Singer Shakira and rapper J Balvin turned to Colombia earthquake relief

A magnitude 7.4 earthquake hit Colombia on the morning of Monday 10 August 2026, and by the same afternoon Shakira, J Balvin and most of the country's best known musicians had turned their accounts over to relief work.

The epicentre was reported close to San Jose del Palmar in the Choco department, and the effects reached far beyond it. Collapsed buildings, injuries and deaths were reported in Cali, Armenia, Manizales, Pereira and Quibdo. The reported death toll stood at at least 111.

J Balvin posted first among the artists, writing in Spanish on his Instagram stories that he was sending strength to everyone affected and that they would move quickly to help. Maluma called the situation heartbreaking, sent a hug from the heart to victims' families and said he was there to help.

Shakira wrote at greater length on X. In times like these, she said, Colombians know how to come together and hold one another up, and she asked people to stay tuned to instructions so they could help as soon as possible.

The practical work went through two channels. J Balvin, Maluma, Ryan Castro, Manuel Turizo and others shared a link to donate to an organisation called Colombia Se Levanta, which was supporting affected families. Karol G tagged the Con Cora Foundation, said it was working out the best way to reach families, and shared a contribution link of her own.

Other artists turned their feeds into search tools. Juan Duque and Emyl Rusev offered their Instagram accounts for posts about families looking for people who had disappeared in the quake, alongside a resource page called Colombia Te Busca set up to help locate missing people.

Both Shakira and J Balvin remain among the largest platforms in Latin music, which is what made the redirection worth noting. Shakira had recently dedicated a 12-show Madrid residency to Latinos living in fear, and more from the region sits on our latin hub, including Karol G's seventh album.