- Hey, what's up? I'm J Balvin
and I'm about to Throw it Back with Billboard.
(reggaeton music)
It was my first national hit in Colombia.
We shot the video in Santa Marta.
I remember,
the dream, to be where I'm at right now.
It's beautiful to see that
all the guys in the video
still alive and still my friends.
So that was my first national hit, "Ella Me Cautivó."
Good one.
(reggaeton music)
This was actually my first song that went global.
We record the video, we shot the video in Cartagena.
My dancers are from Cartegena
and they live in the hood there,
so we went to their hood, Barrio Olaya,
and we where just having a blast.
Great time.
Thanks to that song, that was like my first time
I had a concert in Romania, Bulgaria.
But first I like to get to know
the different countries of Latin America.
My career started more like, overseas.
I think that was my first Grammy.
Yeah, that was my first show at the Grammys.
Yeah, I know people went hard on the memes.
I loved it.
I knew it.
So when people said I was looking
like "El Chapulín Colorado"
and then like a ketchup,
and they did like, Teletubbies.
They did a lot of memes and I loved it
because I knew what was going on.
And at that time I was the only one
kind of like crazy to said that.
Nobody was dressing different
and bringing new styles and new things.
So I was like the only crazy one,
even though I don't see nothing crazy
I see all red look.
But at that time, it was way different than it is right now.
And I remember that I played guitar too,
I was showing my skills.
(reggaeton music)
(speaking in foreign language)
I think that was my first number one on Billboard, I think
on Latin Billboard.
With Farruko of course,
we made a great dupla at that time.
Still, you know, like I love to work with Farruko
it's just been a while that we haven't work.
We shot the video in Llano Grande, Colombia.
I came up with the idea of the video.
Basically as always, when it comes to my videos.
It was just amazing, great time.
I always enjoy making videos,
so it was like a no hard moment on it.
(laughing)
Wow, I look like Kurt Cobain on that Billboard cover.
I remember that at that time I had my manager Rebecca,
I think she hated it because you never see my face
and I think she's right.
(laughing)
Now that I see it, you can't even know who I am
like if you see him in the street you'll be like
who was that guy?
She was right, sorry Rebecca, you were right.
Wow, that's a great moment too
yeah, I was nervous and excited,
and grateful of course,
happy to be with Beyoncé at Coachella.
I think that's one of those moments
that are like game changers too.
People was waiting for Beyoncé's show for a long time
to be in Coachella.
But then when I received the call that they wanted to see me
and perform with her at Coachella, just mind blowing.
And that's the day I met Jay-Z too, and his family.
One of my best days of my life.
(reggaeton music)
Great moment,
we made the Hot 100 number one
the most biggest song
in United States and the world too.
It was beautiful to be with my boy Benito AKA Bad Bunny
and Cardi B, we all Latinos.
So we made a great statement
and besides that, Benito's verse was in Spanish,
same my verse was in Spanish too.
It was just like Cardi in English.
So that means that it was pretty clear
that the Latino gang and the Spanish was blowing.
Super Bowl, yeah, one of my happiest days too
of my life and professional too
because being at the Super Bowl
it's a few artists can say that in the world.
I'm really grateful to be part of that moment
that changed my life and the perception
of Latinos and immigrants.
It was a cool vision to be with Jennifer Lopez,
Shakira and once again with Bad Bunny.
- [Interviewer] You wore these glasses?
- Yes, I had these glasses
I can't wait until the whole world has them on.
(outro music)