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How Bad Bunny and J Balvin showed that in 2020 the alliance and mutual support are a more powerful weapon than rivalry

2020-12-05T00:30:24.687Z


The Puerto Rican and the Colombian closed the year as two of the most successful artists in the world. An achievement in which mutual support has played a more relevant role than wild competition


Despite having been an unpredictable year, 2020 is not going to escape those routines that are repeated every December.

For example, the list of the best-selling albums or, in the middle of the internet era, of the most listened to artists.

One of the most popular

music

streaming

platforms

has just revealed that, with more than eight billion views on Spotify, Bad Bunny is the most listened to artist in the world.

Additionally,

YHLQMDLG

, one of the three albums it released in 2020, has surpassed three billion listens.

For his part, the most viewed artist of 2019 on YouTube was J Balvin, to whom three of the ten most played videos on that platform belonged.

Given that, due to the peculiarities of this rare year, the company has decided not to publish the YouTube Rewind 2020 list, it can be said that the Colombian retains the title.

This rivalry in numbers that J Balvin and Bad Bunny maintain is reminiscent of the one that stars such as Blur and Oasis, Don Omar and Daddy Yankee or, the one that is perhaps best known: that of The Beatles and The Rolling Stones.

In the 1960s, the press departments of the respective companies, and especially the manager of the Stones, Andrew Loog Oldham, credited the legend of the enmity between those of Liverpool and those of London to polarize fans, gain notoriety in media and ultimately increase sales.

However, the reality was very different: the Beatles and the Rolling Stones got along well.

Although it is true that John Lennon went so far as to affirm that “Everything we do, the Stones repeat it four months later”, those from Liverpool lent them songs like

I wanna be your man

, they helped them arrange songs like

We love you

, they played Agreeing not to step on the pitches, Brian Jones played the saxophone on

You Know My Name (Look Up the Number)

and, in 1968, Lennon himself took part in

the Stones'

Rock & Roll Circus show

performing

Yer Blues

.

Something similar happens with J Balvin and Bad Bunny.

Beyond the competition they can maintain in terms of sales or followers on social networks - 45 million on Instagram for J Balvin compared to 28 million for Bad Bunny and two million for Bunny on Twitter compared to the almost nine million for J Balvin—, the two artists are good friends and they profess mutual admiration.

"I'm proud to say, 'I love Bad Bunny.'

It always seems that we are on the same wavelength, since he likes what I like.

It's also about celebrating our culture, while remaining humble.

Working with Benito again has been one of my greatest musical joys, "said J Balvin during the promotion of

Oasis

, the album he recorded in 2019 with Bad Bunny, the stage name of Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, who did not skimp on flattery either:" Work With J Balvin it has been, without a doubt, an experience like no other, I have always admired and respected him a lot and we have had an excellent vibe throughout this process ”.

Good tune

The good relationship between Balvin and Bunny dates back to the day they met during a concert that the Colombian gave in Puerto Rico.

Balvin was already a consecrated artist and Bunny was a promising young man who, thanks to the

mixtapes

that he posted on SoundCloud, had managed to leave his job in a supermarket to sign a contract with Cárdenas Marketing Network, promoter of artists such as Marc Anthony, Nicky Jam, Becky G or Daddy Yankee.

A few months later, Bunny and Balvin were already collaborating together on the recording of

If your boyfriend leaves you alone

, a song nominated for the Latin Grammy of 2017 in the categories of Best urban song, Best urban performance and that, currently, has more of 930 million views on YouTube.

“I couldn't believe it and was very grateful.

I think that this issue also turned my career around, "Bad Bunny told the

New York Times

, a medium to which he acknowledged that, during the recording, he needed to leave the studio to cry:" It was too much emotion for me and it was very sentimental ”.

In that good harmony between Bad Bunny and J Balvin, the age difference of both artists has played an important role.

While J Balvin is five years away from reaching forty, on March 10 Bunny turned 26. The youthful impulsiveness of the Puerto Rican is thus offset by the experience of the Colombian who, in the face of Bunny's comments such as "The leader is always me." In reference to the

Oasis

recording process

, he did not react by triggering a cockfight, but with another joke: "I just follow Benito's orders and, from time to time, he would let go of the chain so I could breathe."

The Super Bowl gala held in February this year once again demonstrated the friendship and loyalty between the two artists.

The show, which featured the participation of J Balvin, Bad Bunny, Shakira and Jennifer Lopez, was a complete success, however some messages published by the Colombian artist on her social networks spoiled the atmosphere between the four.

While the interpreter of

Waka Waka

wrote to Lopez “Thank you Jennifer for a night in which we show how much we have to offer”, and to the Puerto Rican “Thank you Bad Bunny”, she had no comment towards J Balvin.

This strange attitude was answered by the two friends with two messages on Instagram: “Thank you for allowing me to shine without selfishness and with such humility, the smaller you show yourself the bigger you are!

You are big!

Jennifer Lopez Latino Gang! ”, Wrote J Balvin, while Bad Bunny published:“ Jennifer Lopez, in addition to being a superstar, is a queen, an incredible person and yet she is humble and genuine.

One thing has nothing to do with the other".

About Shakira, not a word.

It was all said.

For this reason, although in the past the rivalry strategy could have worked for other groups, Bad Bunny and J Balvin are very far from those antiquated marketing formulas.

With accumulated sales of thirty-five million

singles

and four million albums —in Balvin's case—, and six hundred thousand records —in Bunny's—, the artists are clear that there is more commercial future in collaboration than in the match.

In fact, achievements like Bunny breaking the record held by Balvin by placing 18 songs in the top 20 of the Billboard charts are not seen by the friend as a threat but as something to celebrate.

“I remember before you came to music, I was supposedly the only one weird, crazy and strange, because I'm always supposed to do what comes from my heart.

Thanks to life, another madman arrived who gave entertainment a new breath, and seeing you grow up fills me with great pride! ”, The Colombian wrote to Bad Bunny on the occasion of his birthday.

That now the Puerto Rican is the most listened to artist of 2020, it does not seem that it will take away J Balvin's sleep.

See this post on Instagram

A post shared by J Balvin (@jbalvin)

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Source: elparis

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