J Balvin officially made his anime debut as Hunters Guild Gate boss Kargalgan in Season 2 of “Solo Leveling,” and while the five-time Latin Grammy award-winning singer isn’t new to jumping in the booth to record music, he told TheWrap that laying down voice tracks for the hit series was an entirely new demon.
“You have to be precise and disciplined — it needs a lot of discipline,” J Balvin told TheWrap right after finishing his first day of recording in New York. “Normally, when you do a song, you record, you listen, you talk with your boys, then you come back. It’s art, it’s a totally new vibe … You’re watching the video before it’s out. [In music,] you do a song, you then see the video. In this case, you already have the images there … You got to be extra focused and try to make the best lip sync and also [stay] in character. You have people that have [scheduled] time for that project. It’s not like when I go to the studio — if I want to take a week, I take a week or a month. In this case, we’re all here working.”
Balvin’s character first appears at the end of Episode 5, titled “This Is What We’re Trained to Do,” but viewers get to see a full showdown between the Hunters Guild strike team, Sung Jinwoo (Aleks Le) and the High Orc shaman in Episode 6: “Don’t Look Down on My Guys.” “The English dub featuring J Balvin as the voice of Kargalgan premieres this Saturday, Feb. 22 at 1 p.m./4 p.m. ET. The Spanish dub premieres next Saturday, March 1 at the same time. Crunchyroll first shared the news that Balvin would be joining series Feb. 5, but didn’t reveal the details of his major role until Thursday.
“To me, I think it’s the coolest fighting scenes yet in the series,” Balvin said of his role. “He’s an orc shaman. He’s the boss of the orcs and has telepathic power, anti-gravity. He casts spells that he calls songs. Like, every type of song, Song of Fire, Song of Anti-Gravity, that’s super cool … It’s a coincidence that I’m a singer. It’s definitely the type of boss that you think is almost impossible to beat.”
Along with Kargalgan’s red glowing eyes and skull face, the demon possesses a deep, hefty and sinister bass in his voice that challenged the way Balvin typically uses his vocal cords.
“It’s hard because I’ve never done this type of voice before because I’m normally just speaking the way I speak or singing the way I sing. In this, I was just learning to create that vibe, definitely. My sore throat is killing me, but it’s worth it!” Balvin said. “I have so much respect for different arts. If it wasn’t for Caitlin Glass[, the ADR director for English dubs for ‘Solo Leveling’], it would be another story … The fact that you’re a good singer, doesn’t mean that you’re a good artist. Just because you’re a good basketball player doesn’t mean you’re a good football player, so I have so much respect for different arts.”
He continued: “I have a vocal coach who can help you do that sound without hurting your throat. Unfortunately, he was with The Weeknd, and I was working like crazy. So I just believe in my faith and we’re here … Big, big love and respect for [voice actors]. The people who do voiceovers are just out of this world.”
Balvin has long been an anime fan, as he grew up in Colombia watching “Captain Tsubasa”/”Super Campeones,” and moved on to “Saint Seiya: Knights of the Zodiacs”/”Caballeros del Zodiaco,” as well as new anime series “Demon Slayer,” Balvin. But the singer wants to expand creatively in anime, with dreams to one day produce an anime series.
“From now on Crunchyroll should hire me to work for them. That’s a dream job. I think I can definitely quit music and go there … I won’t quit, I won’t quit, but I definitely need to work at Crunchyroll. At least I need a free pass,” Balvin said jokingly but with some seriousness. “I would love to one day produce an anime show. Being a part as a secular producer from a Latino from Medellín, Colombia — that’s a huge statement. Whether [the show is from Korea or Japan], it would be so dope. It’s one of my biggest dreams right now to be a secular producer of an anime series.”
The singer says he’s excited for his fans to see him in a new form, particularly as a villain.
In a statement to TheWrap, Crunchyroll COO, Gita Rebbapragada, who oversees operations, including dubbing, and marketing, called Balvin a “natural fit” to voice a dub role in both English and Spanish.
“His creative spirit and deep passion for anime brought something special and a fresh perspective to the ‘Solo Leveling’ franchise, and we knew he would resonate with fans and their love of anime dubs,” Rebbapragada said. “I can’t wait for fans to hear J Balvin’s voice in ‘Solo Leveling.’ Crunchyroll is always looking for exciting ways to tell new stories and connect with fans … Fans should definitely keep an eye for more news from Crunchyroll!”
“Solo Leveling Season 2 -Arise From the Shadow-” is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.
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