As we all know, Latin music is everywhere these days! There are so many songs with Latino lyrics in them that it can be hard to find one you like that isn’t well known. This is why it’s very important to understand how some of the main artists got their start.
It seems pretty clear now that his success as an artist has a lot to do with him being really good at marketing himself. He constantly creates content about who he is and what he is trying to get people into believe about him.
This article will talk more about this by looking at two of his most famous tracks and figuring out how he marketed himself for each one. Then, I'll discuss the overall benefits of having a strong personal brand.
Disclaimer: The following discussion may include examples of exaggerations or lies used to promote someone or something. No genuine examples of anyone using such underhanded methods exist anywhere close to me. These are made up stories only to prove my point.
Before he was known as an international superstar, before his songs became staples in many people’s playlists, before he had even won a Grammy for Best Dance Recording with his song Vampires!, J Balvin had to launch his music career somewhere. He needed a platform through which to share his work so that people could listen to it and form their own opinions of him.
He found such a place in 2017 — the streaming service Tidal. Once upon a time, its reputation was less than stellar; it was seen as more of a luxury listening option than something that anyone should use. But now it is almost universally despised due to frequent accusations of copyright infringement and rampant artist censorship.
If you look up “Tidal backlash” or any other variation on this theme, you will find pictures and videos depicting very angry, very vocal users. Since artists need money to survive, some feel like they have been stolen away from by the company that pays them.
Fortunately for us, there are still ways to enjoy JB’s music without using Tidal.
In May of 2016, just over a year ago, he made his professional music debut with “Vando”, an electro-ballad that peaked at number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in America. Since then, he has not stopped developing his career as a singer, songwriter, producer and entrepreneur!
Balvin now has six top ten songs under his belt including two number ones — one solo and one collaboration. He is also the first artist to have five or more tracks reach the top three on the Dance/Electronic Songs charts.
He has won several awards for his musical contributions, including Best New Artist from the Latin Grammy Awards earlier this year. And he was named Top International Solo Artist by both Billboard and Music World Worldwide in January 2018.
What makes him so successful is his ability to combine catchy lyrics with danceable melodies and infectious rhythms. His voice has been described as powerful, rich, soulful, smooth, sexy, vibrant, commanding, and masculine.
In May of 2009, twenty-two year old Colombian singer/songwriter Juan Sebastian Ramos (known professionally as JB or just B) released his first studio album, simply titled Ibiza. He had spent two years writing and recording songs for this project before it was completed, but he never expected it to do so well upon its release!
Ibiza features lyrics that celebrate the lifestyle of people who enjoy traveling to beautiful places and experiencing new things. Many of the tracks feature synthesizers, which at the time were not common in music.
The song “Dura de dora” (translated into English as “Hard To Handle”) is one example of this. It was very popular among listeners and helped establish Ibiza as an integral part of JB’s musical repertoire.
Many other songs contain references to or direct quotes of famous destinations. Some examples include “La Vida Eres Tu” (which contains a line about enjoying life like you would go to Paris), “Sueños Compartidos” (about sharing dreams), and “Tú Sabes” (a love poem with a cologne brand name in it).
After the success of Ibiza, JB continued to write more songs that focused on traveling and exploring different cultures. This culminated in him releasing what many consider to be his masterpiece, Elegancia.
After dropping his breakout hit “Dance Machine,” in which he rapped about dancing with yourself, Colombian singer/songwriter J Balvin quickly made himself known as one of Latin music’s top artists. He took his musical style to new heights by experimenting with different genres and adding layers to his sound.
Balvin began touring internationally at the age of 22 and has never stopped since then. Since launching his career in 2007, he has opened for some of the biggest names in music including Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, Drake, Beyoncé, Rihanna and more!
He is also well-known for bringing international attention to rising Latino stars such as Bazzi, Ozuna and Yandel. His collaborations have helped spread their fan base across borders.
His songs have received multiple award nominations and wins from various music awards ceremonies — most notably for Best Rap Song at The Recording Academy's Grammy Awards.
Balvin was awarded Artist of the Year at this year's Billboard Music Awards.
As we know, music is a medium that cultivates passion in its listeners. Artists who are able to connect with their audience and promote an engaging listening experience will continue to succeed.
Music artists work hard to gain followers and recognition for their art form, but there’s one key player you'll rarely see get mentioned when talking about how they broke into the industry — the media!
From blogs to social media sites like Instagram and YouTube, the media has played a major role in helping aspiring musicians achieve success. By providing exposure to your talent, the media helps spread your message and encourages more people to listen or watch you perform.
It also gives you the opportunity to tell your story and showcase your talents and achievements. Starting from the very beginning, here's everything you need to know about the media as an artist.
When he was just nineteen years old, professional dancer-turned-singer JBalvin had his first big break when he met Canadian rapper Drake. At the time, Drizzy was mostly known for his rapping skills but he also loved listening to music sung by other artists. He asked his then manager Benny Boom if there were any songs that sounded like they could be reinterpreted as singing or voice experimenting.
He found one such song and played it for him. After hearing what Brae did with the lyrics, Drake decided to reach out to him personally and invite him to come meet up in Toronto so he can work with him. That meeting led to both of them signing contracts with Interscope Records and starting their careers as recording artists!
What makes this story interesting is how differently each artist approached their vocals during the process. For example, while Drak’s style was more rapped, Braes sang almost every part himself.
After hitting it big as an artist in his native Colombia, South America, singer/songwriter Juan Carlos Alvarez (better known by his stage name, “J Balvin”) made his way to New York City in 2015 to pursue his dreams of being a music superstar.
He landed a job at a recording studio where he worked for several months before getting the opportunity to intern alongside Cardi B. At that time, Cardi was just beginning her career as a rapper while also developing her singing skills.
Balvin took advantage of this chance and helped coach her on how to sing more clearly and use her voice better. Since then, she credits him with helping her improve both and encouraging her to pursue her dream of becoming a musician.
She even wrote about their relationship in her book, The Book Of Rebbles, dedicated entirely to lyrics and metaphors. He has since gone onto have success himself as an artist and is now one of the top influencers in the Latin music genre.
Before he was blasting his own music, bachata singer/producer JBalvin was influenced by another popular latin artist. In fact, his first major hit is called “Virgo” which is an homage to the song "Oye" (Spanish for “hey”) that Marciano sang back in 2011.
In both songs, the lyrics contain references to money and women. This similarity inspired him to create his own track with these concepts!
His debut album Elray includes tracks like “Dura Dura", "Borrachera", and “Amarillo". All three of these songs feature strong bass lines, lush production, and catchy melodies. His style has been described as tropical-bass, electro-ballads, and future Latino music.
He received widespread attention when he released his single “Mi Gente” featuring French Montana in May 2016. The two worked together before on Montana's track "Paperwork" so this made sense!
Since then, he has recorded several more singles such as "I Want You To Know" and "Súbeme." He also features famous rappers including Offset, 21 Savage, and Drake.
