Exclusive: Reggaeton star J Balvin says headlining the World Cup opening ceremony is a “huge statement” for Latin music | CNN

Surrounded by rows of costumes, reggaeton superstar J Balvin fuels up in his dressing room as thousands of people in the coastal Colombian city of Barranquilla wait outside for his raucous five-hour live performance to begin. The moment of calm belies what is turning out to be an unstoppable year for the Colombian, who FIFA announced on Friday as one of the stars headlining the World Cup’s opening ceremony in Mexico City on June 11. Speaking to CNN exclusively before the FIFA announcement, Balvin called his headline act a “huge statement,” not just for him but for the entire Latino music scene. “We keep piling up each artist to make our movement unstoppable,” the 41-year-old told CNN last Friday, while on the last leg of his “Ciudad Primavera” tour that has brought him up and down Colombia. Alejandro Fernández, Belinda, Danny Ocean, Lila Downs, Los Ángeles Azules, Maná and Tyla are among other headliners who will kick off the “greatest show on earth,” as Mexican culture takes center stage for 90 minutes before the start of the first game. It has been a year of records for Balvin and Latin music as a whole. In February, Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny became the f