LAS VEGAS (AP) 鈥� At a Frank Sinatra-themed restaurant in the lobby of Encore, a luxury hotel and casino on the Vegas strip, Colombian musician J Balvin sat down to discuss .
Balvin was the only artist at last month鈥檚 Las Vegas Grand Prix to perform twice doing their motorsport weekend 鈥� for him, it was an opportunity to participate in a global sport as a global musician. It also allowed him to tease his latest single, the reggaeton track 鈥淎migos,鈥� on , the largest LED screen on Earth.
A one point during the week, an ad with a photo number projected on the Sphere read 鈥淛 Balvin doesn't need more friends."
Fans could've misinterpreted it as a response to a verse on Bad Bunny's track On it, the Puerto Rican star says 鈥淯stedes me han visto con los mismo mientras ustedes son amigo de todo el mundo como Balvin." In English, it translates to 鈥淵ou guys have seen me with the same people while you all are friends with the whole world like Balvin.鈥�
Balvin says 鈥淎migos鈥� has nothing to do with Bad Bunny. 鈥淚 ain't got time for that. I got a lot of love for the guy,鈥� he says. 鈥淭he friend that I know at the time was amazing, you know? So, like, he might he going through something.
鈥淚 see him as like a little brother, so it's like being mad at your little brother, so, like, I'm not going to take it personal." 鈥淎migos," he said, "is not a response.鈥�
The reality is that 鈥淎migos鈥� is a return to what calls 鈥渞omantic reggaeton,鈥� the music that made his fans fall in love with him in the first place. He says that when he dropped the fiery 鈥淒ientes" in September, the '00s club-inspired Latino urbano track which interpolates Usher's 鈥淵eah!," his fans were expecting reggaeton 鈥� his 鈥渙riginal sound,鈥� as he puts it. Now, he's given them exactly what they want.
Balvin sings 鈥淔ue la culpa de la rutina, de que lo nuestro se jodiera. Yo, tuve que soltarte aunque eso me doliera鈥� on the sentimental single, which translates in English to 鈥淚t was the fault of routine, that what we had was messed up. I had to let you go enough though it hurt.鈥�
With 鈥淎migos,鈥� J Balvin says he's 鈥済oing back to his roots.鈥� Thematically, it is about how 鈥渞outine can kill the love,鈥� he says 鈥� that sometimes a relationship can become more like a friendship, and 鈥渢he passion is gone, and that is something that happens to everyone."
鈥淏ut the fact is, you can also reverse that and make it work once again,鈥� he adds 鈥� and he hopes that everyone likes it. 鈥淢usic . It's the only business that you drop the product before anyone tastes them. So it's a risk, but it is part of the game."
Maria Sherman, The Associated Press
