Though his music is primarily reggaeton, J Balvin has experimented with a variety of musical genres in his work, including electronica, house music, trap, and R&B. He has collaborated with artists such as Pharrell Williams, Major Lazer, and Sean Paul. Despite working with many English-speaking artists, J Balvin continues to sing almost exclusively in Spanish, and hopes to introduce Spanish-language music to a global audience. He is also noted for his eclectic and colorful fashion sense.
Balvin's breakthrough came in 2014 with the single "6 AM" featuring Puerto Rican singer Farruko which peaked at. The song, along with the single "Ay Vamos", bolstered sales of his debut album La Familia. In 2016, he released Energia, which included the hit singles "Ginza", "Bobo", "Safari", and "Sigo Extranandote". In June 2017, J Balvin released the single "Mi Gente" with Willy William, which achieved international success and later reached one billion views on YouTube. This preceded the release of his fifth full-length album, titled Vibras, the concept for which was developed from the moment "Mi Gente" started "connecting with audiences around the world," presented as a fusion of reggaeton with different worldwide styles and rhythms. It received favorable reviews from critics and audiences alike, with Juana Giaimo of The Guardian praising the sound of the reggaeton music on the album by calling it "smooth" and "sensual", and dubbing it the "perfect party playlist, [which] confirms that the noisy style of early reggaeton hits such as Daddy Yankee's 'Gasolina' is slowly being left behind."
He has also collaborated with Cardi B and Bad Bunny on the US Billboard Hot 100 number-one single "I Like It".
Machika
J Balvin Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Jeon, yah
Ma, vamo', vamo' a romper (hey)
No hay tiempo pa' perder (hey)
De la disco pal' motel (uh)
Más mala que Anabelle
Baila y todos le hacen coro
No pierdo mi tiempo, es oro
Todo me lo gasto, no ahorro
Machika, machika, machika (machika)
Turbo, nitro en la máquina (machika)
Siempre pa' 'lante, nunca pa' atra'
Aquí estamo' duro, somo' global
Estoy muy borracho y no puedo más
Y no puedo más
Estoy muy borracho y no puedo más
Y no puedo más
Machika, machika (coy e coy)
Machika, machika (batata)
Machika, machika (cara ta)
Machika, machika (batata)
Machika, machika
Machika, machika
Machika, machika
Machika, machika, machika
Caliente hasta en la nevera
En la cima sin escalera
La sensación de la favela
Salió a romper fronteras
Las mujeres como yo que no se quitan
Que de lejos se identifican
Siempre están cuando las solicitan
Achica, que yo soy tu chica
Representa tu bandera
Mi música es nueva era
A mí me dan play donde sea
Machuca que estás que te quemas
Estoy muy borracha y no puedo más
Y no puedo más
Estoy muy borracho y no puedo más
Y no puedo más
Machika, machika (coy e coy)
Machika, machika (batata)
Machika, machika (cara ta)
Machika, machika (batata)
Machika, machika
Machika, machika
Machika, machika
Machika, machika, machika
Dale lento, el golpe avisa (uh)
Mi no conoce Julissa (ah)
Vengo con la buena vibra (haan)
Con J Balvin, con Anitta
Machika, machika, machika (machika)
Turbo, nitro en la máquina (machika)
'Tamo en vivo, mami, ya tu sa'
Que hubo? Dale, vamo' a machuca'
Machika, machika (coy e coy)
Machika, machika (batata)
Machika, machika (cara ta)
Machika, machika (batata)
Machika, machika
Machika, machika
Machika, machika
Machika, machika, machika
Machika, machika
Machika, machika
Machika, machika
Machika, machika
J Balvin
Jeon
Anitta
Aruba, Korsou, Boneiru
One Love
The lyrics of J Balvin's song "Machika" are all about having a good time and partying hard. The song features several artists, including Anitta and Jeon, adding to the high energy of the song. The first verse speaks of not wasting any time as they go from the club to the motel. The lyrics also mention a girl who dances so well that everyone joins in, and she leaves a mark like the fictional character El Zorro. The chorus is all about the power of the machine, heard through the repeated phrase "machika," which is fueled by nitro and turbo. The song further emphasizes forward motion and not looking back, and this energy is portrayed through the repetition of the phrase "nunca pa' atra."
The second verse offers more imagery of the heat, with the line "Caliente hasta en la nevera," translated as "hot even in the refrigerator." It emphasises that the good time vibe of the song is unstoppable, and everything will be broken. The following line of "la sensación de la favela" translates as "the feeling of the favela," which essentially equates to the idea or mentality of being able to party and have a good time regardless of your surroundings. The line "Machuca que estás que te quemas" refers to the term "machuca," which means to dance, with the idea that the dance will be so intense that people will burn out. The final chorus and outro repeat the chant of machika, with the inclusion of the different island territories of Aruba, Korsou, and Boneiru.
Line by Line Meaning
Yo
J Balvin introducing himself.
Jeon, yah
Jeon's name is called out.
Ma, vamo', vamo' a romper (hey)
Let's go, let's break it down.
No hay tiempo pa' perder (hey)
There's no time to waste.
De la disco pal' motel (uh)
From the nightclub to the motel.
Más mala que Anabelle
As bad as the horror movie character Annabelle.
Baila y todos le hacen coro
She dances and everyone sings along.
Te deja marca'o como El Zorro
She leaves you marked like the fictional character Zorro.
No pierdo mi tiempo, es oro
I don't waste my time, it's valuable.
Todo me lo gasto, no ahorro
I spend everything, I don't save.
Machika, machika, machika (machika)
A chant to get the party going.
Turbo, nitro en la máquina (machika)
Fast and explosive like a turbo-charged car.
Siempre pa' 'lante, nunca pa' atra'
Always forward, never back.
Aquí estamo' duro, somo' global
We're here to stay, we're global.
Estoy muy borracho y no puedo más
I'm very drunk and I can't go on anymore.
Machika, machika (coy e coy)
Repeat of party chant.
Machika, machika (batata)
Repeat of party chant.
Machika, machika (cara ta)
Repeat of party chant.
Machika, machika (batata)
Repeat of party chant.
Caliente hasta en la nevera
Hot even in the fridge.
En la cima sin escalera
At the top without a ladder.
La sensación de la favela
The sensation from the favela (poor neighborhood).
Salió a romper fronteras
Went out to break barriers.
Las mujeres como yo que no se quitan
Women like me who don't give up.
Que de lejos se identifican
Who can be identified from far away.
Siempre están cuando las solicitan
Always there when needed.
Achica, que yo soy tu chica
Come closer, I'm your girl.
Representa tu bandera
Represent your flag.
Mi música es nueva era
My music is from the new era.
A mí me dan play donde sea
People play my music everywhere.
Machuca que estás que te quemas
Dance hard until you're on fire.
Dale lento, el golpe avisa (uh)
Slow down, the hit will come.
Mi no conoce Julissa (ah)
I don't know Julissa.
Vengo con la buena vibra (haan)
I come with good vibes.
Con J Balvin, con Anitta
With J Balvin and Anitta.
Que hubo? Dale, vamo' a machuca'
What's up? Let's go dance hard.
J Balvin
J Balvin's name is mentioned.
Jeon
Jeon's name is mentioned.
Anitta
Anitta's name is mentioned.
Aruba, Korsou, Boneiru
Names of Caribbean islands.
One Love
A message of unity and peace.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Alejandro Ramirez Suarez, Clyde S. Narain, Jonathan Bryan Thiel, Jose Alvarez Osorio Balvin, Larissa De Macedo Machado
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Dillon Francis
NOTIFCATIONS GANG!
tavin
Arriba México!! Gracias dillon por tu música
JJRZ1R
Dillon Francis u made this song worse
blackhole 0320
whats up with you and spanish culture lol
Yaasshh
Love form indiaaa
Erick Ruseb
Dillon Francis I love your Music
CDC VLOGS
¡Largo tiempo escuchando este Remix en tus sets! Por fin tenerlo aquí me hace demasiado feliz 🙌🏻 MOOMBAHTON
El Osvaaa
ah te conozco, tus videos estan padres!
Mario Alberto Ramos Mejia
Yo la escuche desde el set de Coachella 2017 y desde ese momento he esperado :(
Pam Guzmán
Llegando al tren de CDC :)