J Balvin on Latin Music and Immigrants at the 2026 Grammy Awards

Rolling Stone joined J Balvin as he got ready for the 2026 Grammy Awards on Sunday night. The Colombian musician, who was up for Best Música Urbana Album, discussed what it means to represent his country and Latin music as he had his hair cut and selected jewelry ahead of the ceremony.

“We gotta keep showing up,” Balvin said. “This is not just one artist. This is a movement, you know? We gotta keep supporting our brothers and people that are also nominated that are part of the genre. We gotta make sure that we go there and support.”

He added, “What’s going on with Latin music on a global scale—you just cannot deny it.”

Balvin noted that when his career started, he was “super focused” only on himself. “But my mission has always been to put the Latinos on the map,” he added. “It’s about us.” For Balvin, a big event like the Grammys is also an opportunity to see artists outside of his genre. “I’ve always been a big fan of music in general,” he said, admitting that he still gets starstruck by the experience. “I think it’s cool that you never lose that respect for the different artists.”

The artist also recalled performing at previous Grammy ceremonies, which is something he is really proud of. “It’s really cool, man, that we’ve been around,” he said.

More seriously, Balvin addressed the current ICE raids around the country. “It’s a hard moment for immigrants and a hard moment for Latinos,” he said. “Too many families are getting separated. It’s pretty sad. We are really important in this country. Not everyone is willing to do the jobs we do here, and I say we because we are part of the culture.”

He added, “I used to paint houses here… So I know the hustle. I know the hard work. I know the struggles.” Despite the hardship, Balvin said he feels that music is like love and can help “bring us together.”

The Grammys capped off a wildly successful year for Balvin, who concluded the North American leg of his Back to the Rayo tour in May. Last summer, just a few days after performing at the halftime show of the FIFA Club World Cup final in New Jersey, the Colombian star released his Grammy-nominated Mixteip — following his sixth studio album, Rayo.