Burgeoning solo pop artist Liam Payne and Colombian reggaetón singer J Balvin join forces for the infectious, sleek Latin-pop single, “Familiar.”

It’s been a while since a new Liam Payne single materialized, like, totally 2017.  Finally, on Friday, April 20, 2018, the world was treated to “Familiar.” “Familiar” pairs Payne with an unlikely partner – Colombian reggaetón singer J Balvin.  Unlikely it may be, ultimately, “Familiar” ends up being a success.

There’s LOTS to like about “Familiar.” The Latin-pop production and sound ends up being a good look for Liam Payne.  Naturally, it fits J Balvin (he’s from Colombia, as aforementioned).  While Latin-pop has a seen a resurgence overall, as well as carved a space in mainstream, sometimes the results are mixed.  In the case of “Familiar,” the results are positive. The groove is infectious, the songwriting simple and repetitive, while the respective musicians deliver respectable, well-rounded performances.

Liam Payne has a nice voice on his hands – always has.  The main rub with his stint as a solo artist is that he lacks a bit in personality. That isn’t to say he has not personality in real life, but it has yet to translate as the lead artist.  Even though “Familiar” is enjoyable and definitely sexy, I’m still waiting to see Payne breakthrough and ‘bring the heat.’ As for Balvin, he’s a bit more of a proven commodity.

Final Thoughts

Does “Familiar” change the pop or Latin-pop game? No, but it’s quite a pleasant little ditty.  Payne is rock solid, but needs to develop his own distinct, artistic persona.  J Balvin is, well J Balvin. All in all, “Familiar” is all good.

Liam Payne & J Balvin • Familiar • Capitol • Release: 4.20.18

Writers: Gamal “LunchMoney” Lewis, Jose Alvaro Osorio Balvin, Mike Sabath & Sean Douglas

« Producer: Mike Sabath

Photo Credits: Capitol