When he was planning his alien-themed Coachella set earlier this year, J Balvin knew exactly who he wanted to bring onstage: Will Smith. In an interview with Rolling Stone Tuesday, the Colombian musician revealed why he felt very “connected” to the actor, since both of them went through intense criticism around the same time in 2022.
“Will Smith has always been one of my biggest idols. Period. I feel really connected with him. You cannot judge a person for some mistakes,” he told Rolling Stone, referring to the backlash Smith faced for slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars. “A mistake cannot define who you are because if it’s like that, we all are bad.”
“[With] what happened with Will Smith, I felt his pain because I was going through a similar situation when I felt that some part of the world was against me for mistakes,” he added.
Smith’s slap incident led to a 10-year ban from the Academy and intense public scrutiny. Around the same time, Balvin was being criticized for his controversial video with Tokischa, “Perra,” and he was also going through a public feud with rapper Residente.
“I think if there’s someone that has been through darkness and light publicly at this moment, it’s Will Smith,” he said. “My inner child was screaming to have him in my show because there was no one better than him.”
During Balvin’s set, Smith — in character as his Men in Black character, Agent J — made a surprise cameo surrounded by Balvin’s dancers, who were dressed as bright green extraterrestrials. Smith hit the stage to rap the iconic film’s theme song. Balvin says getting Smith to join him on set took some convincing, though.
“I told him my vision. He said, ‘Give me a week.’ And I kept pressuring, man,” he said. “I kept sending him pictures of me praying, until he called and said he was down, and it was a beautiful moment to see us together, man.”
“You just can never forget that. And I’m happy right now for his new season, too,” he said. “As I’m having a new season, he’s having his new season, and I salute that.”
Balvin released his comeback album Rayo on Friday, while Smith returned to his role in Bad Boys for a sequel called Ride or Die. He’s also dropped several singles this year from an upcoming album called Dance in Your Darkest Moments.