J Balvin opens up about suffering from anxiety and depression: ‘I was just crying for no reason’

While he has found enormous success over the past few years, selling over 35 million albums, J Balvin has opened up about suffering from anxiety and depression.

The 35-year-old Reggaeton singer was a guest on Becky G’s Amazon podcast En La Sala on Wednesday, where he got candid about his mental health struggles.

While the Prince of Reggaeton admitted he didn’t want to seek help for fear he’d be branded ‘crazy,’ he’s now trying to normalize seeking help.

‘I was just crying for no reason. Didn’t want to wake up. Didn’t want to eat, didn’t even want to live,’ Balvin said.

‘You lose hope and you feel strange at every place you go. You feel like you are outside of your body,’ the singer continued, adding he’s been ‘shaking’ since he was a kid, though he didn’t know it was anxiety, 

He explained one story about how he didn’t want to leave his bed for five days, adding, ‘I was just waiting to die.’

‘Of course, my whole family was devastated because at the time I wasn’t as known as I am right now…. At the time, I quit my career and I love music,’ he said.

He added that people would ask why he was feeling down when he ‘had everything,’ and he would tell them, ‘But what is everything for you?’

The singer ultimately went to a doctor and has been medicated, adding, ‘I don’t feel bad about it.’ 

Balvin is now doing his part to normalize seeking help, both in his own music, and on social media.

‘What I tell kids is don’t believe everything you see on Instagram. I want to be a real man and show [the real me],’ he said.

‘There’s a lot of people out there suffering like I am…but when you’re going through a hard moment and have anxiety and depression, don’t check Instagram,’ Balvin added.

‘To me, everything, for real, is to have health and mental health and peace,’ he continued.

‘I want to tell the kids, don’t be afraid to be who they are and this comes with everything, sexual identity, beliefs, religion, who you want to be as an artist, your career, don’t compare yourself to anybody else,’ Balvin said.

The singer opened up about his struggles with anxiety and depression with his Instagram followers earlier this month.