Barranquilla, Colombia —
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…