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25 Feb 2026 12:21
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  •   Home > News > Entertainment

    J Balvin named his son Rio because he wanted him to "float"

    The 37-year-old rapper - whose real name is José Álvaro Osorio Balvín - welcomed his first child back in June 2021 with model Valentina Ferrer and revealed that the inspiration behind the name Rio was because it is the Portuguese word for river


    He said: "Rio like River... I want him to just float."

    The 'I Like It' hitmaker - who is initially from Medellín, Colombia - also opened up about moving to Oklahoma to learn English as a foreign exchange student and claimed he eventually felt "inspired" to kickstart a music career once he arrived in New York.

    Speaking on 'The Ellen DeGeneres Show', he added: "I did not choose Oklahoma... I loved Oklahoma, don't get me wrong. But when I got to New York I felt inspired to conquer the world with my music."

    The revelations come just days after the Grammy Award winning star spoke out about his struggles with mental health and claimed that there is a "stigma" that stems from his culture.

    He said: "I never thought that I was going to suffer about mental health. I remember seeing people go to the psychiatric and I would be like, 'Why are they going there? They're crazy. Because that's a stigma, something that has always been in the Latino culture or even around the world and once I started suffering from anxiety and depression, I understood that it was a chemical disbalance.

    So I feel that I need to speak out because I think ... I go to that pain with myself ... because we have a voice. So I think music is the way it's helped us to send a message. And I really can feel that it's to tell other people about mental health and how to help them."

    © 2026 Bang Showbiz, NZCity

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     Today's News

    Wellington:
    A fruitful fan-funding exercise for injured Wellington Phoenix women's footballer Sabitra Bhandari 11:57

    Entertainment:
    Sinners' Wunmi Mosaku has won her first EE BAFTA Film Award 11:51

    Business:
    Regional airlines are waiting with bated breath - as the Government dishes out the first loan to support at-risk routes 11:27

    Entertainment:
    Sean Penn was dec lared Best Supporting Actor at the 2026 EE BAFTA Film Awards 11:21

    International:
    Iran signs 'secret' $700m deal for Russian air defence systems, reports say 11:17

    National:
    Trump’s plan for strikes on Iran carries major risks – and the US military knows it 11:17

    Environment:
    Three Banks Peninsula properties have been red-stickered - in the wake of last week's severe flooding and landslips 11:07

    Entertainment:
    Jacob Elordi has likened filming his and Margot Robbie's steamy Wuthering Heights sex scenes to "choreographing a fight scene or a dance sequence" 10:51

    Hockey:
    US Winter Olympic ice hockey hero Jack Hughes excited to meet Donald Trump as mum defends Kash Patel video 10:47

    Law and Order:
    A 24-year-old woman has pleaded guilty to dangerous driving in relation to a fatal crash on State Highway One south of Taupo 10:47


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