Can any man on the planet match the swagger of Bad Bunny? For three hours on Saturday night he thrusted through the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with such easy energy and louche, gum-chewing braggadocio I was convinced his charisma alone was enough to have made him a phenomenon.
At last, the UK has joined the Bad Bunny party. For the past few years, there has been no artist as exciting as the 32-year-old Puerto Rican sensation, born Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio. His fusion of trap, rap, reggaeton, salsa, hip hop, bomba and pop has made him the most-streamed artist in the world year after year; in February his album Debí Tirar Más Fotos became the first Spanish-language record to win the Grammy for album of the year; the same month, his Super Bowl half-time show, a staggeringly impressive celebration of Latino joy, was the first not in the English language.
In north London, his first of two shows marked the biggest Spanish-language concert in British history. It was an explosive, relentlessly uplifting fiesta. In a cream suit and sunglasses, he opened with salsa song “La Mudanza”, an affirmation of pride, a tribute to his family and an outcry about gentrification. His superb backing band Los Sobrinos sparked the night’s frenzy of guitars, brass and Puerto Rican folk as Benito announced the plan for the rest of the evening: to love and dance “sin miedo” – without fear.
Neither Benito nor the crowd was still again: he leaned all the way back, clutching the microphone, during the lovelorn “Baile Inolvidable” with all its trumpets and drums. There can’t have been anybody, when the beat dropped to his thrilling ode to New York and its Latin communities “Nuevayol”, who was not screaming the words as he flexed his muscles and waved his arms to conduct.
The stages were so alive with motion, instruments and life, yet no matter the commotion or dancing (merengue, bachata, urban, salsa) around him, nothing can distract from Benito and his deep, commanding voice, on just the right side of nasal, or all that entrancing charm. You can’t take your eyes off him.
Bad Bunny’s influence is so great that many credit him with making Latin American music mainstream – as if his gift is in creating something that transcends language barriers because it is palatable to listeners so long turned off by Spanish-language music. What struck me, in this crowd of 50,000 predominantly Spanish-speaking fans, was how deeply that misses the point.
His popularity does not lie in crossing cultures but in galvanising them: he is uncompromising in honouring his Puerto Rican heritage, in singing about his own community whether in rejoice or lament, in exploring Latin American identity and unifying the diaspora. He is so important precisely because he will not concede.
Bad Bunny’s charisma alone could have made him a phenomenon (Photo: James Klug/Getty)It was tremendously moving to see so many men and women around me, overwhelmed and tearful, as he spoke of the feeling of being far from home, of missing his country, of Latino pride and unity. Many of them wore traditional “pava” straw hats, many wore football shirts, some were in shark costumes, and thousands bejewelled the crowd waving more bright, dazzling flags than I have ever seen, from more nations than I could count.
That was the message: pride, togetherness, resilience. There was no humouring fans who don’t speak Spanish, as he announced “we are all Puerto Rican”, and declared solidarity with Venezuela after this week’s earthquake. His plea was for everyone to enjoy the simple things in life, his message: these are what make life richer.
Given how outspoken and political he is – he has refused to perform this tour in the United States, fearing that ICE would target his shows and his fans – some might have expected his chatter to be punchy and critical. Instead, as with his Super Bowl show – which Donald Trump called “absolutely terrible, one of the worst, EVER!” – the politics were implicit in his defiant celebration of his culture and all this shared joy.
The album and tour’s title track, “Dtmf”, means “I should have taken more photos”. It is an introspective, nostalgic song about regret, and not cherishing the right things when you could – and it was electrifying as its haunting opening bars chimed through the stadium and everybody jumped, sang, cried, and lost the plot.
No matter the homesickness, the pain, the longing, the language barrier – Bad Bunny’s great gift is in showing the world there is always a reason to dance.
Hence then, the article about bad bunny has more swagger than anyone on the planet was published today ( ) and is available on inews ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Bad Bunny has more swagger than anyone on the planet )
Also on site :