J Balvin on Beyonce Collaboration: ‘A Beautiful Cultural Move’
J Balvin spoke about working with Beyoncé on the remix of “Mi Gente” and solidifying reggaeton’s spot in the pop music landscape during an interview with Ebro Darden on Beats 1.
“I just work with people that I love and respect, that inspire me to be a better person, a better artist,” Balvin said. He added of the “Mi Gente” remix, “I think it was a really beautiful cultural move. People see me with the queen, like, if she’s working with him it’s because he’s for real. She’s not the type of girl that works with everybody. All the other collaborations are helping me a lot to keep spreading the vibe that I want.”
Arriving in the wake of “Despacito,” Balvin and Willy William’s “Mi Gente” remix with Beyoncé peaked at Number Three on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. More recently, Balvin and Latin-trap master Bad Bunny notched a Top 10 hit with their Cardi B collaboration, “I Like It,” while his latest song with Puerto Rican singer Nicky Jam, “X,” has risen to Number 41.
“That’s what I love about the situation,” Balvin told Ebro. “We’re showing the world that we’re not one-hit wonders when it comes to global stuff. It’s not a coincidence.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Balvin spoke about other artists he hopes to collaborate with including the Weeknd, Drake, Rihanna and Bruno Mars, the possibility of releasing a collaborative album with Bad Bunny and his Colombian roots.
Balvin’s new solo record, Vibras, arrives May 25th. He’s set to embark on a North American tour in support of the album September 19th in Fresno, California.