Award-winning Colombian urbano singer J Balvin is a chart-topping recording artist whose polished urban singles ("Yo Te Lo Dije" and "Mi Gente") and multi-platinum-selling albums -- including 2012's La Familia, 2018's Vibras, and 2019's full-length collaboration with Bad Bunny, Oasis -- have made him a top-tier Latin pop crossover act. Along with his albums, Balvin is also known for his dozens of collaborations, chiefly 2011's "Sin Compromiso" (featuring Jowell & Randy), 2015's "Ay Vamos" (with Nicky Jam and French Montana), and 2017's "Sensualidad" (with Prince Royce, DJ Luian, Mambo Kingz, and Bad Bunny), plus his spot on Rosalía's chart-topping "Con Altura" in 2019. In 2020, he scored another Top Ten hit with his album Colores, and followed with more tracks, including "Location" with Karol G and Anuel AA, and the song "Ma' G." The Grammy-nominated JOSE appeared in 2021. Balvin's success has made him one of the most recognizable members of the second generation of reggaeton artists and a trendsetter for new and high fashion.

Born José Álvaro Osorio Balvin in Medellín, Colombia, he became interested in music at a young age while listening to rap, champeta, bachata, and reggae on the radio. He was also a big fan of music videos; it was from these that he began to develop his dance moves and cultivate his own style. Balvin signed to EMI Colombia in 2009 and released his first single, "Ella Me Cautivó," which charted at 35 on the U.S. tropical chart. This was followed by the release of the full-length Real in 2010. Balvin contributed four tunes to the soundtrack of the Tim Bulot film El Negocio. All of them charted, including "En Lo Oscuro," which hit the top spot in his native country.

Balvin was a featured vocalist on the Colombian version of Robin Thicke's smash single "Blurred Lines," which was issued in October 2013, just prior to his own second album, La Familia. All four singles from the set charted in Colombia's Top Ten, and "Yo Te Lo Dije" hit number two on the rhythm chart and number nine on the Latin pop chart in the U.S. The B Sides collection appeared in September 2014, featuring two more radio chart-topping singles in "6 AM" and "Ay Vamos." The latter won a Latin Grammy for Best Urban Song.

Balvin's 2015 single "Ginza," the official pre-release for his next album, entered the Hot Latin Songs chart at number one, topped several others, and was certified platinum. His collaborations were as notable as his own work that year. He and Julión Álvarez were featured on Juan Gabriel's single "La Frontera." His "Latino Remix" of Justin Bieber's smash "Sorry" scored big for both artists at Latin pop radio and in digital streaming and downloads.

In 2016, Balvin won the Premios Lo Nuestro Artist of the Year Award and was a featured guest on both Sofia Carson's charting debut single, "Love Is the Name," and on Alejandro Sanz's "Cuando Seas Grande" -- from a performance at La Voz -- along with Gloria Trevi and Los Tigres del Norte. In May he released the single "Bobo"; it topped the Latin songs chart. "Safari," featuring Pharrell Williams, BIA, and Sky, appeared in June, followed by the full-length Energia. The album, produced by Sky and featuring contributions from Bull Nene, Daddy Yankee, Fuego, Yandel, and Juanes, hit the top spot on several Latin album charts. The following year, he scored a hit with a remix of his track "Mi Gente" that featured Beyoncé. The song became his first U.S. Top Ten single.

Balvin kicked off 2018 with a handful of collaborative singles: "Machika" with Jeon and Anitta, "X" with Nicky Jam, and Cardi B's "I Like It" with Bad Bunny. After leading the 2018 Billboard Latin Music Awards finalists' list with nominations in 12 categories, Balvin released his fifth long-player, the 14-track Vibras, that May. Working again with producer Alejandro Ramírez (aka Sky Rompiendo el Bajo), who has been his musical partner since La Familia, the set moved reggaeton in new directions and sounds as it played host to a slew of guests including Carla Morrison, Wisin y Yandel, Zion y Lennox, L.A.-based flamenco singer Rosalía, Brazilian pop star Anitta, and Aruban singer Jeon. Vibras debuted at number 15 in the Top 200 -- the highest-charting debut for any Latin album -- and number one at both the Top Latin Albums and Latin Album Sales the week of release. Sales earned Balvin platinum status in the United States and multi-platinum status in Mexico and Colombia. In addition, the recording placed at either number one or two on various global streaming outlets. Riding the success of the album, Balvin threw himself into touring and working with other artists.

During the first half of 2019, he made several more Hot 100 appearances: He collaborated with Benny Blanco, Tainy, and Selena Gomez on "I Can't Get Enough," and with Ozuna, Daddy Yankee, Farruko, and Anuel AA on the smash "Baila Baila Baila." In early May, Balvin and El Guincho appeared on Rosalía's Top Ten hit "Con Altura"; its video racked up 1.5 billion views. Later that month, he was featured on DJ Khaled's "You Stay," alongside Meek Mill, Lil Baby, and Jeremih. In June, the album Oasis by Balvin and fellow urbano prince Bad Bunny was released without advance notice. Saturated in dembow and trap beats and crafted specifically as a soundtrack for summertime, it entered at number one on the Latin Rhythm charts two weeks after release and debuted at number nine on the Top 200. The album's first single, "Que Pretendes," entered the Hot 100 as well. The set peaked at number one on the Top Latin albums chart and at nine on the Top 200. It was chosen by publications ranging from the New York Times to Rolling Stone and Billboard as one of the top Latin titles of the year. Oasis was certified double platinum (Latin) by the RIAA. In all, between collaborations and his own titles as a leader, Balvin appeared on and/or recorded 22 singles in 2019.

In February 2020, Balvin delivered the charting single "Morado," followed in March by the release of his fifth album, Colores, a concept offering wherein each of its ten songs corresponds to a different color with accompanying videos directed by Colin Tilley. The album cover featured psychedelic imagery from Japanese artist Takashi Murakami. Produced by Sky Rompiendo, the set was preceded by the Rojo EP that contained two of the record's tracks in "Blanco" and "Morado." The following year, he cracked the Top Ten of the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart with "Location" featuring Karol G and Anuel AA. After a string of singles -- including collaborations with Skrillex, Khalid, and María Becerra -- Balvin issued his sixth album, the Grammy-nominated JOSE. With a looser approach to concept, the 24-track LP provided breezy reggaeton staples, extensive collaborative work, and some refreshing new styles. Balvin stayed busy in 2022 with a flurry of high-profile singles, including "Niño Soñador," "Sigue," and "Forever My Love," the latter two of which saw him team up with Ed Sheeran. He also contributed the solo track "Toretto" to the soundtrack of 2023's Fast X. More standalone tracks arrived in 2023, including "Dientes" (with Usher and DJ Khaled) and the romantic reggaeton number "Amigos." ~ Thom Jurek

Tainy is a charting, Grammy-nominated, BMI award-winning producer, songwriter, and beat creator at the forefront of the New Latin Wave. He is credited with rewriting the script on reggaeton, infusing it with breezy, whimsical electronica, pop melody, R&B, and trap. Before his arrival, singing was rare in reggaeton. He produced or co-produced some of Latin music's biggest hits during the early 21st century. These include Daddy Yankee's "Impacto," Wisin & Yandel's "El teléfono," Cardi B's "I Like It," J Balvin's Vibras full-length, and Bad Bunny's smash debut album x100pre. Tainy made his recording debut on the Luny Tunes' compilations Mas Flow 2 and the chart-topping Los Benjamins while still in his teens. His trap production of Anuel AA's groundbreaking single "Sola" legitimized Latin trap at radio and record labels which had been wary until then. It paved the way for more focused attention on other trap artists, and Tainy's popularity and ubiquity only increased. His appetite for innovation made him a choice collaborator for new and veteran artists alike. During the first eight months of 2019, his productions registered six chart hits, including the infectious "Adicto" in collaboration with Ozuna and Anuel AA. Tainy kicked off the next decade with 2020's collaborative Neon16 Tape: The Kids That Grew Up on Reggaeton. In 2021 he collaborated with Yandel on the full-length Dynasty. Hist star-studded debut solo album, Data, appeared in 2023.

Tainy was born Marco Masís in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in 1989. Music and basketball were his driving passions growing up, but the former won out. Through his church, he met producer Nely (Josias de la Cruz). Tainy began sending him homemade beats created with Fruity Loops computer software. Nely coached him and eventually sent a demo to Luny (Francisco Saldaña, half of the production duo Luny Tunes with Victor Cabrera). Luny liked what he heard and signed Tainy, providing him full use of his Miami production studio to better learn his craft. Tainy observed the artists who passed through the Luny Tunes production lab, and was given various assignments, an instrumental passage here, an a cappella vocal there, until getting his first big break on his solo intro to Mas Flow 2 in 2005. A voracious listener, the young producer began considering the different ways reggaeton could be expanded by adding layers of polyrhythms, catchy vocal melodies, jagged electronic effects, and smooth ambiences, multi-tracked basses, etc., all while keeping the genre's rhythm intact. His innovations paid off. In 2007, Tainy got co-billing with Luny Tunes on Los Benjamins: La Continuación, co-producing nearly half of its 21 tracks including Arcángel's "Distancia" and a remix of Don Omar's "Beautiful." He co-produced Wisin & Yandel's Grammy-winning, platinum-certified Los Extraterrestres in 2008, and scored his first number one with the duo on the "Pam-Pam" single the following year.

As the second decade of the new century commenced, Tainy was busier than ever. In 2010 alone he co-produced albums by Dyland & Lenny (My World), Jowell & Randy (El Momento), Ivy Queen (Drama Queen), and Zion & Lennox's Los Verdaderos, which entered the chart at number two. Tainy worked with Desmond Child on Ricky Martin's hit album Música + Alma + Sexo in 2012, and co-produced Romeo Santos' electro-pop hit "Magia Negra," from the singer's debut long-player, Formula, Vol. 1. While Tainy either produced or co-produced the solo efforts of Wisin & Yandel, including Yandel's solo hit De Líder a Leyenda, he also provided invaluable harmonic and rhythmic assistance to Arcángel on his chart-topping 2015 debut, Sentimiento, Elegancia & Maldad. The lyricism inherent in Arcángel's writing was underscored and brought out by Tainy on the album's first single, "Hace Mucho Tiempo." He stayed busy working on albums by Wisin and Yandel, and found time to co-produce Plan B's number two album Love & Sex, Don Omar's The Last Don, Vol. 2, and "Bella y Sensual" (featuring Nicky Jam & Daddy Yankee) for Santos' Golden.

While Tainy was the choice for many LatinX artists, his co-production work on the vast majority of J Balvin's Vibras paid off handsomely: The 2018 album went to number nine on the Top 200 and topped the streaming global charts. The year proved massive for Tainy given his work and appearance on Cardi B's megahit "I Like It," which remained on the chart for more than a year. It topped the U.S. hip-hop charts, scored number three in the Top 40, and was nominated for more than 34 awards, winning eight. Further, on Christmas Eve, his co-production on Bad Bunny's X 100PRE added immeasurably to his fortunes and stature. The single "Estamos Bien" shifted the entire balance of reggaeton by offering itself as a haunting Latin trap ballad full of lilting lyricism, dubwise rhythm, and of course, Bad Bunny's sung and rapped voices through Tainy's economical use of Auto-Tune and pitch shifting. The track went to number nine on the Hot 100, and the album registered at 11 on the Top 200.

2019 proved no less successful. In February, Tainy appeared next to Benny Blanco, Selena Gomez, and J Balvin on the gold-certified single "I Can't Get Enough." In the spring he announced a solo album, with his production and beats fronted by a host of top-flight singers. As a teaser, he released "Barbaro" with Mozart La Para as a video single in March; it racked up more than 12 million views. He also co-produced Oasis by J Balvin and Bad Bunny. It went to the top of the Latin Albums chart and hit number nine on the Top 200. Tainy issued two more charting singles as previews: the number two "Callaita" with Bad Bunny in June, which went to number two, and "Adicto" with Anuel AA and Ozuna, which entered the charts at 12 in early September.

In March 2020, Tainy released the EP Neon16 Tape: The Kids That Grew Up on Reggaeton, which featured guest appearances from Dalex, Kali Uchis, Sean Paul, and others. That same year, he topped the Billboard Latin chart alongside J Balvin, Dua Lipa, and Bad Bunny with the song "Un Dia (One Day)." He and J Balvin scored another hit in 2021 with "Agua" from the soundtrack to The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run. He also teamed up with Yandel to release the collaborative full-length Dynasty, which charted two days after its July 23 release.

More singles followed that year, including the Latin Grammy Award-winning "Lo Siento BB," another collaboration with Bad Bunny also featuring Julieta Venegas, and "Oh Na Na" with Myke Towers and Camila Cabello. After taking home the 2023 BMI Award for "Contemporary Latin Songwriter of the Year," Tainy gave listeners a sneak peek at his debut solo album with the Jhayco-assisted single "Fantasma/AVC." The full-length Data, which included guest spots from Bad Bunny, Arca, Four Tet, Skrillex, J Balvin, Sech, and Daddy Yankee, arrived later that June. ~ Thom Jurek