J Balvin: Tiny Desk (Home) Concert

From Sept. 15 through Oct. 15, Tiny Desk is celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month with an "El Tiny" takeover of the (home) concert series, featuring J Balvin, Camila Cabello and several more musicians from all corners of Latinidad.

Reanna Cruz | September 16, 2021
A tattooed hand scrawls on a small school desk — "Jose by J Balvin" — followed by a signature smile. It's an intimate beginning for the príncipe del reggaetón, J Balvin himself, as he begins his "El Tiny" performance on a sunny barge in the middle of the East River. Backed by the Brooklyn Bridge, Balvin breezes through some of the best cuts off of his new album JOSE (Balvin's birth name). The first three — "Vestido," "Que Locura" and "OTRO FILI" — are moody and gentle popetón, creating expectations of familiar intimacy before he blows the performance wide open with the Tainy-produced, tempo-shifting album opener, "F40." And as the sun descends on the New York skyline, Balvin closes it out with a drop-laden extended mix of the jock-jam Skrillex collaboration, "In Da Getto."

To talk about modern Latin music is to talk about J Balvin. Over the course of the past 10 years, "the boy from Medellín" has risen from humble beginnings in Colombia to global superstardom, building an unprecedented fanbase at the intersection of pop, reggaetón, house and hip-hop, with over 18 billion views and 35 million record sales to prove it. He is the first Latino to headline Coachella and Lollapalooza, and there isn't a more fitting artist to kick off our month of "El Tiny" performances — Balvin is the epitome of cross-cultural success.

When a drone flies out during the last drop of "In Da Getto," and we finally see the true scope of the barge that Balvin has been performing on, it serves as a reminder that no matter how personal his songs may be, Balvin will always, always, be massive.

SET LIST
"Vestido"
"Que Locura"
"OTRO FILI"
"F40"
"In Da Getto"

MUSICIANS
J Balvin: vocals
Jose Rivera: DJ
George Ponce: bass, keys
Marcus Thomas: drums

CREDITS
Video: Jose-Emilio Sagaró Anca Valeanu Omar Reynoso Christopher Cabrera
Audio: John Buitrago Fernando Argento Hugo Pinzon John Cardona
Production Company: Filmheads
Assistant Director: Iohana Sagaro
Director of Photography: Kristoff Cabrera
Production Manager: Alejandro (ADO) Arias
Front of House: John Buitrago

TINY DESK TEAM
Producers: Bobby Carter, Anamaria Sayre
Video Producer: Kara Frame
Audio Mastering: Josh Rogosin
Alt.Latino 'El Tiny' Team: Felix Contreras, Reanna Cruz, Anaïs Laurent, Stefanie Fernandez
Tiny Production Team: Bob Boilen, Maia Stern, Sofie Hernandez-Simeonidis
Executive Producer: Keith Jenkins
Senior VP, Programming: Anya Grundmann

#nprmusic #tinydesk #jbalvin

[JessicaMedinaMusic]

Me hubiera gustado escucharlo en acustico y mas intimo lugar. Soy de NY y me encanta mi ciudad pero siento que Tiny desk se debe sentir mas cozy, up close & personal

[SktrMasta]

This is NOT a home concert. Mixed and mastered, feels like a studio product.

[davidskey]

This is a fully produced performance - just listen to the multi-tracked vocals. Really goes against the spirit of Tiny Desk.

[AndresHidalgo]

J Balvin es ese tipo de "artistas" que tiene la posibilidad de demostrar que puede salirse de su formato y ser más él y siempre termina haciendo la fácil.
Sin alma este concierto.

[snukanijuma]

Lejos está de los que realmente son los tiny desk

[salva.cristerna]

Esperaba más C. Tangana sigue siendo mi favorito con su Tiny Desk concert. Es más, dejaré de ver esto e ire a ver de nuevo el de C. Tangana haha.

[leonardovillarreal]

aqui era la oportunidad de explotar la "esencia" de JOSE y de poner la musica latinoamericana en alto, como tanto lo menciona J Balvin, pareciera que no tenia idea de que son los Tiny Desk.

[EsDomingo]

Acabo de ver el PEOR Tiny Desk de la historia. Magnífico.

[anavilla]

Hubiera esperado un Tiny Desk más legendario de parte de J Balvin, pero fue básicamente una promoción de su nuevo album.

[noelquiroz]

Acabo de ver el de Jorge Drexler.... Espectacular.. ..
Recomendadisimo!!!!;

[Lugito]

No joda, Ozuna se esforzó más por sacar un buen tiny desk de reggaeton.

[salem]

Incluso el hiper producido home tiny desk de C Tangana se mantuvo en la linea de la esencia cercana y hogareña de este formato. Oportunidad perdida Balvin…

[DjTucci]

Esto no es un tiny desk, es un videoclip hecho por la misma gente de jBalvin y puesto en la cuenta de NPR music, me encanta el concepto de tiny desk, que en pandemia se ha ido perdiendo, no son versiones acústicas, o versiones “Tiny” donde se demostraba el talento real del artista, ahora son locaciones muy elaboradas para tapar la mediocridad musical.

[frankmusic]

00:00 ""Vestido"
3:36 "Que locura"
7:08 "Otro fili"
8:43 "F40"
11:07 " In da getto"
De nada 😁

[fernandoblanco]

Where is the tiny desk spirit on this ?

[EricaAmyKees]

These guys for a huge part got me back into running for speed. I tried to buy the tracks online but because I live in italy, it was impossible to buy Josè. Nobody's voice and music does it for cardio like JBalvin crew. Gracias amigos! 🙏

[jaifer]

Desconceptualizado este Tiny Desk, soy un gran defensor de Balvin, sin embargo esperaba muchisimo mas de una oportunidad como esta.

[kenmolestina]

Huge J Balvin, and "Tiny Desk" fan here! But I have to agree with the majority of these comments. There was nothing "Tiny Desk" about this performance. I've seen Jose in concert, music videos, on TV, and in person and thought this would provide that signature "Tiny Desk" coziness and unmasked feel. It didn't. It's all good, misfires happen. Looking forward to the next one. Hopefully, they can bring it back to the style and setting that makes this series awesome and different.

[AndresLopez-xzgv]

La idea de los tiny Desk es hacer versiones de las canciones distintas a las que veríamos en un concierto convencional, con acústicos, otros ritmos, y otros ambientes.... En el caso de J Balvin, es lo mismo que veríamos en un video oficial o concierto :(

[sandraguzmanmontes]

Well still love JBalvin no matter what.