J Balvin arrived to the United States 12 years ago from Colombia to learn English, and it ended up being a scary experience for the singer.

Balvin was 17 when he arrived in Oklahoma.

"I was living in Oklahoma as part of an exchange [program], but because of life's issues I left and moved to New York," he said on "El Gordo y La Flaca." "The lady grew so fond of me and she took away my passport and she wanted me to stay there forever. It was a bizarre obsession, and that's why I left to New York."

It was in New York that J Balvin fell in love with reggaeton, which he now sings. Although he had some difficulties in the U.S., he is grateful that he arrived when he did. He also said that Ricky Martin has been a great teacher for him.

"If I'm not mistaken, he's the most important Latino artist in history," Balvin said.

Balvin is set to appear at the upcoming Premio Lo Nuestro, where he is up for five awards and he will have a performance with a surprise guest.

The artist is also one of the most nominated for the 2015 Billboard Latin Music Awards.

In an interview with Metro, Balvin explained that it was a dream to be nominated.

"It's incredible," he said to the publication. "It's a dream because I remember that a year ago we were working hard and saying 'hopefully they invite us and we can have a show,' but it did not happen. I think that life is perfect because I was preparing for that. It's 13 nominations, it's three of us that are the most nominated: Enrique Iglesias, Romeo Santos and us. So it's a dream."

Balvin said that he has accomplished a lot, but that he still has a long way to go. He wants to be on par with Pitbull or Iglesias.

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