J Balvin Marks Two Decades in Music with a Joint Album and a Moment of Ease

J Balvin turned 41 in May, but a tour schedule kept him from celebrating until a full month later, when he gathered friends and family in Ibiza after a two-night run with DJ Snake. The belated party offered a rare interlude for an artist who has spent two decades methodically building one of the most consequential careers in Latin music.

From early hits like 2015’s “Ginza”—which set a Guinness World Record for consecutive weeks atop the U.S. Hot Latin Songs chart—to the streaming-defying Vibras and the first fully Spanish-language song to reach No. 1 on Spotify’s Global Top 50, Balvin’s arc often reads like a swift ascent. Yet he is quick to correct that impression. “It feels fast, but it wasn’t,” he told a Rolling Stone Residency audience. “It took me, I mean, 20 years.” Those years included mental health struggles, controversy, and early stretches working undocumented in the U.S.

This year, Balvin released Omerta, a joint album with Colombian newcomer Ryan Castro. The project, which brought the pair to Coachella alongside Karol G and to a headline-making performance at the World Cup opening ceremony, underlines Balvin’s focus on longevity and on creating space for emerging talent. It is a testament to a career built not on overnight fame but on resilience and deliberate movement.