J Balvin is in a playful mood.
On the rooftop pitch at KidSuper Studios in Brooklyn, NYC, the reggaeton star laughs, competes and exchanges friendly banter with designer Colm Dillane during a five-a-side match between Team Balvin and Team KidSuper. But beneath the light-hearted energy reveals a deeper purpose: a celebration of football as a universal language that connects music, fashion and culture across borders.
This match marked the launch of Jameson Irish Whiskey’s It’s What You Bring campaign, a global collaboration that brings together Balvin, Dillane and Jameson through a shared appreciation for creativity, craftsmanship and community. Anchored by a hero film, directed by Nabil Elderkin, and an eight-piece capsule collection titled Bottled by KidSuper, the project blends football culture with KidSuper’s playful streetwear identity and Jameson’s 200-year Irish heritage. For the Colombian hit-maker, football is deeply tied to his upbringing and South American identity, carrying the same emotion, passion and sense of community that defines his performances on stages around the world. Fashion holds the same power as music for J Balvin, too, using it as a way to “communicate identity without saying a word.”
Alongside Colm Dillane, whose friendship with Balvin dates back to KidSuper’s earliest days on the fashion circuit, the partnership feels natural, with their shared love of football, creativity and cultural storytelling giving the campaign an authenticity that mirrors the spirit of the game itself: community, connection and individuality coming together in one space.
We caught up with J Balvin in BK to find out more.
COMPLEX: J Balvin! How are you feeling today?
J Balvin: Great, boss. Thank you for asking.
You’ve spoken before about how important music and football are in your life. With this campaign bringing those worlds together, what do those real connections between music and football mean to you personally?
For me and Colm, football has been part of our lives since we were kids. He’s actually a great player—me, not so much [laughs]. One of my dreams was always to be a football player, but I just didn’t have the skills for it. What made this collaboration feel so natural is that our love for football is completely genuine; it wasn’t forced. We both grew up with the sport, and being South American, football is in our blood. It’s part of our culture, part of our identity… It’s in our hearts! I’m Colombian, so football has always been a huge part of life.
The It’s What You Bring campaign uses spaces like the rooftop pitch at KidSuper Studios, where fashion, sport, music, and art all collide. Does creating in that kind of environment change your creativity compared to being in a traditional studio or on stage?
Honestly, creating is creating. Whether it’s music, fashion or art, it all starts with an idea. Music is one form of expression, fashion is another, but the creative process feels very similar to me. What made this different was the experience of creating with a friend I’d never worked with before, in a space that felt very open and collaborative. That energy changes things, in a good way.
And working with a friend like that, how special does it make the project for you?
It makes it beautiful, man. I really see [Colm] like a brother. I watched him during his come-up and supported him back when he was working out of the basement. Seeing him now doing incredible things on a global level is inspiring. It’s amazing to witness that growth firsthand.
When you bring together fashion and music, do you see them as completely different worlds, or are they connected for you?
I think they’re very connected. Both are ways of expressing yourself. With music, you’re speaking through your voice and your lyrics, and with fashion, you’re speaking without words—your style communicates who you are before you even say anything.
Jameson has a 200-year legacy built around craftsmanship, culture and community. Your career has also helped push Latin music into new spaces and cultures around the world. Where do you see similarities between building a whiskey legacy like Jameson and building a modern global music identity?
When you hear about a brand lasting 200 years, that’s powerful. For me, when I think about the future, I want to leave behind a legacy too. I want people to remember me as someone who worked hard to make an impact—not only for Latin music, but for Latin culture worldwide. And beyond myself, I want to see all my people continue to grow, become stronger, and reach more global audiences. Legacy is about opening doors and creating something that lasts beyond you.
How would you compare performing on stage in front of thousands of people to being inside a football stadium watching a match with that same huge atmosphere?
They’re actually very different experiences. When I’m performing, I’m receiving energy from the crowd—all those emotions come toward you. But when you’re watching football, you’re the one giving energy to the game, to the players, to the atmosphere. Both are beautiful because they’re about sharing emotion and connection with people.
Football is really at the centre of this collaboration because of the passion, the crowds and the emotion it creates. Do you see parallels between that and being on stage performing live?
Absolutely. Being on stage has been my life for so many years now. It’s where I feel happiest. That connection between people, music, emotion and energy—that’s something football and live performance definitely share.
You and Colm both talk about building something bigger than yourselves. Outside of music or fashion, what does that idea really mean to you?
For me, it’s about inspiring people. If he could do it his way, and I could do it my way, then why can’t someone else do it their own way too? The message is simple: follow your dreams, but understand that you have to work hard for them every single day.
That’s a great message. I appreciate your time.
Thank you, my brother. I appreciate you too! Thank you so much.
