Deadline-free was the only way J Balvin was able to make the time and mental space to create his latest album, the 15-song “Rayo.” A collection of reggaeton, pop and EDM, it’s the Colombian rapper’s first original offering since 2021, soon after which he retreated from the entertainment industry and social media to focus his sights on his first-born child.
After making a splashy debut in 2014 with the single “6 AM,” and in the lead-up to his break, Balvin became a ringleader in Latin music with major collaborations and partnerships with other global stars, brands and music companies. Ten years later, it’s clear Balvin’s priorities have more than shifted: he recently signed a record deal with Interscope, ending his 10-year contract with Universal Music Latino, and joined Roc Nation as a management client. He’s been on the road for his European “Que Bueno Volver a Verte” tour, where he delivers blood-pumping reggaeton to audiences in unlikely places from Belgium to Copenhagen.
“I was not thinking about making an album, but I never stopped making music,” Balvin tells Variety of “Rayo.” “Whenever I had free time, after I had finished everything else that day, I was recording music — no compromise with labels, nothing like that — for fun. I started to feel the nostalgia that I had when I was a kid, dreaming to be where we I am now, without any real expectation of what could come next.”
Conceptualized in Miami, and recorded everywhere from Sweden, Puerto Rico, New York and London to Balvin’s native Colombia, “Rayo” honors reggaeton’s new wave of artists, including breakout star Feid, with verses from Bad Gyal, Saiko, Ryan Castro, Blessd and more. Two of the genre’s earliest pioneers from the 2000s, Zion and Chencho Corleone, also make appearances on the album’s more straightforward, club-ready tracks.
Below, Balvin pulls back the curtain on what to expect from him in 2025, and unpacks some of the personal history behind “Rayo.”
What was stopping you from releasing music or from promoting yourself online prior to “Rayo”?
It was a hard decision to come to because I am a competitive person — in many aspects of my life — and dropping music, it’s what I love to do. Removing myself from social media was equally as tough, because I was on tour and not posting anything. I was performing at festivals, constantly on-the-go for a while, and I need to re-charge. I did and then found myself, again, desperate to be back on the court.
What reservations do you have now or what did you learn after taking that time off?
I [was feeling] pretty misunderstood before this; I felt like my world was sort of crashing down and I didn’t have any control over it. That was a really dark moment. I was on the receiving end of hate and there were a lot of stories coming out about me as a person that were false. I wasn’t prepared for those moments and I didn’t know how to handle it all. I’m grateful for those lessons because I’m stronger than ever. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. That’s what happens.
What’s different now?
I wasn’t enjoying my career as much as I wanted to. I got wrapped up in just numbers, and that’s something I had to actively unlearn and still am unlearning. Of course, your brain is always triggering you to check the charts. No. 1s became… I just wasn’t learning anything from that cycle. I wasn’t even allowing myself to celebrate what it felt like to [joyfully] release and have people receive the music. I was just a slave of my career — that was my decision, of course; I’m a grown man. But now it’s just like, “Yes, I want to.” I want to keep going. But it’s all coming from whatever the inner kid in me wants to do.
It’s about finding the balance right now. It’s a serious challenge — not checking the numbers — because it’s like someone telling you to unlearn the way you walk. But I’m ready and energized for the next step.
You have an interesting mix of artists on this record — the collaboration between you and Feid, who is also from Colombia, was highly anticipated; and notably, you’ve got a regional Mexican singer, Carin Leon, on the Afrobeats-inspired “Stoker.” What went into curating this mix?
There was really no “curation” because when I finished all of the songs on this album, it was super clear — the songs were basically screaming for the artists that ended up on them. I was experimenting with a lot of different sounds; we have a salsa song, for example, that didn’t end up on the record but I’ll release at another point.
“Stoker” I think was a bit more intentional because I met Carin at Coachella, and we both performed on the same day and we met and had drinks. After I made “Stoker,” I knew I didn’t want to be predictable with it and I asked Carin how he felt about the song and the switch in sound, and he was super excited and immediately said yes, which I appreciate and admire.
You were performing in Europe earlier this year. How important is international touring for you at this point in your career?
Incredibly important. One of my missions has always been to take Latinos out of the boxes mainstream culture puts us in, and show the world that we are global citizens. We went to so many countries that had never ever had Latinos appear at their [venues] — Lithuania or Copenhagen, Vienna, so many places that they never had a Latino act, and yet these places were packed and sold out. These people don’t speak Spanish but know every word to my songs, just how I did with hip-hop when I was in Colombia.
What was behind your recent move to Interscope and Roc Nation?
I’m super grateful with Universal Music Latino; every person at Universal believed in me and my career since day one. I wouldn’t be here without their support, but it was time to move on. I wanted to feel like a kid again, signing with a new label with an all-new game plan.
Even when I wasn’t with [Interscope] officially, when I was with their competitor [UML], Nir [Seroussi, Executive VP of Interscope Capitol Labels Group, formerly Interscope Geffen A&M] was open to helping me. I think one of the best things that happened to me this year is having the opportunity to work with him officially, and with his team. Nir is the reason why I feel so energized on this new chapter, because he knows what I’m capable of. I always tell him, “This is the best moment in my life and career to grow with someone like you.” I am focused on many things at once; my priorities as an artist have shifted and Nir understands and values that. Jay Brown has become a mentor. He’s a real OG, and I love his approach to music and business.
What aspirations or ideas are in store for J Balvin the entrepreneur?
I see a lot of opportunities for us as Latinos in every industry, but I personally want to be a creative director of a fashion house, like Pharrell has done with Louis Vuitton. I’d like to design furniture. I’m also interested in learning more about production companies.
I’ve started acting — like real acting, not just cameos — and I just wrapped filming for a movie I’m in that comes out next year. I love that side of myself. One of my biggest dreams is to play one of the most hated villains in history. I want to be like Negan in “The Walking Dead.” I want to be walking down the street and have someone yell “I hate you!” at me because that’s how good of an actor I am (laughs).
