J Balvin and UPS teamed up to help Latinx small businesses, which were disproportionately affected by the pandemic. Check out a Q&A with the multi-platinum artist and his creative team.
Q&A with J Balvin (José Álvaro Osorio Balvin)
Why did you partner with UPS on its Proudly Unstoppable initiative?
I came to America, learned a new language and built myself from the ground up – but this experience isn’t uncommon. Many Latinx families and small business owners have that same unstoppable spirit that UPS champions. I wanted to play a role in helping support this group of enterprising people greatly affected by the pandemic.
What inspired you to write the “Juntos Imparables” (“Unstoppable Together”) tune?
This song is for the people. I hope it helps lift those who are working so hard for what they want. I hope this song adds much needed light to their lives.
What’s special about the Latinx small business community?
It’s never just business. It’s always family business. The way the community goes out of their way to take care of their own and pass their legacy down in the form of a business is beautiful.
What advice can you give to entrepreneurs as they pursue their dreams?
Take time to take care of yourself and your mental health, no matter what. I know sometimes it feels like there isn't time for that when you have real world pressures and deadlines, but you can't properly take care of those things if you don't first take care of yourself.
Siempre me apoyó mi gente. Por eso digo que juntos imparables. (My people always supported me. That’s why I tell you that we’re unstoppable together.) – J Balvin
Q&A with the creative team – copywriter Brandon Kim and art director Scarlett Maestre from The Martin Agency
Tell us more about what it’s been like working with J Balvin.
Maestre: Working with J Balvin was nothing short of amazing. The energy he brought on set was contagious, and the song was perfectly written to support Latinx values, entrepreneurial spirit and UPS’s brand.
What do you admire most about J Balvin?
Kim: It’s the person behind the music. Just like the small businesses trying to build their own legacy, José makes it clear to the world he’s just another person trying to make his dream come true like everyone else.
Did he come up with the track/lyrics or was it a collaborative effort?
Maestre: It started with us giving him a brief overview of the Proudly Unstoppable campaign, how the song was to be used and what it needed to stand for. Then José made his magic in the studio, with a few revisions from us and UPS.
J Balvin’s “Juntos Imparables” (“Unstoppable Together”) anthem made for UPS and Latinx small business.
Want to help play a role? Shout out a Latinx small business on any social media channel and tag @ups + #JuntosImparables + #TogetherUnstoppable. 🔥
About J Balvin
J Balvin is one of the most consumed multi-platinum artists today. He has over 48 billion career streams and more than 54 million monthly listeners on Spotify, making him the most-listened-to Latin artist on the platform and the sixth in the world, while also being the first Latin artist to reach one billion streams on Apple Music. His influence and reach transcend cultural boundaries; Balvin was named one of Time's 100 Most Influential People of 2020, is the only Latin artist with a collaboration with Jordan (which sold out in a minute), awarded in the Guinness World Record as the artist with the most nominations to a single Latin Grammy award show in its 21 year history, is the third superstar – and the first ever Latin artist – to get a signature meal on the McDonald’s menu, named one of Forbes' 50 Most Creative from Colombia, and is VEVO’s most watched artist worldwide and the #1 global Latin artist on YouTube, Spotify, Deezer and Shazam.