‘I’ve been through hell’: J Balvin on burn out and Beyoncé

Pals with Takashi Murakami and bigger than Drake, the South American reggaeton act talks about the highs and lows of being a global superstar

Even when covered in wee, it’s great being José Álvaro Osorio Balvin. A tortoise may have just urinated all over his Versace silk pyjama suit, yet the South American superstar singer remains serene. Perhaps, as he gazes at the Anish Kapoor sculpture, Balvin is thinking about how massively rich he is. The musician owns various houses around the world and has so many expensive watches that there is a YouTube video dedicated to rating his collection out of 10 (he scored a 7.5).

His private jet – a $4m Dassault Falcon 2000, according to the internet – is currently idling in nearby Olbia airport, ready to whisk him to Ibiza tonight for a 90-minute show at Pacha, before dropping him back here, a multimillion-pound mansion in Sardinia. This house, which he is renting for the summer while he tours Europe, comes complete with devastatingly beautiful views of the eastern peninsula and art from Kapoor, Damien Hirst, Jeff Koons and Fernando Botero. His own Medellín home features art by his actual friends KAWS and Takashi Murakami. When Balvin gets thirsty, he simply voicenotes his butler Max, a slender, handsome Sardinian man who is omnipresent yet discreet. A murmured request into his iPhone X asking for a black coffee is signed off with “te amo”. Balvin is unfailingly polite, offering food and even the slightly wet clothing off his back when he discovers I have lost my suitcase. Before we leave, he insists that Max cracks open a very expensive bottle of champagne.

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from The Guardian https://ift.tt/32U4ZIh

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