QuĂ© chimba is a very popular Colombian slang phrase, especially from MedellĂn where J Balvin is from. It's an enthusiastic expression that means "How cool!", "Awesome!", or "So great!".
In the song, J Balvin uses it to admire his partner, singing "Qué chimba de cuerpo y de cara" (What an awesome body and face). While the word chimba can be vulgar in other countries, in this context it's a high compliment. Learning this phrase is a perfect way to dive into the unique slang that defines modern reggaeton.
J Balvin is celebrating a love that completely changed his life. He thanks heaven for his past mistakes because they led him to this person, saying, "Me devolviste la fe" (You gave me back my faith). It's a sweet and very direct song about finding 'the one' and settling down. He says his friends can see the change in himâ"El brillo de los ojos se me nota" (The shine in my eyes is noticeable)âand that he's even given up drinking for her: "He dejado el whisky por usted" (I've given up whiskey for you).
He's found everything he needs in one person and has no desire to look for anyone else. He asks, "ÂżPa' quĂ© buscar en la calle / Lo que abunda en mi casa?" (Why look on the street / For what is abundant in my house?). He sees his partner as the total package, praising her personality and her looks. The song describes a relationship where both people healed each other. He was her comfort, "Yo fui ese hoodie que te quitĂł to' el frĂo" (I was that hoodie that took away all your cold), and she was his, "TĂș fuiste la cura cuando estaba despechado" (You were the cure when I was heartbroken).
J Balvin grew up in MedellĂn playing guitar in a teenage rock band with Nirvana and Metallica on repeat, and spent part of his teens in Oklahoma and New York picking up English. Born JosĂ© Ălvaro Osorio BalvĂn in 1985, he had been releasing music in Colombia for about a decade before anyone outside it paid attention.
"6 AM" with Farruko changed that in 2014, and "Ay Vamos" and "Ginza" followed: "Ginza" held number one on Billboard's Hot Latin Songs chart for 22 weeks, a record at the time. He kept singing in Spanish anyway, and "Mi Gente" reached number three on the Hot 100 once BeyoncĂ© joined the remix, before "I Like It" with Cardi B and Bad Bunny went to number one in 2018. His albums run La Familia, EnergĂa, Vibras, Colores (every track named after a color, and a Latin Grammy for best urban album), JosĂ© and Rayo, plus Oasis, a joint record with Bad Bunny. In August 2019 he became the first Latino artist to headline Lollapalooza in Chicago.