Maps of Music

Jose (2021)

Where the lyrics of Jose take you, and where it was really made.

Balvin named the album after his own real first name, and at 79 minutes it is the longest studio album of his career.

Place unknown

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Jose: fifth solo studio album (sixth overall) by Colombian reggaeton singer J Balvin
Released 10 September 2021 through Universal Latin
Runs 79 minutes, the longest studio album Balvin has released
Preceded by six singles: "Otra Noche sin Ti", "7 de Mayo", "Qué Más Pues?", "Otro Fili", "In da Getto", and "Que Locura"
Includes the standalone single "Un Día (One Day)" with Dua Lipa, Bad Bunny and Tainy

Production credits include Tainy, Sky Rompiendo, Skrillex, Taiko, Diplo, Maximilian Jaeger and many others
Collaborations with Sech, Yandel, Myke Towers, Jhay Cortez, Feid, Zion & Lennox, Ozuna, Tokischa, María Becerra, Khalid, Karol G and Nicky Jam
Deluxe edition released 17 December 2021 with 8 more tracks, including a new guest appearance by Arcángel on "F40 (Remix)"

Born José Álvaro Osorio Balvín on 7 May 1985 in Medellín, Colombia, into an upper-middle-class family of Spanish and Syrian descent.
Grew up on rock acts such as Metallica and Nirvana and was drawn to reggaeton after listening to Daddy Yankee.
Moved to the United States at 17 to study English, living in Oklahoma and New York before returning to Medellín.
Adopted the stage name J Balvin "El Negocio" at 19 and began a career in music with his DJ and business partner David Rivera Mazo.

Breakthrough came in 2014 with "6 AM" featuring Farruko, which peaked at number 2 on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart.
"Ginza" and "Ay Vamos" followed; "Ay Vamos" became the first reggaeton song to exceed one billion views on YouTube.
The 2017 single "Mi Gente" with Willy William topped the Spotify Global Top 50, and its Beyoncé remix became his first US top-ten single.
"I Like It" with Cardi B and Bad Bunny became his first number one on the US Billboard Hot 100.
Released albums including Energia, Vibras, Colores, José and Rayo, and the joint album Oasis with Bad Bunny.
Became the first Latino to headline Coachella, Tomorrowland and Lollapalooza.

Sold 35 million records worldwide and won multiple Latin Grammy and Billboard Latin Music Awards.
Guinness World Records recognized him as a leader of a second-generation reggaeton revolution.

Metacritic: average score 72 out of 100 from five reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews"
Exclaim!: Antoine-Samuel Mauffette Alavo gave 9 out of 10
Rolling Stone: Ecleen Luzmila Caraballo gave three and a half stars out of five, writing that Balvin "promises introspection but instead gives us more of what we've come to expect"
Clash: Robin Murray gave 6 out of 10, saying the album "struggles under the weight of its 24 track span" and naming "Que Locura", "Una Nota", "Que Mas Pues?" and "Suerte" as highlights

Reviews were generally positive overall, with the length of the album a recurring point of criticism

US Billboard 200: number 12
Top Latin Albums: number one
Latin Rhythm Albums: number one
Commercial figure: 27,000 album equivalent units, Balvin's fourth album to top the chart
Nominated for Best Música Urbana Album at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards

The album title Jose refers to Balvin's real first name.
At 24 tracks it is the longest album of Balvin's career, longer than La Familia (2013) and Energía (2016).
The singles "Una Nota" and "Te Acuerdas de Mí" pay homage to the song "Al Natural" by Tego Calderón and Yandel.
The deluxe edition added 8 tracks in December 2021.