J. Balvin performs onstage during Calibash Los Angeles 2018. January 20, 2018.
Kevin Winter/Getty Images
Colombian reggaeton star J. Balvin is the number one artist on Spotify around the world, the streaming platform announced on Monday. Propelled by the success of his fifth studio album Vibras, Balvin has accrued over 48 million monthly listeners on Spotify, besting previous record-holder Drake.
Balvin's Spotify domination was fueled by the success of Vibras singles "X" featuring Nicky Jam, which Billboard reports has been streamed over 327 million times, and "Mi Gente," which became the first Latin song to reach No. 1 on the Spotify's Global 50 chart after its release last summer.
“All I can say is thank you, thank you," J. Balvin said in a statement. "I’m so grateful and proud to be the most heard artist in the world on Spotify. It’s bigger than J Balvin, it’s the movement and it’s in Spanish. We are proving that Latinos have the power to connect with an audience on a global level without having to leave our identity behind. This is an achievement for the entire Latino community. I’m so grateful to Spotify for the enormous support to the reggaeton movement.”
