J Balvin Opens Up About His Admiration for Drake and His Friendship With Nicky Jam

Colombian reggaeton star J Balvin opened up to Apple Music's Zane Lowe about his admiration for Drake in a new interview. "My dream is just, I want to be a living legend, I do. I want to inspire people while I'm alive. To me a legend is someone that really inspires the world, someone that inspires, that you want to be like," he said. "Normally, to me, legends have a social impact, too, that goes beyond music. To me, Drake is a legend. He has broken a lot of records, and I think he keeps it real. I haven't had the opportunity to talk to him, but he looks like a great guy. ... I'm one of his biggest fans, straight up."

(Photo by ALFREDO ESTRELLA/AFP via Getty Images)

He also shared love and admiration for his great friend, reggaeton star Nicky Jam. "When I first met him, we were in a city called Chocó in Colombia," Balvin recalled. "I couldn't even believe that I was with Nicky Jam because he was with Daddy Yankee. They used to be a group, Daddy Yankee and Nicky Jam. At that time when I met Nicky, Nicky was on his downs. He left Puerto Rico. He was basically like homeless, he left his country. He was just like, starting from scratch in Colombia. To me, no matter what was going on, to me it was Nicky Jam. I didn't care that he was in his downs because he inspired me to be where I'm at, too." They first met eight years ago and the friendship has endured. "He inspired me a lot. He was born again, he was reborn. He was a superstar. Then he just lost everything and then he got it back," he added.

Like many of his colleagues, J Balvin is not letting the coronavirus quarantine slow down his creative process. He is thrilled to be making new music just after releasing his new album Colores, giving his fans "colors and light" during this difficult and "gray" time. "I'm actually real happy that I dropped the album," he said. "I think people are never going to forget. It's really, really dope, man, to see that people are really vibing with the album."

The singer is spending the quarantine in his home in Medellín and enjoying the warmth of his homeland. "I personally don't have bodyguards, I don't like that s***, so I'm always around, cars driving around showing me love. I can go anywhere," he said. "Nothing happened to me, just love. I miss that. I miss just going to a gas station and talking to the guys, talking with the people, anybody who wants to approach me. I miss that, I miss being in touch with people. I miss being in a crowd, I'm used to be in a show performing for people."

He is enjoying this quiet time at home and FaceTiming his producers to discuss ideas for new songs. "I think it's a good moment for us to go back to basics, and that's what I'm trying to do," he reflected. "Lately, I've just been promoting the album real hard. I'm going to find all the different ways to just feed myself culturally, spiritually, body-wise. I've been in pajamas all day. I think this is a gift right now for us. We have to see the positive side of this."