The global impact of Latin Music’s most popular and influential international artist to be recognized on the telecast Live from Miami’s AmericanAirlines Arena on February 20 at 7 p.m. ET/PT (6 p.m. CT) on Univision
Univision announced today that Colombian recording artist J Balvin will receive the Icono Mundial (Global Icon) award during its live presentation of the first Latin Music Award Show of the decade, Premio Lo Nuestro (PLN) 2020, airing live from Miami’s AmericanAirlines Arena on Thursday, February 20th, starting with pre-show “Noche de Estrellas” at 7 p.m. ET/PT on Univision.
With more than 35 million singles sold worldwide, billions of video views across all digital platforms, numerous collaborations with international artists, and winner of 11 previous Premio Lo Nuestro awards, including three PLN Artist of the Year in 2016, 2017, and 2019, J Balvin is uniquely qualified to represent the fundamental theme of PLN 2020: The Globalization of Latin Music.
«To celebrate the evolution and global popularity of Latin Music, Premio Lo Nuestro 2020 will begin this new era honoring J Balvin with the Global Icon Award. Having headlined world-famous musical events in 2019 such as Coachella, Tomorrowland, and Lollapalooza, on top of collaborating on more than 100 songs in his brief career, his music has conquered the world,” said Ignacio Meyer, Univision Senior Vice President, Entertainment & Music. “But he’s never forgotten his ‘gente’ and has become an advocate for social inclusion, self-help, and mental illness awareness.”
Despite his meteoric international success, Balvin has stayed true to his roots and family values by maintaining his residence in his hometown of Medellín, Colombia and proudly displaying his cherished chest tattoo that reads “La Familia.”
“Receiving this award reinforces that with belief in your vision, and hard work, we can transcend any barriers. My sincere thanks to Univision and Premio Lo Nuestro for the long support to make Reggaeton global,” said music icon J Balvin. “It is an honor, and a privilege, to be able to utilize the rich ‘colores’ I see in music to help bring OUR language, and OUR culture to the entire world. I proudly accept this for Colombia and all the New Latino Gang… and pledge to keep working even harder.»
In addition to being recognized as a Global Icon, Balvin will also perform a medley of his most recent hits, and is up for nine Premio Lo Nuestro awards in the following categories:
• Album of the Year
• Remix of the Year
• Tour of the Year
• Crossover Collaboration of the Year
• Crossover Collaboration of the Year
• Urban Male Artist of the Year
• Urban Song of the Year
• Urban Collaboration of the Year
• Urban/Trap Song of the Year
