Where is J Balvin? It’s the question on everyone’s lips – or rather fingertips, dozens of which are right now tapping away on phones demanding the whereabouts of Latin America’s biggest star. We were meant to meet 25 minutes ago, and the window for our interview is rapidly closing: before he takes the stage tonight, he’s got the meet-and-greet; then vocal warm-ups; then downtime. Downtime is crucial. What about after the concert? After the concert there’s a party, I’m told. Translation: no chance.
It’s a certain calibre of pop star who can pay to fly a journalist to Paris for an interview, and then vanish into the night. Balvin, whose first name is José, is of that calibre and then some. The 39-year-old is among the most listened to artists in the world. In 2018, propelled by the success of his fifth studio album Vibras, he surpassed Drake to become the most streamed artist on Spotify with 48.1 million monthly listeners. Today, he has 57 million. On YouTube, 14 of his music videos have a billion views, the largest number of any artist.
