J Balvin is “happy” to see Bad Bunny’s global success, though he admits he would have felt differently years ago.
The six-time Grammy nominee, who recently returned to his hometown of Medellín, Colombia, for a special show marking his first performance in the city in six years, spoke candidly in a recent interview about how his focus has shifted away from “being No. 1.”
These days, Balvin told celebrity streamer Ibai, he’s more focused on finding “peace” in his life.
“Now I'm not focused on being No. 1,” Balvin told Ibai in Spanish during their conversation, per a translation. “I mean, now I'm happy with what's happening with Benito, for example, with Bad Bunny.
"I can celebrate it, and I can see it from a perspective that if I had seen it from the perspective of J Balvin from, I don't know, six or five years ago?" he continued. "I would be banging my head against the walls. Now [I'm thinking] from a perspective of celebrating the success of my colleagues.”
Balvin went on to highlight the treacherousness of ego and the pitfalls of envy, noting that he’s “happier and freer” nowadays.
“My struggle is no longer to be number one, my struggle is to have peace, to have tranquility, and to continue making moves that help me leave a legacy,” he said.
Bad Bunny was “missed” during the recent Medellín show, Balvin added, but he’s confident they’ll both be seen together again “in a very genuine way” in the future.
Earlier this year, Balvin made similar comments while looking back on his and Benito’s “historic album” Oasis, released in 2019. The two artists have numerous collaborations together dating back to 2017.
Next for Bad Bunny is the Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show, which he’s headlining in February. That same month, he’s up for multiple potential wins at the 68th Annual Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year.