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TLDR? The J Balvin Museum in Medellin showcases this reggaeton artist’s life and accomplishments over the years!
Reggaeton and Medellin are two words that go pretty much hand-in-hand. After all, Medellin is the music capital of Colombia!
One reggaeton artist that we really can’t forget about when visiting Medellin is J Balvin. This artist has made some pretty big waves in the area, and to pay homage to him, a new museum dedicated to J Balvin recently opened.
Interested in checking it out for yourself? Keep reading for everything you need to know about J Balvin and his new shrine!
If you clicked on this article, my guess is you already know a bit about J Balvin. But, just in case you don’t, let’s go over a rundown of who he is and what he’s all about.
Jose Alvaro Osorio Balvin is a reggaeton player and record producer and is one of the best-selling Latin artists in the world.
At 37 years old, he has managed to make number one on different music charts, such as Billboard. He’s also well-versed in producing music in both English and Spanish, and has explored genres such as rock, rap, hip-hop, and of course, reggaeton.
Despite all this, it wasn’t until 2007 that his career as a soloist began to take flight. In just two years, he quickly became recognized by Colombian radio stations as a “revelation artist” and signed his first musical contract with EMI Music, a multinational record company.
In the following 3 years, J Balvin left Medellin to explore the international music industry, appearing in different parts of the United States, such as New York, Miami, and Boston. He then went on to tour Europe.
From these early beginnings, the artist collaborated with other Paisa and Puerto Rican reggaeton players. Some of those, such as his song “6 AM” with Farruko, received several awards in Colombia and Venezuela.
This artist, originally from Medellin, achieved slow but continuous growth, and by 2015 the recognition was already worldwide.
In 2019 J Balvin was the first Colombian and urban genre artist of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. He also participated in the Super Bowl alongside JLo, Shakira, and Bad Bunny.
J Balvin’s most recent collaborations include “One Day” with Dua Lipa and “In Da Ghetto” with Skrillex. He’s also collaborated with Karol G, Nicky Jam, Crissin, Totoy El Frio, Natan & Shander.
A number of J Balvin’s songs are recognized worldwide, including:
Besides these songs and several famous singles, he’s officially released six albums throughout his career:
J Balvin has had a total of four international tours, which are as follows:
Besides his tours, J Balvin has seen incredible success with his awards and nominations. Here are some of the awards he’s won:
No, I’m not talking about the place. I’m actually talking about J Balvin’s popular song, “El Poblado.”
This is one of his most talked about songs and is often the anthem of tourists visiting Medellin for a weekend or a short stay.
What’s particularly cool about this video, however, is that it was recorded and filmed in Medellin. A good chunk of the video actually takes place in the penthouse of the Marquee Hotel!
The penthouse is one of the most expensive hotel rooms in the city and features gold-plated furniture and panoramic views of the city. If you want, you can actually book a room there, but be quick! It books up as much as 6 months in advance!
Now that you’ve got a bit of background on J Balvin, let’s talk about the museum itself.
The J Balvin is a place where you can find more than 350 artist awards. The place is just 100 square meters, but it’s still big enough to pack in quite a lot of paraphernalia!
The museum is named “Galería de los Sueños” which translates to “The Gallery of Dreams,” and is dedicated to everything that has anything to do with the Boy from Medellin.
You’ll find the museum in the Inexmoda Building in El Poblado, Medellin. That’s despite the fact that the artist currently resides in New York.
If you want to visit the museum, you’ll actually have to book a time slot. You can do this via the Instagram page and use the link in their bio. You can also send an email to info@escuelagofar.com or make an appointment at the Go Far headquarters, in the Square building, on El Poblado Avenue.
Regardless of how you get there, you’ll quickly find that the singer’s manager Alvaro Osorio (who also happens to be J Balvin’s father) is the curator of the museum. Osorio has but together a pretty unique collection of iconic objects that fans will love.
Note: What’s interesting is that in interviews, J Balvin has mentioned he has no paraphernalia related to his career at home. Almost all the awards and gear he’s racked up over the years have lived at his mom’s house since he wanted her to have the limelight.
I’ve mentioned the hundreds of awards that J Balvin has received throughout his career, but let’s be a little more specific.
In this museum, you will find amazing collections around the entire lot in showcases such as:
You can also find curious objects such as an Anabelle doll, which the artist acquired to record the music video for the song “Machika”.
Other cool things you can find include clothes that the artist has produced in collaboration with international brands such as Nike and Guess. There are also garments that he has used in his concerts or music videos.
You’ll also come across J Balvin magazine and newspaper covers, exclusive collections alluding to tennis, and a mini theater in which unique, special, and significant moments of the artist are exhibited.
In the gallery, you can check out the guitar that the paisa Latin pop and rock singer Juanes gave to J Balvin, and a medal awarded to him by former United States President Barack Obama at the Hispanic Heritage Awards in 2016.
You’ll also find some quirky things like a Monopoly game that’s been dedicated to J Balvin!
Finally, the museum has QR codes scattered around the place. When you scan them, your phone shows photos, videos, and extra information about the artifacts, which is pretty cool.
This small museum that pays homage to one of the best urban artists in Medellin, J Balvin, is located in the Inexmoda building in El Poblado.
That’s just 5 minutes by car from El Poblado Park and close to recognized sites such as the Virgen de la Rosa Mistica, El Castillo Museum, and the Santafe Shopping Center.
If you, like so many other visitors to Medellin, have decided to take advantage of Poblado’s popping nightlife and book a stay here, the museum is nearby.
Here are a couple of distances from various Casacol properties to help get you oriented:
Or if you prefer to stay in a slightly more traditional or quiet neighborhood, Laureles can be a great option. Here are a couple of great Laureles properties that aren’t too far from the museum either:
To then get to the J Balvin museum, you can use either public transportation or private car. Let’s take a closer look at both of these options.
Arriving by public transport is very easy, regardless of whether you’re coming from Laureles or El Poblado.
You can get to the museum via the metro system and get off at the Aguacatala station. There you can take a bus from one of the integrated routes that leave you close to the area.
Or, you can just take a taxi or a car service from any app of your choice.
If you prefer to walk from the metro station to the Inexmoda building, where the museum is located, it takes approximately 20 minutes.
Note: the streets are a bit solo around this part of town. So, while Medellin is generally safe recommend , I’dusing the bus system just to be sure!
If you prefer to rent a car, that’s an option too. Just remember that this museum is located in the hills of El Poblado, so it’s a bit of a climb!
However, renting a car definitely makes for an easy trip out to the museum.
From the Ayamonte Building, for example, which is located at an average distance from the museum, the journey by car is approximately 7 minutes.
While arriving from Laureles, it can take an average of 11 minutes, depending on the time of travel.
The safest recommendation is to use a GPS to navigate the streets of the city safely and avoid getting lost.
J Balvin is one of the best-known artists of the urban genre from Medellin in the world.
Thanks to his career of more than 10 years, he’s been able to do some pretty incredible international collabs. And, he’s earned a good number of awards.
Today, you can check out these awards in the “Galería de los Sueños,” a museum made thanks to the initiative of his father as a tribute and inspiration for other artists.
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