Move over, Beyoncé! Coachella 2019 Was All About J Balvin
Beyoncé made history at the 2018 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival when she became the first black woman to headline the annual event in Palm Spring, California. While #Beychella will go down in history as one of greatest performance of our lifetime, this weekend J Balvin made a historical move by conquering the music festival on behalf of all Latinos.
On Saturday, the Colombian reggaetonero, born José Álvaro Osorio Balvín, transformed Coachella into Balvinchella. Surrounded by Japanese visuals, the 33-year-old broke down language barriers with performances of chart-toppers like “Safari” and “Reggaeton.”
Joining him on stage was Spanish hitmaker Rosalia, who made her Coachella debut, to sing their latest collab “Con Altura.” Meanwhile, Sean Paul joined the singer for their own collaboration “Contra La Pared.”
“Today is a very special day. I always said the day I went to Coachella would be on a raised platform and so it is,” the singer wrote on Instagram, as translated by ET. “Last year, I was with Beyonce, today it’s about Latinos and dreamers. It’s about people like me, who are not afraid to follow their dreams and it’s about all those people that are called different. We still need people to continue to call us crazy for being dreamers. Welcome to another chapter of my adventures.”
Not only did Balvin hit the Coachella stage back in 2018 with Queen Bey for their popular remix of “Mi Gente,” the paisa also made the crowd move their cinturas with his performance of “I Like It,” alongside our favorite Dominicana, Cardi B.
Of course, Balvin wasn’t the only Latino representing our community. He was one of seventeen Latin artists who made the musical festival lineup, which included Bad Bunny, Los Tucanes de Tijuana, and Rosalia.
Take a peak at Balvin’s historical performance below!