J Balvin Calls for Honesty About Mental Health in the Music Industry

J Balvin has spent decades filling stadiums, rewriting the reach of reggaetón, and defining what global pop in the Spanish-language sounds like. At forty, the Colombian singer has decided to speak about something far removed from lights and applause. His new reflections reveal the cost of success and the emotional toll that fame often hides. He told People magazine that life in the public eye is far from perfect and that the people who build careers around admiration still carry the same fears, doubts, and exhaustion that touch everyone else.

Breaking the Illusion of Perfection

For generations, audiences have imagined their favorite artists as immune to struggle. Luxury and confidence are projected through music videos, interviews, and magazine covers that erase fatigue and insecurity. Balvin explained that this illusion can harm both performers and fans because it feeds an expectation that happiness must always accompany achievement. He spoke about the pressure of appearing fulfilled when personal balance collapses behind the scenes. “It may look like our lives are perfect, but that is not real. We are all human, we all go through things,” he said.

His message challenges a habit deeply rooted in popular culture. Fame often turns people into symbols, stripping away the humanity that once made them relatable. Balvin’s decision to describe his own anxiety and depression exposes what happens when the performance of perfection becomes heavier than the music itself.

The Call to Disconnect

Among the ideas he shares for navigating those emotional storms, Balvin emphasizes the need to step away from social media. He views constant comparison as one of the great modern distortions, where scrolling through the lives of others can distort reality and lead to dissatisfaction. “Leave the phone, step away from social media,” he said. “They distort things and make you feel that everyone else has everything figured out, and that can affect you. You start comparing and lose sight of your own path.”

The singer suggests reclaiming small, ordinary gestures as a way to restore presence. A conversation with his mother, dinner with a friend, or a quiet evening without notifications remind him of what he calls emotional grounding. For him, it is these moments that protect mental stability. He encourages those experiencing dark periods to recognize them rather than flee from them, explaining that their importance grows once they are acknowledged.

The Risk of Honesty

Balvin admits that opening up about mental health while being a public figure has not been easy. The constant scrutiny of celebrity life makes vulnerability appear dangerous, especially when fame depends on strength and control. “Being a celebrity made it harder to be honest about what I was going through,” he explained. Many artists fear disappointing their followers or disrupting the image that sustains their careers, which creates silence where there should be dialogue.

Even so, Balvin insists that silence isolates and that those who care about you should be allowed to help. “The people who love you want to help you, so give them a chance,” he said. For him, honesty with loved ones became a turning point, opening the door to understanding and relief.

Naming the Darkness

Balvin reflected on his experience before and after being diagnosed with anxiety and depression. For years, he said, he moved through confusion without knowing the reason for his unease. “Before I was diagnosed, everything was dark. I didn’t even know what was happening in my head. Receiving that diagnosis was a relief because it gave a name to what I was fighting,” he recalled. Identifying his condition allowed him to seek treatment and develop habits that anchored his emotional life.

Physical activity has become part of that process. He described exercise as a way to release stress and restore clarity, adding that mental and physical health are inseparable. “A big part of controlling anxiety comes from understanding that mental and physical health go together. You cannot have one without the other. Being active is an escape valve for me; it helps me release much of the stress I carry,” he said.

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Redefining Strength

J Balvin’s openness signals a cultural shift in how Latin artists approach fame and vulnerability. His words dismantle the myth that success protects anyone from pain. The message that runs through his reflections is simple yet disarming: happiness is not guaranteed by applause, and balance cannot exist without honesty.