Did you know that J Balvin is the first Latin artist to have his own line of sneakers with the Jordan brand? Since 2020, the Colombian singer has been in a tight-knit collaboration with Air Jordan, releasing several shoes under his name. But according to Balvin, the partnership wasn’t just between him and Michael Jordan. MJ’s wife, Yvette Prieto might have been essential in landing the musician at the Air Jordan camp.
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While on the ‘Complex Sneakers Show’, Balvin touched on his history with sneakers and his most recent collaboration on the Air Jordan 3s. One of the co-hosts asked the 39-year-old how hard it was to convince MJ to put Balvin’s logo on the back of the shoe and the singer responded honestly.
“Nothing man, because starting from Michael, he’s always been really kind to me. Shoutout Yvette, his wife. She’s latina so she also you knows my background, she knows my story,” J Balvin explained.
Yvette Prieto is Cuban so it makes sense that she would want to see other talents from Latin America succeed. She has reportedly been a fan of Balvin’s even before the Air Jordan partnership, frequenting his concerts as a fan. But did this allegiance help J Balvin with the Jordan collaboration?
When asked if Yvette was speaking to MJ on his behalf, Balvin responded,
“You know, like, in every house… Women are the ones who rule the house. I don’t know if it’s in your case but in my case, yes… So, of course, there’s some extra love there.”
Moving forward, the Colombian singer clarified that he nonetheless wanted to prove himself as a worthy collaborator. During the interview, Balvin even spoke about the pressure he felt working on his edition of the Air Jordan 3s, one of the most iconic sneakers ever.
The 39-year-old knew the history they came with – how they were the first shoe to feature the Jumpman logo, how they catapulted the Jordan brand to the forefront of the sneaker industry – and he wanted to make sure that his version lived up to those ginormous standards.
The four-time Grammy award winner explained, “At the end of the day, this is like, are you creating a good piece and are you selling? It’s the basis also right?”
With the BalvinxJordan 1s reselling at 300% of its original rate, it’s clear that the singer has lived up to that standard. From meeting ‘Black Jesus’ at midnight during Paris Fashion Week to becoming one of the leaders of his brand, Balvin has taken the opportunity very seriously. It showed when he talked about the J Balvin Jordan 3s.
“I remember I was in Colombia, in my house and I was watching the sunset. I’m like, ‘This sunset is so beautiful man’ and I’m like, ‘Got it!‘”
It surely must have been one heck of a sunset because the ‘Sunset’ edition of Balvin’s AJ3s are already sold out, just within a few months after its release.
