J Balvin Talks Battling Covid and Mental Health with FADER UNCOVERED

J Balvin is one of the most influential and prominent Latin music artists to date. Within the duration of his career, he acquired 4 Latin Grammy Awards, 5 Billboard Latin Music Awards, and was nominated for 2 Grammy Award Nominations. Balvin sold over 35 million records worldwide and broke historical barriers by becoming the first Latin artist to headline world-musical events such as: Coachella and Lollapalooza.

Receiving many accolades whilst continuing to thrive within his prime, J. Balvin peels off each layer of his professional persona – unveiling layers of his most authentic form. 

Recently, J. Balvin sat down with Mark Ronson on FADER UNCOVERED and spoke of his artistry, covid-19, and mental health. 

During the podcast, J. Balvin disclosed that he suffers and was diagnosed with depression and anxiety. He explains from his perspective of self-depression and anxiety versus clinical depression where the patient is medically diagnosed due to a chemical imbalance and prescribed medications for it.

“…I never thought I was going to have mental health issues. Anxiety and depression. But people think that being depressed is being sad, and it’s not. [And] anxiety, both of them are [a] sickness. Some people has it like self-anxiety and self-depression, so you can have a treatment like therapies, or meditation – or looking to make sports or eating healthier.  But some of us have more heavier, and that’s when there’s a chemical disbalance.”

J Balvin goes on to explain the correlation between aiding depression and anxiety with proper medication alongside attending therapy sessions. Approximately 5% of adults suffer from depression worldwide, according to WHO. 18.1% of people in the United States alone suffers from anxiety. 

“…For the people that are listening to me right now, it takes time. I heard a lot of people that commit suicide because they think that they are going to be okay at the other day when they take a pill. And it’s not. You’ve got to be patient.”

The Reggaeton phenom unveiled that his last depressive episode was a year and a half ago when he contracted Covid, and how at first, he felt fine until undergoing an anxiety attack in which resulted to him sleeping on the couch for two weeks, prior to receiving the covid diagnosis.

Currently, J Balvin is feeling 90% better but still has flashbacks and the ruminants of the virus at times. 

“And the biggest mistake that I was feeling good during quarantine, that I started taking out slowly, my pills. I mean my doctor said that I never told him. I did told him, but he says that I didn’t.” He adds, “I remember that I went to Miami and I had a panic attack on a bed and it was like ‘I’m not going to sleep in this bed. I have to sleep on a couch.’  So I sleep on the couch for the whole two weeks in Miami and that was when I was recording part of my new album..” 

J Balvin’s mission is to bring awareness to depression and anxiety on his platform and hopes to make an impact in the future. 

Listen to FADER UNCOVERED with Mark Ronson and J Balvin below.