Nobody expected to release an album in the midst of a pandemic, with the world stuck in stasis and listeners trapped in self-isolation.
And few artists had albums in the chamber as vibrant and energetic as J Balvin. Colores, the Colombian reggaeton star's fifth album, was released on March 19, days after most of the world went into lockdown, and on first listen it seemed to be completely opposed to our new world of social distancing and stay-at-home orders.
All but one of its tracks are named for colors in the rainbow, and the one remaining is just called "Arcoiris" — Spanish for rainbow. “¿Cómo te explico?
No me complico / A mí me gusta pasarla rico,” he sings on the album's opener, setting up having a good time as his mission statement. .