Balvin thanked the public and asked “that they enjoy as much as I do the vibe and energy that I put into it”Ray“for people to smile, dance, enjoy and connect.”
