J Balvin will be one of the eight artists headlining Lollapalooza from August 1-4 at Chicago’s Grant Park. More importantly, he’ll be the first Latino headliner in the music festival’s 28-year history.
Like Beyoncé was for Coachella, J Balvin’s performance will show that Lolla finally recognizes there’s a large audience in the United States not only for reggaeton but for Spanish-language music.
Balvin is listed above other big stars — Lil Wayne, Kacey Musgraves and Janelle Monae, to name a few. And some of his achievements over the past year support why the “Ginza” and “Safari” singer deserves his time to shine at Lollapalooza.
His music transcends languages
Hailing from Colombia, Balvin received eight Billboard nominations this year, including top Latin artist, top Latin song, and top Latin album as well as several other categories for his work with Cardi B on “I Like It.”
The rapper, born Jose Alvaro Osorio Balvin, was one of the most-streamed artists on Spotify last year. He also has collaborated with other American music icons, including Justin Bieber and Beyoncé. And even then, you’ll rarely (if ever) see Balvin perform in English.
