Back in June 2017, Colombian singer J Balvin and French producer Willy William united for the single “Mi Gente.” Three months later, a remix version arrived featuring vocals by global megastar Beyoncé.
It turns out Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s daughter, Blue Ivy Carter, apparently played a role in Queen Bey hopping on the song. During an interview on the second episode of DJ Khaled’s The First One, J Balvin recalled how BIC inspired her mother’s involvement with the “Mi Gente” remix.
“I received a call from my friend Melissa who told me, ‘The only thing heard in this house or everywhere we go is “Mi Gente” because Blue was in love with the song and Beyoncé was always jamming to it and Jay-Z was always jamming to it,'” said J Balvin. “I was like, ‘Oh, for real. If Beyoncé’s daughter loves it, why don’t you tell her to jump on the remix?’ The worst thing you can get is a ‘no,’ right?”
J Balvin and Willy William’s “Mi Gente (Remix)” eventually peaked at #3 on the Hot 100 chart, giving the two lead artists their first entries into the Top 10. Beyoncé also brought out J Balvin during the second weekend of her historic Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival performance in 2018.
